Ch 1 · Lesson 2Mandarin · Chapter 1 · Lesson 2 · Grammar primer
The four tones and the neutral tone
Four pitch shapes and a light, unmarked neutral tone. Change the tone and you change the word: mā is mother, mǎ is horse.
The short version
Mandarin has four tones, and the tone is the word
，，，mā, má, mǎ, mà
Why?Hide
The 1st tone is high and level (mā), the 2nd rises (má), the 3rd is low and dips (mǎ) and the 4th falls hard (mà). A fifth, the neutral tone, is short, light and unmarked. Change the tone and you change the word: (mā) is mother, (mǎ) is horse.
Mandarin Tones: The Four Tones, Neutral Tone and the 3-3 Rule
Mandarin has four tones plus a light neutral tone, and the tone is part of the word: mā and mà are as different as "bat" and "bath". One rule changes what you say from your very first phrase: two third tones in a row become 2nd + 3rd, so (nǐ hǎo) comes out as ní hǎo.
The four tones on one screen
Pitch is measured on a 1-5 scale, from the bottom of your voice (1) to the top (5):
- māmother (55)
- máhemp (35)
- mǎhorse (214)
- màto scold (51)
- maquestion particle
Pitch on a 1-5 scale from the bottom to the top of your natural voice. The numbers are the start and end levels (tone 3 dips to the floor and comes back up). The neutral tone has no shape of its own: it is short and light, and its height follows the tone before it.
| Tone | Mark | Pitch | Your voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ā | 5-5 | high and held, a sung note |
| 2nd | á | 3-5 | rises, like "eh?" |
| 3rd | ǎ | 2-1-4 | low, dips; often just low |
| 4th | à | 5-1 | drops hard: "No!" |
| neutral | no mark | short | light, quick |
The classic demonstration is one syllable, ma, five ways. Change the tone and you change the word:
| Pinyin | Hanzi | Tone | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| mā | 1st | mother | |
| má | 2nd | hemp | |
| mǎ | 3rd | horse | |
| mà | 4th | to scold | |
| ma | neutral | question word: hǎo ma? |
| 妈 mā, 1st tone | 马 mǎ, 3rd tone |
|---|---|
 |  |
The third tone is usually just low
The table cannot show one thing: the full dip is the rarer case. Alone or at the end of a phrase, yes: ！ (Hǎo!) - Good! Before a 1st, 2nd, 4th or neutral tone it is just low, with no rise. This is called the half third:
- lǎosaid as tone 3
- shīsaid as tone 1
老师 lǎoshī, teacher: a low half third, then a high 1st.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Next tone | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| lǎoshī | 1st | teacher | |
| Měiguó | 2nd | America | |
| hǎokàn | 4th | good-looking | |
| wǒmen | neutral | we |
Aim low first. The full pinyin guide covers every initial, final and tone in one place.
The neutral tone
The neutral tone is short, light and unstressed, and it carries no mark. You meet it in three places from the start:
| Where | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Particles | hǎo ma | OK? | |
| Plural | wǒmen | we | |
| Plural | nǐmen | you (plural) | |
| Some 2nd syll. | xǐhuan | to like | |
| Some 2nd syll. | māma | mum |
It has no pitch of its own, so it lands wherever the tone before it leaves the voice:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Neutral sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| tāmen | they | mid-low, after a 1st | |
| péngyou | friend | middle, after a 2nd | |
| wǒmen | we | fairly high, after a 3rd | |
| xièxie | thank you | lowest, after a 4th |
The common mistake is to give it full weight. Say xǐhuan as a strong xǐ and a quick, swallowed huan, not two equal beats.
Going further: Tone marks: where they go and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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10-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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Lesson 2 of 15 in this chapter