---
title: "How to Pronounce Xiangqi (象棋) · Xiangqi Master"
description: "Xiangqi is pronounced roughly shyahng-chee: 'xiang' rhymes with 'young' with an sh- sound, and 'qi' is 'chee', not 'kee' or 'zhee'."
url: https://xiangqimaster.com/blog/how-do-you-pronounce-xiangqi
updated: 2026-09-22
source: Xiangqi Master (https://xiangqimaster.com)
license: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
---

# How do you pronounce xiangqi?

These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws and is regression-tested against the official 110-diagram repetition casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it against the engine before publishing.

> Direct answer
>
> Say it **shyahng-chee**. The *x* is a soft *sh* made with the tongue low and forward, and the *q* is a *ch*, not a *k*. In Mandarin it is xiàngqí — falling tone, then rising.

## Sound by sound

**xiàng** (象) — begin with the *sh* of "sheep" but with the tip of your tongue behind your lower teeth, then "ahng". It is the word for elephant.

**qí** (棋) — "chee", as in "cheese" without the -se. It means board game, the same syllable as in wéiqí (go).

## The mistakes to avoid

**Not** "zee-ang-kee". The *x* is never a *z*, and the *q* is never a hard *k*. English speakers who have met Chinese romanisation before usually get it right the moment they know that *q* = *ch*.

Nobody will mind if your tones are flat. The consonants are what make it recognisable.

## Related questions

What does xiangqi mean literally?

Roughly "elephant game". 象 is elephant and 棋 is a board game — though the 象 may originally have been 像, meaning figure or image.

How do you say it in Cantonese?

Approximately *jeung-kei*. The characters are the same 象棋.

## Related xiangqi resources

Chess in Chinese

The words for the game and every piece

Xiangqi glossary

Every term, with the Chinese and the WXF spelling

How to play xiangqi

From an empty board to your first full game

## Try it on a real board

Reading an answer is one thing; playing it is another. Free, instant, and nothing to install.