Chinese tones: the four tones and the neutral tone
In Mandarin the same syllable can mean different things depending on its pitch. Here are the four tones, the neutral tone and the three tone changes you will meet in your first week.
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One syllable, five meanings
The classic example is the syllable ma:
| Word | Pinyin | Tone | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 妈 | mā | 1 — high and level | mother |
| 麻 | má | 2 — rising | hemp; numb |
| 马 | mǎ | 3 — low, dipping | horse |
| 骂 | mà | 4 — falling | to scold |
| 吗 | ma | neutral — short and light | question particle |
How to read tone marks
- Tone 1 (ā) stays high and flat, as if you were holding a note.
- Tone 2 (á) rises, like a surprised “what?”.
- Tone 3 (ǎ) is low; said on its own it dips and rises again.
- Tone 4 (à) falls sharply, like a firm “no!”.
- The neutral tone (a, no mark) is short and light, as in the second syllable of 妈妈 māma.
Dictionaries and keyboards often write tones as numbers: ma1, ma2, ma3, ma4, ma5. In z.tou.gg you can search either way — “ni3hao3”, “nǐ hǎo” or just “ni hao”.
Three tone changes to know
- Two third tones in a row: the first becomes a second tone. 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo.
- 不 bù becomes bú before a fourth tone: 不是 bú shì, 不要 bú yào.
- 一 yī becomes yí before a fourth tone (一个 yí gè) and yì before the other tones (一天 yì tiān). It stays yī when you count or at the end of a word.
Dictionaries write the original tones; you make these changes when you speak.
How to learn tones
- Learn every word with its tone from the first day: fixing a wrong tone later takes much longer.
- Listen to native speakers: 8,500+ words in z.tou.gg have native-speaker recordings.
- Use colour: in the app tone 1 is red, tone 2 orange, tone 3 green, tone 4 blue and the neutral tone grey.
- Practise with listening questions: hear a word and choose its characters.
Next: the stroke order rules and a plan for your first 30 days.