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Hear and practise the four tones
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The same syllable can mean something different
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Mandarin tone is part of a syllable’s pronunciation. mā and mǎ are not interchangeable.
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First learn the pitch shapes. Then practise them inside useful words and phrases.
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Before you start: Recall how pinyin marks pronunciation from your first sounds. This lesson’s written tone-label checks support, but do not replace, listening and spoken comparison.
A card shows nǐ hǎo alongside 你好. What job does nǐ hǎo do?
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nǐ hǎo is a pronunciation guide. The tone marks add sound information; they are not English meanings or handwriting instructions.
Four citation-tone shapes
- First mā: high and level. Second má: rising. Say them gently; tone is pitch movement, not shouting.
- Third mǎ: low, often with a dip and rise when said alone. Fourth mà: falling.
Which pinyin form has a rising second tone?
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The acute mark in má shows second tone.
Which has fourth tone?
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The grave mark shows the falling fourth tone.
Match the citation-tone shapes.
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These describe citation tones; connected speech needs listening too.
Use short, clear examples
- The four characters here mean mother, hemp, horse, and scold. They demonstrate a sound contrast; you do not need to memorise all four meanings today.
- Play horse马, pause, then repeat it. Compare its low tone with the falling variant of 骂骂.
mā / má / mǎ / mà show the same letters with four different tone marks.
Work through a decision: Compare mā and mǎ before speaking. The letters m and a remain the same; the mark changes from first tone to third tone. Use that difference to select the sound contrast to hear and practise. A correct written label does not prove that your voice makes the contrast.
Compare a near miss: Making a syllable louder is not the same as changing its tone. Also, the isolated third-tone sketch is not an instruction to force a full dip and rise on every third tone inside a phrase.
What tone number does mǎ show?
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The caron mark indicates third tone.
Written-label practice: compare má and mà. What difference do the marks indicate?
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má has the rising second-tone mark; mà has the falling fourth-tone mark. The consonant/vowel letters stay the same. This is a written distinction, not an audio-identification result.
Tones change in connected speech
- A third tone is often low without a full final rise when another syllable follows. Two third tones together change too; a later lesson uses hello你好.
- Do not force a large dip-and-rise onto every third-tone syllable in a sentence. Listen to the whole phrase.
A question does not turn every syllable into a rising second tone. Keep word tones recognisable while following the sentence’s natural intonation.
Every third tone in a sentence must have a full dip and rise.
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Third tone often stays low in connected speech.
Fresh written sequence: mà / mā / mǎ. Which tone-number sequence matches it?
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mà is fourth tone, mā first and mǎ third, giving 4 / 1 / 3. Read each mark instead of recalling the original display order. Your answer does not establish spoken tone accuracy.
Compare your own sound
- Record yourself saying mā, má, mǎ, mà, then compare with the examples. Repeat only the contrast you find hardest.
- Next: light syllables and tone changes.
First is level; second rises; third is low; fourth falls. Connected speech can change the surface shape.
Later recall: Tomorrow, read a newly ordered set of the four pinyin forms and label their tones, then practise one audible contrast. A few days later, try the opposite order without the diagram; revisit the citation-tone explanation after a label error and the model sound after a production difficulty.
Speak Mandarin: choose 妈 and 马 as an isolated-word contrast. Record 妈—马—妈, then change the order to 马—妈—马. Stop and replay before opening the written guidance. Compare each isolated word with its existing sound model; this is deliberate contrast practice, not a natural sentence or a pronunciation test.
Comparison records a self-review only. It does not establish pronunciation, handwriting or general proficiency.