In Mandarin, the pitch of a syllable is part of the word. Say ma with a high, flat voice and it means mother; let it fall sharply and it means to scold. Getting tones right is the single biggest step from being understood with effort to being understood easily.
The four tones and the neutral tone
Each tone is a pitch shape. Think of your comfortable speaking range as running from 1 (low) to 5 (high):
| Tone | Mark | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ā | high and level (5–5) | 妈mā mother |
| 2nd | á | rising, like a question: "huh?" (3–5) | 麻má hemp |
| 3rd | ǎ | low, dipping (2–1–4) | 马mǎ horse |
| 4th | à | falling sharply, like a command (5–1) | 骂mà to scold |
| neutral | a | short and light, no mark | 吗ma question particle |
A few practical notes:
- First tone is higher than most English speakers expect. Pitch it near the top of your range and hold it steady.
- Third tone is usually just low in real speech. The full dip-and-rise mostly appears when the syllable is said on its own or at the end of a phrase.
- Fourth tone is short and decisive. If it sounds like you're slightly annoyed, you're doing it right.
- Neutral tone syllables are unstressed: the second 子 in 桌子zhuōzi (table) or the 们 in 我们wǒmen (we).
Where the tone mark goes
Pinyin puts the mark on a vowel, following a simple rule:
- If there's an a or e, it takes the mark: hǎo, xiè.
- In ou, the o takes it: gǒu.
- Otherwise, the last vowel takes it: guì, liú.
If you can't type tone marks, numbers work too: hao3, xie4, lv4 for lǜ. The Type mode in the flashcards accepts either, and makes tones optional: type hao and it's accepted, but if you type hao4 the tone has to be right.
Tone changes nobody writes down
Dictionaries and word lists show each syllable's original tone. In speech, a few common patterns change them.
Two third tones in a row. The first becomes a second tone. 你好nǐ hǎo is pronounced ní hǎo, and 很好hěn hǎo as hén hǎo.
不 bù before a fourth tone becomes second tone: 不是bù shì is said bú shì, 不要bù yào bú yào.
一 yī changes depending on what follows. Before a fourth tone it becomes yí: 一个yī gè is yí ge. Before a first, second or third tone it becomes yì: 一天yī tiān is yì tiān. On its own, in counting and in dates, it stays yī.
The word lists on this site, like most HSK resources, show the original tones. Learn the rules above once and apply them as you read.
How to practise
Learn tones with the word, not after it. A word without its tones isn't really learned yet. When you flip a card, say the word out loud with its tones before you check the answer.
Practise in pairs. Most words are two syllables, and tones are easier to hear in combination than alone. Drill common pairs like 中国Zhōngguó (1+2), 老师lǎoshī (3+1) and 谢谢xièxie (4+neutral).
Use your hand. Draw the tone shape in the air as you speak: flat, up, down-and-up, down. It sounds silly and works remarkably well.
Test yourself on pinyin, not just meaning. In the flashcards, set Pinyin to Hide and say each reading out loud, tones included, before you flip. The back of the card shows the pinyin to check yourself against.
Where to go next
Start with the HSK 1 characters and their word list, saying each one out loud as you go. When you're ready to write them, the stroke order pages show every stroke in order.