点餐 · At the table
5 of 6
有水吗？
yóushuǐma
Do you have water?
Sounds roughly like yo shway mah
As spoken
Written yǒu shuǐ ma?Said
yóushuǐma
有 and 水 are both 3rd tone, so the first is spoken as 2nd: yóu shuǐ.
Literal meaning
有
yǒu
to have
水
shuǐ
water
吗
ma
yes/no marker
have · water · (yes/no)
How to pronounce it
- 有
yóu
you3 · written yǒu
22nd · risingTwo 3rd tones: 有 rises, 水 keeps the dip. Spoken yóu shuǐ.
- 水
shuǐ
shui3
33rd · dippingRetroflex sh + “way”, dipping. Round the lips a little.
- 吗
ma
ma5
·neutralLight. Turns “have water” into “got any water?”
In real life
请问，有水吗？
Qǐngwèn, yǒu shuǐ ma?
Excuse me — do you have water?