The four tones
Textbooks describe pitch on a scale from 1 (the bottom of your voice) to 5 (the top). The numbers show where the tone starts and ends.
| Tone | Mark | Pitch | How it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | ā | 5–5 | High and level, held steady, like singing one note |
| Second | á | 3–5 | Rises from the middle to the top, like a surprised "what?" |
| Third | ǎ | 2–1–4 | Dips low, then rises; in normal speech it mostly stays low |
| Fourth | à | 5–1 | Falls sharply from the top to the bottom, like a firm command |
Use your own voice as the scale. A first tone that is too low, or a fourth tone that falls only halfway, is the most common source of misunderstanding.
The neutral tone
Some syllables are said short and light, with no tone of their own. Pinyin leaves them unmarked: ma (吗), de (的), and the second syllable of words like māma (妈妈, mom), xièxie (谢谢, thanks), and péngyou (朋友, friend).
Its pitch depends on the syllable before it: fairly high after a third tone, lower after the other tones. Do not stress it.
Tone marks and tone numbers
Pinyin puts the tone mark over a vowel. Where marks cannot be typed, tone numbers follow the syllable:
| Tone mark | Tone number |
|---|---|
| mā | ma1 |
| má | ma2 |
| mǎ | ma3 |
| mà | ma4 |
| ma | ma5 or ma0 (neutral) |
Which vowel carries the mark (hǎo, duō, liù) is covered in what is pinyin.
Same syllable, different tones
| Pinyin | Character | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mā | 妈 | mother |
| má | 麻 | numb; hemp |
| mǎ | 马 | horse |
| mà | 骂 | to scold |
| ma | 吗 | question particle |
A few pairs that matter in everyday speech:
| First word | Second word |
|---|---|
| mǎi 买, to buy | mài 卖, to sell |
| tāng 汤, soup | táng 糖, sugar |
| shí 十, ten | shì 是, to be |
| wèn 问, to ask | wěn 吻, to kiss |
| shuìjiào 睡觉, to sleep | shuǐjiǎo 水饺, dumplings |
Third-tone sandhi
"Sandhi" means a sound change between neighboring syllables. The most important one in Mandarin:
Two third tones in a row: the first becomes a second tone. 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo. 很好 hěn hǎo is said hén hǎo; 可以 kěyǐ is said kéyǐ. Pinyin keeps the written third tone, so you have to apply the rule yourself.
With three third tones, the change depends on how the words group. 我很好 (wǒ hěn hǎo, I’m fine) is usually said wó hén hǎo.
The half-third tone. Before a first, second, fourth, or neutral tone, a third tone only dips low and does not rise: the lǎo in lǎoshī (老师, teacher) and the hǎo in hǎochī (好吃, tasty) stay at the bottom of your voice. The full dip-and-rise is heard mostly on a stressed syllable said on its own. Think of the third tone as "low" and you will be right most of the time.
The tone changes of 一 and 不
一 (yī, one) keeps its first tone when it is counted, read as a digit, or ends a word: yī, èr, sān; dì-yī (第一, first). Otherwise it changes:
| Before | 一 becomes | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A fourth tone | yí | yí gè (一个, one), yíyàng (一样, the same) |
| A first, second, or third tone | yì | yì tiān (一天, one day), yì nián (一年, one year), yìqǐ (一起, together) |
| Between a repeated verb | neutral | kàn yi kàn (看一看, take a look) |
不 (bù, not) is fourth tone except:
| Before | 不 becomes | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| A fourth tone | bú | bú shì (不是, is not), bú yào (不要, don’t want) |
| Inside some set phrases and verb-不-verb questions | neutral | duìbuqǐ (对不起, sorry), shì bu shì (是不是, is it or not) |
Many textbooks write the changed tone for 一 and 不; dictionaries list them as yī and bù.
How to practice tones
- Learn every word with its tone. Write the tone mark or number in your notes, every time.
- Practice tone pairs, not single syllables. Words are usually two syllables, and each tone sounds a little different next to each other tone. Work through the combinations with real words: Zhōngguó (1+2), lǎoshī (3+1), xièxie (4+neutral).
- Exaggerate at first. Make first tones higher and fourth tones steeper than feels natural. You will relax into normal speech later.
- Use your hand. Trace each tone’s shape in the air as you say it.
- Record yourself next to a native recording and compare.
- Listen a lot. Tones settle in through comprehensible listening, not through rules alone.
Common mistakes
- Question intonation on the last word. A rising voice at the end of a question changes that word’s tone. Mandarin marks questions with words like 吗 instead; keep each tone as it is.
- A full third tone everywhere. Dipping and rising on every third tone sounds slow and sing-song. Most third tones are simply low.
- Forgetting the sandhi. Saying nǐ hǎo with two full third tones is understood, but it marks you as a beginner.
- A timid fourth tone. It should fall all the way, from the top of your voice to the bottom.
- Stressing the neutral tone. xièxie is XIÈ-xie, not xiè-XIÈ.
- Hoping context will fix it. Context helps, but wrong tones slow listeners down and sometimes change the meaning completely.