American English for
Chinese Speakers
Mandarin and English have very different sound systems. Our curriculum targets the exact sounds that Mandarin speakers find most challenging.
Start Free TrialWhy Mandarin speakers have a distinct accent
Your native language shapes how you hear and produce sounds. Mandarin has a different sound system than English, which creates predictable challenges:
The "Dark L" doesn't exist in Mandarin
The "Dark L" at the end of words like "people", "call", and "feel" is THE signature challenge for Chinese speakers. Mandarin has no equivalent sound, causing speakers to drop it entirely or vocalize it as "oh", making "people" sound like "pee-poh".
L vs R confusion
The classic challenge: distinguishing between L and R sounds. In Mandarin, these sounds are different from English, causing confusion in both directions. "Light" gets confused with "right", "fly" with "fry".
Mandarin has no TH sounds
English has two TH sounds (/θ/ and /ð/) that don't exist in Mandarin. Chinese speakers often substitute "s", "f", "d", or "z" sounds instead, making "think" sound like "sink" and "this" sound like "zis".
V often becomes W
Mandarin doesn't have the English V sound (/v/), so Chinese speakers often substitute it with W. This causes "very" to sound like "wery" and "vest" to sound like "west".
N and NG merge at the end of words
In many Chinese dialects, the distinction between final N and NG has merged. This causes confusion between words like "sin/sing", "ban/bang", and "thin/thing".
What you'll master
Our Chinese curriculum focuses on the exact sounds that will make the biggest difference in your pronunciation.
Dark L Sound
Master the "L" at the end of words
Practice words: people, call, feel, apple, little, middle
L vs R Distinction
Tell these sounds apart clearly
Practice pairs: light/right, led/red, fly/fry, lane/rain
TH Sounds
Learn /θ/ (think) and /ð/ (this)
Practice words: think, three, this, that, mother, weather
V Sound
Stop substituting V with W
Practice pairs: very/wary, vest/west, vine/wine, vet/wet
N vs NG Distinction
Distinguish final N from NG
Practice pairs: sin/sing, ban/bang, thin/thing, win/wing
How it works
Listen to minimal pairs
Train your ear to hear the difference between similar sounds like "light" vs "right"
Practice speaking
Record yourself and get instant AI feedback on your pronunciation
Build muscle memory
Unlimited practice until the correct pronunciation becomes automatic
Start improving your pronunciation today
Download English Accent Coach and get unlimited AI practice with a curriculum built specifically for Mandarin speakers.
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