Mandarin Tones Explained: The 4 Tones

The four Mandarin tones plus the neutral tone, with examples, tone-change rules, common mistakes and daily drills.

Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral tone. The same syllable with a different tone is a different word, so tones matter.

The four Mandarin tones

• 1st (ˉ): high and flat. mā 妈 (mother)
• 2nd (ˊ): rising, like asking "what?" má 麻 (hemp)
• 3rd (ˇ): dips down, then up. mǎ 马 (horse)
• 4th (ˋ): sharp and falling. mà 骂 (scold)
• Neutral: short and light, like the second syllable of 妈妈 (māma)

Tone change rules

• Two 3rd tones in a row: the first becomes 2nd. 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo.
• 不 (bù) becomes bú before a 4th tone: 不是 (bú shì).
• 一 (yī) becomes yí before a 4th tone: 一个 (yí gè).

How to practice tones

1. Minimal pairs: 买 (mǎi, buy) and 卖 (mài, sell).
2. Shadowing: repeat short recordings just behind the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with a native voice.

Ten minutes a day is enough for most learners to hear and say tones reliably within a couple of months.

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