Pronunciation

How to pronounce Xiangqi

Two syllables, and both of them trip up English speakers. Here is each one, slowly.

shyang-chee

象棋 · xiàngqí · falling tone, then rising

Syllable by syllable

xiàngshyahng

4th tone — falling sharply, like an English command: “Stop!”

The pinyin x is not a ks or a z. Put your tongue where it goes for the ee in see, then push air past it — somewhere between English sh and s. The rest rhymes with song, not sang.

qíchee

2nd tone — rising, like an English question: “Me?”

The pinyin q is close to the ch in cheese, made with the tongue further forward. It is never a k sound, which is the single most common mistake.

The four ways it goes wrong

zang-kee
Reading x as z and q as k. Neither letter works the way it does in English.
ex-ee-ang-kee
Spelling the x out. It is one sound, not two.
shang-chi
The Marvel character is Shàng-Qì — a different first syllable and a different tone. Close enough to cause the mix-up, wrong enough to notice.
shy-angki
Splitting after the y. The break falls between xiàng and qí.

Every piece, said out loud

Red and Black use different characters for the same piece — both are given here, Black first. Why they differ is explained on chess in Chinese.

Piece	Characters	Pinyin	Sounds like
General	將 / 帥	jiàng / shuài	jyahng / shwhy
Advisor	士 / 仕	shì	shrr
Elephant	象 / 相	xiàng	shyahng
Horse	馬 / 傌	mǎ	mah
Chariot	車 / 俥	jū	jyoo
Cannon	砲 / 炮	pào	pow
Soldier	卒 / 兵	zú / bīng	dzoo / bing

Common questions

How do you pronounce xiangqi?: Shyang-chee. In Mandarin it is xiàngqí: the first syllable falls in pitch, the second rises. The x is a soft sh made with the tongue forward, and the q is close to the ch in cheese — never a k.
Is xiangqi pronounced like Shang-Chi?: Almost, but not quite. The Marvel character is Shàng-Qì, which starts with a full sh and has a different vowel. Xiangqi starts with the softer pinyin x and the first syllable rhymes with song.
How is 象棋 pronounced in Cantonese?: Zoeng6 kei4 — roughly “jeung kay”. Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong and Guangdong usually say this rather than the Mandarin xiàngqí.
Do I need the tones to be understood?: For one word among English speakers, no. Among Chinese speakers, tones carry meaning the way vowels do in English, so xiàngqí with the falling-then-rising shape is worth the small effort.

You can say it — now learn to play it, or start a game against the computer.

Syllable by syllable

xiàngshyahng

4th tone — falling sharply, like an English command: “Stop!”

The pinyin x is not a ks or a z. Put your tongue where it goes for the ee in see, then push air past it — somewhere between English sh and s. The rest rhymes with song, not sang.

qíchee

2nd tone — rising, like an English question: “Me?”

The pinyin q is close to the ch in cheese, made with the tongue further forward. It is never a k sound, which is the single most common mistake.

The four ways it goes wrong

zang-kee

Reading x as z and q as k. Neither letter works the way it does in English.

ex-ee-ang-kee

Spelling the x out. It is one sound, not two.

shang-chi

The Marvel character is Shàng-Qì — a different first syllable and a different tone. Close enough to cause the mix-up, wrong enough to notice.

shy-angki

Splitting after the y. The break falls between xiàng and qí.

Every piece, said out loud

Red and Black use different characters for the same piece — both are given here, Black first. Why they differ is explained on chess in Chinese.

Piece	Characters	Pinyin	Sounds like
General	將 / 帥	jiàng / shuài	jyahng / shwhy
Advisor	士 / 仕	shì	shrr
Elephant	象 / 相	xiàng	shyahng
Horse	馬 / 傌	mǎ	mah
Chariot	車 / 俥	jū	jyoo
Cannon	砲 / 炮	pào	pow
Soldier	卒 / 兵	zú / bīng	dzoo / bing

Common questions

How do you pronounce xiangqi?

Shyang-chee. In Mandarin it is xiàngqí: the first syllable falls in pitch, the second rises. The x is a soft sh made with the tongue forward, and the q is close to the ch in cheese — never a k.

Is xiangqi pronounced like Shang-Chi?

Almost, but not quite. The Marvel character is Shàng-Qì, which starts with a full sh and has a different vowel. Xiangqi starts with the softer pinyin x and the first syllable rhymes with song.

How is 象棋 pronounced in Cantonese?

Zoeng6 kei4 — roughly “jeung kay”. Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong and Guangdong usually say this rather than the Mandarin xiàngqí.

Do I need the tones to be understood?

For one word among English speakers, no. Among Chinese speakers, tones carry meaning the way vowels do in English, so xiàngqí with the falling-then-rising shape is worth the small effort.