Which tone is it (in pinyin)? Following on from this question Asking &quot;what&#39;s the pinyin/character for X?&quot;.

I've had difficulty previously asking native speakers which tone I should use for a particular character if I can't pick it by just listening.

The problem is they don't understand what I'm asking in most instances.

How do I say "Which tone should I use for this character?"

In the past I've used "第几声" for which tone, but this doesn't seem to be commonly understood.
这个字/词怎么念? = How do you pronounce this character/word?

这个字的发音是第几声? = Which tone should I use for this character?