What Are Multi-Sound Characters?
Characters with multiple sounds (多音字, duō yīn zì)
are confusing and difficult to learn for Chinese learners. Indeed, there are many Chinese characters with more than one sound. Out of the seven thousand general characters, 9% of them have multiple sounds. In this article, let's learn some multi-sound characters with the same exact characters but different pronunciations and meanings. There are four kinds of sound change. Let's break it down and look at them one by one.
Part I: Characters with Two Sounds
#1 Change of Tone
The first type of sound change occurs when the Pinyin remains unchanged, however, the tone changes to a different one.
An example of this would be the character "舍". When "舍" is combined with another character to form a word collocation that indicates housing, it'll be pronounced in the 4th tone, as seen in words "宿舍(sù shè, dormitory)", "校舍(xiào shè, schoolhouse) and "旅舍(lǚ shè, inn). When it is read in the 4th tone, it indicates objects.
However, in the word collocations of "舍弃(shě qì, give up)" and "舍得(shě dé, willing to trade sth off)", "舍" is pronounced in the 3rd tone, which indicates the action of giving away something.
#2 Pinyin with a Different Initial
The second type of sound change occurs when the initial in Pinyin changes, while the finals remain unchanged. The tone might be different as well.
An example would be the character "藏", which can be pronounced both as "zàng" or "cáng" depending on the context and meaning. In word collocations of "宝藏(bǎo zàng, treasure)", "西藏(xī zàng, Tibet)" and "藏族(zàng zú, Tibetan)", it is pronounced as "藏(zàng)", which happens when we express objects or place of storage.
On the other hand, when it is combined to form words such as "收藏(to collect, shōu cáng)", "隐藏(to hide, yǐn cáng)" and "储藏(to store, chǔ cáng)", it is pronounced as "藏(cáng)" when it involves the action of hiding or storing something.
#3 Pinyin with a Different Final(s)
The third type of sound change happens when the final(s) in Pinyin changes, while the initial remains unchanged. Like the above, the tone might change as well.
An example would be the character "没". It is read as "没(méi)" when it's used in words such as "没关系(méi guān xi)" and "没有(méi yǒu)", indicating "no" or "don't have".
However, it is read as "没(mò)" when it's used in words such as "淹没(yān mò)", "出没(chū mò)" and "沉没(chén mò)". This character is read this way when it means "disappear" or "submerge".
#4 Complete Change in Pinyin
The fourth type of change involves the change in both the initial and final(s). The tone can be completely different as well.
An example of such change would be the character "乐". This can be read as "乐(lè)" in words such as "快乐(kuài lè, happy)", "欢乐(huān lè, joy)" and "乐观(lè guān, optimistic)", indicating a person's mood or temperament.
It can also be read as "乐(yuè)" in words such as "音乐(yīn yuè, music)", "乐队(yuè duì, band)" and "乐章(yuè zhāng, movement in music)", indicating concepts related to music.
Part II: Characters with More Than Two Sounds
The above-mentioned characters come with two sounds. However, there are Chinese characters with three, four or even six different pronunciations.
For example, "的" can take up three sounds:
我的(wǒ de, mine)
目的(mù dì, purpose; objective)
的确(dí què, indeed)
In the sentence of "这的确是我的目的。(zhè dí què shì wǒ de mù dì. This indeed is my objective.", you see that "的" has three different pronunciations.
In another example, "着" can take up four sounds:
听着(tīng zhe, listen (着 is used after a verb to indicate the continuation of an action))
高着儿(gāo zhāo'er, smart move)
着急(zháo jí, anxious)
穿着(chuān zhuó, outfit)
In the last example, "和" can take up six sounds. Some examples are:
和平(hé píng, peace)
暖和(nuǎn huo, warm)
附和(fù hè, echo other's view)
和面(huó miàn, mix flour)
搅和(jiǎo huo, stir and mix)
和了(hú le, win a Mah-jong game)
We've learned a number of multi-sound characters in Chinese. Memorise them and know their pronunciations when used in different contexts. Stay tuned to this blog for more updates on other Chinese learning materials and tips. If you want to learn and improve your Chinese at Hanhai Language Studio in Singapore, you can contact us anytime for a free consultation session. See you in the next article!