Mandarin tone trainer

The four tones

In Mandarin, the pitch of a syllable is part of the word. mā (妈, mother) and mǎ (马, horse) differ only in tone. There are four tones:

• First tone (ā): high and level. Hold one note, a little higher than your normal voice.
• Second tone (á): rising, from the middle to the top, as in a surprised “what?”.
• Third tone (ǎ): low. Alone or at the end of a phrase it dips and rises again; inside a phrase it often stays low.
• Fourth tone (à): falling, sharp and short, from the top to the bottom, as in a firm “no.”

The neutral tone has no mark. It is short and light, and it only comes inside words and phrases: 妈妈 māma, 谢谢 xièxie. In the Words mode, pick Neutral (or press 5) for such a syllable.

Tone pairs

Most Chinese words have two syllables, so you hear tones in pairs much more often than alone. There are 20 combinations: four tones on the first syllable, and four tones or the neutral tone on the second. Each pair has its own shape. 中国 Zhōngguó is high, then rising; 现在 xiànzài is two falls; 朋友 péngyou rises, then drops to a light neutral tone.

Learning words as pairs is often easier than thinking about each tone. When a pair sounds right to you, you can use the same shape for every word with those tones.

The third-tone change

When two third tones come together, the first one changes to a second tone. Pinyin still writes both as third tones. 你好 is written nǐ hǎo and said ní hǎo. 可以 is written kěyǐ and said kéyǐ. In the Words mode, the trainer counts both the written and the spoken tone as right, and shows you which one the audio uses.

一 and 不

Two very common words change their tone with the next syllable. 一 (one) is yī alone and in numbers. Before a fourth tone it becomes yí (一样 yíyàng, the same), and before the other tones it becomes yì (一起 yìqǐ, together).

不 (not) is bù, except before another fourth tone, where it becomes bú: 不是 búshì, 不要 búyào. Many textbooks write the changed tone for these two words, and dictionaries usually do not.

Tips for training your ear

• Replay as often as you need. Speed comes later; first, hear the shape.
• Say each syllable out loud after the audio, and move your hand with the pitch.
• Compare the second and the third tones on purpose. Most mistakes are between these two.
• Do a short round every day. Five minutes a day helps more than an hour once a week.
• Learn every new word with its tones from the start, so you never have to fix them later.

To hear any syllable in all four tones, use the pinyin chart with audio. If you are new to Chinese, the beginner roadmap shows what to learn first.

Questions about Chinese tones

How many tones does Mandarin have?

Four main tones and a neutral tone. The first is high and level, the second rises, the third dips low, and the fourth falls. The neutral tone is short and light and only comes inside words and phrases, such as the second ma in māma (mom).

Which tones are the hardest to tell apart?

For most learners, the second and the third. Both can rise at the end. Listen for the start: the second tone starts in the middle and goes straight up, the third tone starts low and stays low for most of the syllable.

Why does a word sound different from its pinyin?

Some tones change next to other tones. Two third tones in a row become a second tone and a third tone, so kěyǐ is said kéyǐ. 一 and 不 also change with the tone after them. Dictionaries write the original tones, and speakers make the change.

How long does it take to hear tones?

Most learners start to hear single tones within a few weeks of short daily practice. Tones in fast speech take longer, and the best practice for that is listening to real sentences, not only single syllables.

Do I need tones if people understand me from context?

Context helps, but tones carry meaning. mǎi (buy) and mài (sell) differ only in tone. Good tones also make your Chinese much easier to follow, and they help you remember words, because you learn each word with its melody.

Where does the audio come from?

The syllables and words are recordings of standard Mandarin, the same clips as in the Dengdeng app and on the pinyin chart.