How to Master Chinese Tones: A Comprehensive Guide

Chinese is a tonal language, meaning the tone or pitch you use when pronouncing a word defines its meaning. It's actually less complicated than it seems. We even use tones in English frequently to convey questions and emotions.

In this article, we will explore all the Mandarin Chinese tones, pitch, tone pairs, and more.

What Are Chinese Tones?

Every language possesses its own distinct sound system. Linguists refer to the study of these systems as phonology.

Mandarin Chinese also has its unique sound system, and tones are a fundamental component of it.

In Chinese, a word's tone is what provides its meaning. Altering the tone—or mistakenly using the wrong one—changes the word's meaning. Consider these examples:

妈 (mā) — mom

麻 (má) — hemp or flax

马 (mǎ) — horse

骂 (mà) — to scold or verbally abuse

吗 (ma) — a question particle

While these words may appear to sound similar, they carry different tones—which give them distinct meanings.

1. First tone (flat tone)

The first tone is produced when your voice becomes higher and remains level. The pitch is elevated and the syllable is pronounced with a sustained tone that does not fall or rise.

In pinyin, the first tone is indicated by a long line above the vowel or by the number 1 (for instance, instead of mā you may sometimes see ma1 ). The numerical form is not as common as the actual tone mark, so you probably won't encounter it as frequently.

2. Second tone (rising tone)

The second tone is created with a rising voice. The pitch begins low and then rises higher. In pinyin, it's represented by a rising dash above the vowel or the number 2 (e.g., mang2 ):

3. Third tone (dip tone)

The third tone is often one of the most challenging for Mandarin learners. The pitch falls and then rises again.

In pinyin, the third tone is marked by a dip above the vowel or the number 3 (e.g., wo3 ):

4. Fourth tone (falling tone)

To pronounce the fourth tone correctly, say the word with emphasis, making your pitch drop. In pinyin, the fourth tone is shown as a falling slant or dash above the vowel, or the number 4 (e.g., shi4 ):

5. Fifth tone (neutral tone)

Whether the fifth tone is truly considered a tone is a topic of discussion. Instead of making your voice rise or fall, this tone is simply neutral—meaning the word has no tone.

Pinyin does not mark the fifth tone because there is nothing to change or emphasize, although you might occasionally see it represented by the number 5 (e.g., ma5 ).

For instance, the previously mentioned question particle 吗 turns statements into yes/no questions and is spoken with a neutral (or no) tone.

Other neutral tone words include:

Now you are familiar with all five tones. I suggest saving this guide on how to practice Chinese tones so you can refer to it after finishing this one:

And the most straightforward way to improve your tones is to practice them—listen to them and speak them.

Since it might be difficult to catch every tone in regular Chinese media like podcasts initially, I strongly suggest using a program that includes authentic, native-speaker videos with a transcript or subtitles you can follow. This allows your eyes, ears, and brain to collaborate in helping you master them. One program I can suggest for this is Lingflix. Lingflix uses authentic videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—and transforms them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try Lingflix for free for 2 weeks. Visit the website or download the iOS app or Android app. P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

What Is Chinese Pitch Contour?

Understanding the five levels of contour is intended to help you determine which pitch to use for each tone. But if it doesn't assist you (or confuses you more), feel free to disregard it.

There are five pitch contour levels:

5 = High

4 = Mid-high

3 = Middle

2 = Mid-low

1 = Low

Let's examine the pitch levels of each tone:

First Tone = Level 5 to Level 5 (or, “high pitch” to “high pitch”)

Second Tone = Level 3 to Level 5 (or, “middle pitch” to “high pitch”)

Third Tone = Level 2 to Level 1 to Level 4 (or, “mid-low pitch” to “low pitch” to “mid-high pitch”)

Fourth Tone = Level 5 to Level 1 (or, “high pitch” to “low pitch”)

Fifth Tone = no pitch

Chinese Tone Changes

You should know that Chinese tones can change when used in specific sequences.

In other words, certain tones become different tones when combined with others.

Third tone changes

Third tone + third tone = second tone + third tone.

If a word with a third tone is followed by another word with a third tone, the first one changes to a second tone.

For example:

我很忙 (wǒ hěn máng) — “I am busy” becomes 我很忙 (wó hěn máng)

你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma) — “How are you” becomes 你好吗 (ní hǎo ma)

Note that in pinyin, the tone change is not written. You simply need to remember that the first word should be changed to a second tone.

The third tone can become neutral.

When followed by another tone, the third tone can become neutral or be dropped.

This is optional, but many Chinese speakers do it, as it requires less effort and allows for faster speech.

Even if you don't use it, it's important to be ready for when a Chinese speaker does. For example:

考试 (kǎo shì) — “test” can become 考试 (kao shì)

喜欢 (xǐ huān) — “to like” can become 喜欢 (xi huān)

Again, this tone change is not indicated in pinyin.

一 (yī) tone changes

一 (yī) + fourth tone = 一 (yí) + fourth tone.

When the word 一 (yī) — “one” is followed by a fourth tone, it changes to a second tone.

You've likely observed this without even noticing. Unlike most other tone changes, many textbooks and online courses indicate this tone change for you.

For example:

一下 (yī xià) — “a bit” becomes 一下 (yí xià)

一定 (yī dìng) — “definitely” becomes 一定 (yí dìng)

一 (yī) + any tone = 一 (yì) + any tone.

Whenever 一 ( yī ) is paired with another tone, it changes to a fourth tone: 一 (yì).

For example:

一般 (yī bān) — “usually” becomes 一般 (yì bān)

一起 (yī qǐ) — “together” becomes 一起 (yì qǐ)

一 (yī) can become a neutral tone.

Similar to the third tone, 一 (yī) can lose its tone when placed between two words.

Dropping the tone is optional, but if you don't, the same rules apply.

For example:

休息一下 (xiūxi yī xià) — “to rest a bit” becomes either:

休息一下 (xiūxi yí xià) with a second tone, or

休息一下 (xiūxi yi xià) with a neutral tone.

快一点 (kuài yī diǎn) becomes either:

快一点 (kuài yì diǎn), or

快一点 (kuài yi diǎn)

The number 一 (yī) stays the same.

When counting, the number 一 (yī) does not change its tone.

However, the number 一 百二十六 (yī bǎi èr shí liù) — “126” becomes 一百二十六 (yì bǎi èr shí liù).

This also applies when counting items, such as 一 个苹果 (yī gè píng guǒ) — “one apple,” which changes to 一个苹果 (yí gè píng guǒ).

不 (bù) tone changes

不 (bù) + fourth tone = 不 (bú) + fourth tone.

When the word 不 ( bù ) — “no/not” is followed by another fourth tone, it changes to a second tone. For example:

不是 (bù shì) — “to not be” becomes 不是 (bú shì)

他不爱你 (tā bù ài nǐ) — “he doesn’t love you” becomes 他不爱你 (tā bú ài nǐ)

It can be neutral when in between two words.

When placed between two words to form a phrase, 不 ( bù ) can become a neutral tone. Although this is optional, it's important to be prepared for when native speakers do it.

For example:

吃不完 (chī bù wán) — “can’t finish eating” can become 吃不完 (chī bu wán)

差不多 (chà bù duō) — “more or less” can become 差不多 (chà bu duō)

去不去 (qù bù qù) — “will you go?” can become 去不去 (qù bu qù)

Chinese Tone Pairs

It's rare to find full sentences in Chinese that use only one tone.

In fact, many Chinese words are made up of two tones. When this occurs, you've encountered a tone pair.

First tone pairs

Second tone pairs

Third tone pairs

Fourth tone pairs

And that covers everything about Chinese tones!