LingoDrop
Chinese · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "餐厅" in Chinese?
tsahn-TING, both syllables high and flat. The c is an aspirated "ts" and the t is strongly aspirated too — plenty of breath in this word.
cāntīng
A pair of level tones with no movement, and a built-in nasal contrast: the first syllable closes at the front of the mouth and the second at the back. Since both carry the same tone, the endings are the only thing distinguishing them, which makes this a tidy self-check.
Listen: 餐厅
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
我们去餐厅吃饭。
Wǒmen qù cāntīng chī fàn.
We're going to a restaurant to eat.
Listen: 我们去餐厅吃饭。
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我们去餐厅吃饭。 protects wǒ with the toneless men, so it keeps its dip. Then qù plunges, cān and tīng hold level, chī holds level too, and fàn plunges. Three consecutive level syllables in the middle form a long plateau, and the two drops that bracket it are what give the sentence its shape.
Where English speakers slip
Reading c as English "k" or "s" gives kān or sān, neither of which is the word. It must begin with an audible "ts". Under-aspirating either syllable is the other risk — cān becomes zān and tīng becomes dīng. And the nasal contrast collapses for most learners, so both syllables end up rhyming when they should not.