Chinese Tongue Twisters

扁担长，板凳宽 (Biǎndàn cháng, bǎndèng kuān) – the carrying pole is long, the bench is wide – is a classic Chinese tongue twister where biandan and bandeng swap sounds across each line.

黑化肥发黑会挥发 (Hēi huà féi fā hēi huì huī fā) – black chemical fertilizer turns black and will volatilize – is considered the hardest standard Chinese tongue twister. The h, f, and hu sounds repeat relentlessly.

妈妈骑马，马慢，妈妈骂马 (Māma qí mǎ, mǎ màn, māma mà mǎ) – Mom rides a horse, the horse is slow, Mom scolds the horse – is a classic Chinese tonal tongue twister. Every syllable is ma with a different tone.

吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮 (Chī pútao bù tǔ pútao pí) – eat grapes, don’t spit out grape skin – is a beloved Chinese tongue twister where the same word putao appears four times with the similar-sounding tu and chu.

四是四，十是十 (Sì shì sì, shí shì shí) – four is four, ten is ten – is the most famous Chinese Mandarin tongue twister. The s and sh sounds combined with the four tones make it a perfect phonetic trap.

Discover the best Chinese Mandarin tongue twisters (绕口令 rao kou ling). From si shi si to hei hua fei fa hei, Mandarin tones and retroflex sounds make Chinese tongue twisters some of the most challenging in the world.