Ch 1 · Lesson 3Mandarin · Chapter 1 · Lesson 3 · Grammar primer
Why 你好 is said ní hǎo: tone marks and the 3-3 rule
Where pinyin puts the tone mark, and the one sandhi rule you need on day one: two third tones in a row, the first one rises. The page keeps nǐ hǎo; your voice says ní hǎo.
The short version
Two third tones in a row: the first one rises
！Nǐ hǎo!
Why?Hide
When a third tone meets another third tone, the first is said as a rising 2nd tone. So (nǐ hǎo) is said ní hǎo, and (hěn hǎo) is said hén hǎo. Pinyin keeps the original marks; your voice makes the change every time.
Tone marks: where they go
Marks sit on a vowel, and when a syllable has more than one vowel there is a fixed order: a, then o or e, then i, u or ü.
| Pinyin | Hanzi | English | Mark goes on |
|---|---|---|---|
| hǎo | good | a, always first | |
| duō | many | o, before u | |
| xiè | thank | e, before i | |
| liú | to stay | u, second of the pair | |
| guì | expensive | i, second of the pair |
You never need to type a mark on this site. Every answer box takes plain pinyin, with tone marks or tone numbers optional, so ni3 hao3, ní hǎo and ni hao all count.
The 3-3 rule: 你好 is said ní hǎo
Two full dips in a row are hard to say, so Mandarin smooths them out: when a third tone comes before another third tone, the first one rises like a second tone. This is tone sandhi, and native speakers do it every time.
- nísaid as tone 2
- hǎosaid as tone 3
你好 nǐ hǎo: written 3 + 3, said 2 + 3.
The catch is the spelling. Pinyin writes each syllable's own tone, so the page says nǐ hǎo while your mouth says ní hǎo. Nothing marks the change; you make it whenever you see two third tones together.
| Hanzi | Written | Said | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| nǐ hǎo | ní hǎo | hello | |
| hěn hǎo | hén hǎo | very good | |
| wǒ xiǎng | wó xiǎng | I want to | |
| kěyǐ | kéyǐ | can, may | |
| shuǐguǒ | shuíguǒ | fruit |
Watch for the false trigger. In (wǒmen) and (nǐmen) the second syllable is neutral, not third, so nothing changes: wǒmen keeps its low half third.
Two other words change tone in a similar way, and learner pinyin (textbooks, and this site) does write their changes:
| Word | Usual | Changes to | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| bù | bú before a 4th | bú shì, is not | |
| yī | yí before a 4th, yì before others | yí ge, one (of) |
Both are in tone pairs, and (bù) in negation.
Three or more third tones
Strings of three third tones do happen. Speakers split them into natural chunks and apply the rule inside each chunk:
| Hanzi | Written | Usually said | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| wǒ hěn hǎo | wǒ hén hǎo | I'm very well | |
| wǒ hěn hǎo | wó hén hǎo | (quick speech) |
Both are fine. The one thing nobody says is three full dips in a row.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| nǐ hǎo as two dips | Say ní hǎo | The 3-3 rule applies every time |
| Writing ní hǎo | Write nǐ hǎo | Pinyin keeps each syllable's own tone |
| Every 3rd a full dip | Low, no rise, mid-phrase | The full dip is only alone or at the end |
| Raising (ma) | Keep it light and short | It is neutral; the word itself asks |
| A gentle 4th tone | Drop hard from the top | A weak fall blurs into the other tones |
| xǐhuan as two beats | Swallow the huan | A neutral syllable is short |
The (ma) row trips up almost everyone. English swoops the voice up at the end of a question; in Mandarin the particle does the asking, so the ma stays light: ？ (Nǐ hǎo ma?) - How are you?
Going further: The four tones on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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Lesson 3 of 15 in this chapter