Phase 1 • Module 1.1

Pinyin & The 4 Tones

Mandarin is a **tonal** language. The same sound with a different tone means a completely different word!

Master the tones to be understood by 1.4 billion people.

ā Tone 1

Constant high pitch. "mā" (Mother)

á Tone 2

Starts mid, ends high. "má" (Hemp)

ǎ Tone 3

Dips low, then rises. "mǎ" (Horse)

à Tone 4

Drops sharply. "mà" (Scold)

In reality, tones flow together. Practice these common pairs:

老师 (lǎo shī) Tone 3 + Tone 1 (Teacher)

中国 (zhōng guó) Tone 1 + Tone 2 (China)

明天 (míng tiān) Tone 2 + Tone 1 (Tomorrow)

再见 (zài jiàn) Tone 4 + Tone 4 (Goodbye)

Listen to the sound and identify the correct tone.