Qwen-TTS by Alibaba Cloud: Multi-Dialect TTS Model & Fast API for Natural Speech Synthesis

On June 27, 2025, Alibaba Cloud Qwen team released Qwen-TTS (qwen-tts-2025-05-22), a top-tier text-to-speech (TTS) model available via the Qwen API, featuring ultra-natural speech, multi-dialect support, and powerful emotional expression.

Key Highlights

1. Ultra-natural Speech: Trained on millions of hours of audio, Qwen-TTS delivers human-like naturalness and emotional expressiveness, with intelligent adaptation of intonation and rhythm.
2. Multi-dialect Support: Covers three Chinese dialects—Beijing (Dylan), Shanghai (Jada), Sichuan (Sunny)—and seven bilingual (Chinese/English) voices, all vivid and authentic.
3. Developer-friendly: Simple API calls, quick integration, suitable for various scenarios.

Sample Code:

import os
import dashscope

# Set API key (configure in environment variable or assign directly)
dashscope.api_key = os.getenv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY")  # Make sure to set DASHSCOPE_API_KEY in your environment
# Or assign directly (not recommended for production)
# dashscope.api_key = "your-api-key-here"

# Generate Beijing dialect speech with Qwen-TTS
text = "Hey, Curry shoots like it's a game, the hoop is calling him dad!"
response = dashscope.audio.qwen_tts.SpeechSynthesizer.call(
    model="qwen-tts-latest",
    text=text,
    voice="Dylan"
)

# Check response and get audio URL
if response.status_code == 200:
    audio_url = response.output.audio["url"]
    print(f"Audio URL: {audio_url}")
else:
    print(f"Error: {response.message}")

API Key Setup Instructions:

1. Environment Variable (Recommended): Set DASHSCOPE_API_KEY in your system environment variables. Use export DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=your-api-key (Linux/Mac) or set it in Windows environment variables.
2. Direct Assignment in Code (For Testing): Assign your API key from Alibaba Cloud DashScope platform directly to dashscope.api_key (registration and application required).
3. Get your API key: Visit https://dashscope.aliyun.com, log in, and generate a key in the console.

Application Scenarios

• Education & Culture: Supports dialect digitization and language learning.
• Entertainment Creation: Adds regional flavor to dubbing for short videos and games.
• Smart Interaction: Enhances customer service and accessibility, improving user experience.
• Cross-language Support: Chinese-English bilingual voices meet global needs.