Mandarin Chinese pronunciation guide
How to pronounce the four Mandarin Chinese tones
In Mandarin, the pitch of a syllable is part of the word. Mā (妈, mother), má (麻, hemp), mǎ (马, horse) and mà (骂, to scold) differ only in their tone. There are four tones plus a light neutral tone, and getting them right matters more than any single consonant or vowel.
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First tone: high and level
Start high and stay there, as if singing one note.
妈 mā, 天 tiān, 书 shū, 飞 fēi
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Second tone: rising
Start in the middle and rise, like a surprised “What?”
麻 má, 人 rén, 学 xué, 来 lái
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Third tone: low
Go low and stay low. It only rises again when said alone or at the end of a phrase.
马 mǎ, 好 hǎo, 我 wǒ, 你 nǐ
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Fourth tone: falling
Start high and drop sharply, like a firm “No!”
骂 mà, 是 shì, 去 qù, 大 dà
How to make the sounds
- Say each tone on one syllable first: mā, má, mǎ, mà. Exaggerate the pitch. It is easier to tone it down later than to add it.
- Use your hand: move it level, up, down, and sharply down as you speak. The gesture keeps the pitch honest.
- Two third tones in a row: the first one becomes a rising second tone. 你好 nǐ hǎo is said ní hǎo.
- Inside a sentence, a third tone is mostly just low. The full dip and rise only appears when it is said alone or at the end.
不 bù changes to bú before a fourth tone: 不是 bú shì. 一 yī changes to yí before a fourth tone (一个 yí gè) and to yì before the others (一天 yì tiān).
Tone pairs
Same sounds, different pitch, different word.
- 买 mǎi 卖 mài buy · sell
- 汤 tāng 糖 táng soup · sugar
- 水 shuǐ 睡 shuì water · sleep
- 十 shí 是 shì ten · to be
- 问 wèn 吻 wěn ask · kiss
- 烟 yān 盐 yán smoke · salt
Practice with real sentences
Tap Practice to open the sentence in Tono, listen to it, and say it.
- 你好，我叫小明。 Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào Xiǎomíng. Hello, my name is Xiaoming.Practice
- 妈妈骂马。 Māma mà mǎ. Mum scolds the horse.Practice
- 我想买一杯水。 Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì bēi shuǐ. I would like to buy a glass of water.Practice
- 今天天气很好。 Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo. The weather is nice today.Practice
- 这个不是我的。 Zhège bú shì wǒ de. This one is not mine.Practice
- 请问，洗手间在哪里？ Qǐngwèn, xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ? Excuse me, where is the restroom?Practice
- 我们明天去学校。 Wǒmen míngtiān qù xuéxiào. We are going to school tomorrow.Practice
- 谢谢你的帮助。 Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù. Thank you for your help.Practice
Common mistakes
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Flat pitch everywhere
Common for speakers of English and most European languages, who use pitch for emotion rather than for words. Exaggerate first, then relax.
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A question melody on every sentence
English speakers often let the pitch rise at the end of a question, which turns a fourth tone into a second. In Mandarin each syllable keeps its tone; questions use 吗 ma instead.
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A full third tone every time
Dipping and rising on every third tone makes speech slow and choppy. Inside a sentence, keep it low.