<p>They are the same to the native ears. But I do have a theory why you feel like that.</p>
<p>Tones affect the length of a syllable. Tone 3 is the longest one, while Tone 4 is very short.</p>
<p>The glide /j/ is always short. With Tone 3, the prolonged time is achieved mainly by the main vowel /e/, so you hear /e/ more. With Tone 4, the syllable is short, cutting the time of vowel /e/, and /j/ is more catchy to your ears.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-30T04:36:45.260Z
2022-05-30T04:36:45.260Z
lilysirius
<p>I'm aware that <a href="https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?wdqb=%E8%B0%A2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">谢</a> (xiè​) and <a href="https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?wdqb=%E5%86%99" rel="nofollow noreferrer">写</a> (xiě​) are theoretically meant to sound the same (ignoring tones):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>谢 has the bopomofo/zhuyin ㄒㄧㄝˋ<br />
写 has the bopomofo/zhuyin ㄒㄧㄝˇ</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But, to my ear at least, when people say 谢 it sounds like it rhymes with &quot;ear&quot;, and when people say 写 it sounds like it rhymes with &quot;air&quot;.  They genuinely sound quite different to me.  Maybe I'm just wrong about this, so...</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: Do 谢 and 写 sound different (ignoring the tones)?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-06-08T01:46:57.650Z
Not answering your question, just my two cents that might help with your Mandarin pronunciation: to my ear (I'm a Mainlander), 谢/写 rhymes with neither "ear" nor "air". It rhymes with the "ye" part of "yes".
Betty
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-31T23:54:04.143Z
Maybe would help to clarify what English dialect you speak.
awe lotta
<difference><pronunciation>
Do 谢 and 写 sound different (ignoring the tones)?
# Do 谢 and 写 sound different (ignoring the tones)?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-05-30)

I'm aware that [谢](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?wdqb=%E8%B0%A2) (xiè​) and [写](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?wdqb=%E5%86%99) (xiě​) are theoretically meant to sound the same (ignoring tones):

> 谢 has the bopomofo/zhuyin ㄒㄧㄝˋ  
> 写 has the bopomofo/zhuyin ㄒㄧㄝˇ

But, to my ear at least, when people say 谢 it sounds like it rhymes with "ear", and when people say 写 it sounds like it rhymes with "air". They genuinely sound quite different to me. Maybe I'm just wrong about this, so...

**Question**: Do 谢 and 写 sound different (ignoring the tones)?

**Tags:** difference, pronunciation
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Not answering your question, just my two cents that might help with your Mandarin pronunciation: to my ear (I'm a Mainlander), 谢/写 rhymes with neither "ear" nor "air". It rhymes with the "ye" part of "yes".  
> **username_2**: Maybe would help to clarify what English dialect you speak.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-05-30. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

They are the same to the native ears. But I do have a theory why you feel like that.

Tones affect the length of a syllable. Tone 3 is the longest one, while Tone 4 is very short.

The glide /j/ is always short. With Tone 3, the prolonged time is achieved mainly by the main vowel /e/, so you hear /e/ more. With Tone 4, the syllable is short, cutting the time of vowel /e/, and /j/ is more catchy to your ears.


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