Get ready to perk up your ears and flex your vocal cords! In Mandarin Chinese there are four distinct tones plus a neutral one. Each tone has a unique pitch that sets it apart and helps distinguish between syllables with different meanings. For example:
妈 (mā) — mom
麻 (má) — flax (or hemp)
马 (mǎ) — horse
骂 (mà) — to scold or verbally abuse
吗 (ma) — a question particle
Mispronouncing tones can lead to some hilarious misunderstandings, so it’s crucial to distinguish between them. But fear not, my friends, because this can actually be a fun challenge. Treat listening to new vocab words like listening intently to a new song, listen for the rise and fall in pitch, and give yourself a challenge to distinguish each tone. Once you master tonal pronunciation, you’ll be able to express yourself like a pro and connect with native speakers on a whole new level!
If you’re ready to jump in, let’s learn what each of the tones are.
First Tone
The first tone is made when your voice is high and level. The syllable is pronounced with a drawn-out tone with no drop or rise in the tone. In pinyin, it’s denoted by a horizontal line (—) above the vowel or the number 1.
一 (yī) – one，三 (sān)- three，七 (qī)- seven，八 (bā)- eight
Second Tone
The second tone is made with a rising voice, that is, when your voice starts from a lower pitch and ends at a slightly higher pitch. In pinyin, it’s denoted by a rising dash (/) above the vowel or the number 2.
十 (shí) – ten, 零 (líng) – zero
Third Tone
The second tone is made with a fall and rise in your voice. Start at a neutral tone then dip to a lower pitch then raise to end at higher pitch. In pinyin, it’s denoted by a dip (\) above the vowel or the number 3.
五 (wǔ）- five，九 (jiǔ) – nine
I know that the third tone can seem tricky to pronounce. But, I’ve got good news! The third tone is only pronounced in this ‘textbook way’ when it is used in isolation (like when you’re counting). When a syllable with the third tone is part of a word or sentence, it’s shorter and more subtle. If you want to find out more about how the third tones becomes easier to pronounce, check out “Inspecting Third Tones“.
Fourth tone
The fourth tone is made by saying the syllable with force, making your pitch fall. You’re aiming to make a hard stress on the syllable. In pinyin, it’s denoted by a falling slant (\) above the vowel or the number 4.
二 (èr) – two ， 四 (sì) – four，六 (liù) – six
Fifth tone (neutral tone)
As the name implies, the neutral tone is when your voice has no tone, it is simply neutral. There is no mark in pinyin for the fifth tone because there’s no change in pitch, but it is sometimes represented by the number 5.
的 （de），吗 （ma），吧（ba），呢 （ne）
Definitions:
的 (de) — possessive particle
吗 (ma) — question particle (turns statements into yes/no questions)
吧 (ba) — suggestion particle (turns a statement into a suggestion)
呢 (ne) — particle for asking questions back to the original asker
Challenge time!
Get ready to put your tonal skills to the test! Click the audio button below and listen to the numbers 0-10. Challenge yourself to write down the tone of each number as you hear it. Let’s do this!