Chinese Tones Chart: The 4 Tones, the Neutral Tone and All 20 Tone Pairs
A Chinese tones chart lays out Mandarin's four tones and the neutral tone side by side: tone 1 is high and level (mā, ma1), tone 2 rises (má, ma2), tone 3 dips low (mǎ, ma3), tone 4 falls (mà, ma4) and the neutral tone is short and light (ma). This page is a reference to keep open while you practice, with pitch values, all 20 tone pairs with a real word for each, the tone change rules and short drills.
If you are just starting and want the Chinese tones explained from the beginning, including how to produce each one with your voice, read our guide on how to hear and pronounce the four Mandarin tones first. This page builds on it.
The Chinese Tones Chart
Here is the Mandarin tones chart in one table, with the tone mark, the tone number used for typing, the pitch value and an example for each tone.
| Tone | Mark | Number | Pitch (1-5) | How it sounds | Example | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | ā | ma1 | 55 | High and level, held steady | 妈 mā, mother | 书 shū, book |
| 2nd | á | ma2 | 35 | Rises from the middle to high | 麻 má, hemp; numb | 茶 chá, tea |
| 3rd | ǎ | ma3 | 214 (often just 21) | Drops low; rises again only when said alone or at the end of a phrase | 马 mǎ, horse | 好 hǎo, good |
| 4th | à | ma4 | 51 | Falls fast from high to low | 骂 mà, to scold | 去 qù, to go |
| Neutral | none | ma5, ma0 or ma | Depends on the tone before | Short, light and unstressed | 吗 ma, question particle | 的 de, possessive particle |
How to read the pitch column. Linguists split your comfortable speaking range into five levels, from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Each digit is a point the voice passes through. 55 starts high and stays high. 35 starts in the middle and climbs. 214 starts fairly low, sinks to the bottom and climbs back up. 51 drops from the top to the bottom.
Pitch is relative to your own voice. A deep voice and a high voice both have a level 5 and a level 1. What matters is the shape of each tone and the contrast between them.
Where the tone mark goes
The tone mark sits on the main vowel of the syllable. A quick way to find it:
- If there is an a or an e, it takes the mark: hǎo, xiè.
- In ou, the o takes it: dōu.
- Otherwise, the last vowel takes it: guì, liù.
- When the mark sits on i, the dot is left out: nǐ.
- The neutral tone has no mark at all.
This follows China's official pinyin spelling standard, GB/T 16159-2012, which puts the mark on the main vowel and on the second letter of iu and ui.
The neutral tone in detail
The neutral tone has no fixed pitch. It is short and light, and its height depends on the tone before it:
| After | Neutral tone pitch | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tone 1 | fairly low (2) | 妈妈 (māma), mom |
| Tone 2 | middle (3) | 朋友 (péngyou), friend |
| Tone 3 | fairly high (4) | 我们 (wǒmen), we |
| Tone 4 | lowest (1) | 谢谢 (xièxie), thank you |
You will hear the neutral tone in:
- particles such as 吗 (ma), 呢 (ne), 吧 (ba), 了 (le) and 的 (de)
- suffixes such as 子 in 桌子 (zhuōzi, table) and 们 in 我们 (wǒmen)
- the second half of doubled words such as 妈妈, 谢谢 and 看看 (kànkan, to have a look)
- the second syllable of many everyday words, such as 朋友 (péngyou) and 东西 (dōngxi, thing)
Some dictionaries put a small dot in front of a neutral syllable to show that it is unstressed.
Tone Pairs: All 20 Combinations
Most Chinese words have two syllables, and each tone sounds a little different depending on its neighbor. That is why tone pairs are worth drilling: there are 20 combinations, from four tones on the first syllable and four tones or the neutral tone on the second. Every word below is on the HSK 1 list.
| Pair | Word | Pinyin | Tone numbers | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 + 1 | 飞机 | fēijī | fei1 ji1 | airplane |
| 1 + 2 | 中国 | Zhōngguó | Zhong1 guo2 | China |
| 1 + 3 | 机场 | jīchǎng | ji1 chang3 | airport |
| 1 + 4 | 商店 | shāngdiàn | shang1 dian4 | shop |
| 1 + neutral | 妈妈 | māma | ma1 ma5 | mom |
| 2 + 1 | 明天 | míngtiān | ming2 tian1 | tomorrow |
| 2 + 2 | 学习 | xuéxí | xue2 xi2 | to study |
| 2 + 3 | 牛奶 | niúnǎi | niu2 nai3 | milk |
| 2 + 4 | 学校 | xuéxiào | xue2 xiao4 | school |
| 2 + neutral | 朋友 | péngyou | peng2 you5 | friend |
| 3 + 1 | 老师 | lǎoshī | lao3 shi1 | teacher |
| 3 + 2 | 小时 | xiǎoshí | xiao3 shi2 | hour |
| 3 + 3 | 水果 | shuǐguǒ | shui3 guo3 | fruit (said shuíguǒ) |
| 3 + 4 | 考试 | kǎoshì | kao3 shi4 | exam |
| 3 + neutral | 我们 | wǒmen | wo3 men5 | we; us |
| 4 + 1 | 面包 | miànbāo | mian4 bao1 | bread |
| 4 + 2 | 大学 | dàxué | da4 xue2 | university |
| 4 + 3 | 电影 | diànyǐng | dian4 ying3 | movie |
| 4 + 4 | 再见 | zàijiàn | zai4 jian4 | goodbye |
| 4 + neutral | 谢谢 | xièxie | xie4 xie5 | thank you |
The same pairs as a grid
Read across a row to practice one first tone with every second tone, or down a column for the reverse.
| First \ Second | Tone 1 | Tone 2 | Tone 3 | Tone 4 | Neutral |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tone 1 | 飞机 fēijī | 中国 Zhōngguó | 机场 jīchǎng | 商店 shāngdiàn | 妈妈 māma |
| Tone 2 | 明天 míngtiān | 学习 xuéxí | 牛奶 niúnǎi | 学校 xuéxiào | 朋友 péngyou |
| Tone 3 | 老师 lǎoshī | 小时 xiǎoshí | 水果 shuǐguǒ | 考试 kǎoshì | 我们 wǒmen |
| Tone 4 | 面包 miànbāo | 大学 dàxué | 电影 diànyǐng | 再见 zàijiàn | 谢谢 xièxie |
What to listen for in the tricky pairs
- 1 + 1 (飞机): keep both syllables up high. Learners often let the second one sag.
- 2 + 3 and 3 + 2 (牛奶, 小时): these are mirror images. In 牛奶 the voice rises, then drops low. In 小时 it starts low, then rises. If you mix up tones 2 and 3, drill these two words back to back.
- 3 + any other tone (老师, 小时, 考试, 我们): the first syllable stays low and does not rise. Start it at the bottom of your voice.
- 3 + 3 (水果): the first syllable changes to a rising tone, as explained in the rules below.
- 4 + 4 (再见): the first fall is a little shorter and does not go all the way down. The second one falls fully.
Tone Change Rules
A chart shows each tone on its own, but in real speech tones change in a few predictable places, and pinyin usually does not show it. Dictionaries and the official spelling standard write 一 and 不 with their original tones, although textbooks may mark the changed tone to help learners. Third-tone changes are usually not marked at all. So to read pinyin aloud correctly, you need these four rules.
1. Third tone + third tone
When two third tones meet, the first becomes a second tone. The spelling stays the same.
| Written | Said | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 nǐ hǎo | ní hǎo | hello |
| 可以 kěyǐ | kéyǐ | can; may |
| 水果 shuǐguǒ | shuíguǒ | fruit |
| 很好 hěn hǎo | hén hǎo | very good |
| 洗手间 xǐshǒujiān | xíshǒujiān | restroom |
With three or more third tones in a row, group the words by meaning first. In 我很好 (wǒ hěn hǎo, I'm fine), 很好 belongs together, so 很 rises: wǒ hén hǎo. At normal speed many speakers also raise 我 and say wó hén hǎo. Both sound natural.
2. The half third tone
Before a first, second or fourth tone, and before most neutral tones, a third tone becomes a low "half third". The voice drops to the bottom of its range (about 21) and stays there, with no rise: 老师 (lǎoshī), 小时 (xiǎoshí), 考试 (kǎoshì), 我们 (wǒmen).
The full dip and rise, 214, is mostly heard when a third-tone syllable is said on its own or at the end of a phrase. In practice, the low part is what identifies a third tone.
3. The tone of 一 (yī)
| Position | Said | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Alone, counting, at the end of a word, ordinal numbers | yī | 一 (yī), 十一 (shíyī), 第一 (dì-yī), 统一 (tǒngyī, unified) |
| Before a 4th tone | yí | 一样 (yíyàng, the same), 一定 (yídìng, surely), 一个 (yí ge, one) |
| Before a 1st, 2nd or 3rd tone | yì | 一天 (yì tiān, one day), 一年 (yì nián, one year), 一起 (yìqǐ, together) |
| Between a doubled verb | yi (neutral) | 看一看 (kàn yi kàn, have a look), 等一等 (děng yi děng, wait a moment) |
个 is often said with a neutral tone, but its own tone is the fourth, so 一个 is yí ge. The doubled-verb pattern with 一 is covered in our guide to verb reduplication. For counting, dates and prices, our guide to Chinese numbers shows how the tone of 一 works in every kind of number.
4. The tone of 不 (bù)
| Position | Said | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Before a 4th tone | bú | 不是 (bú shì, is not), 不对 (búduì, wrong), 不要 (búyào, don't), 不客气 (bú kèqi, you're welcome) |
| Before a 1st, 2nd or 3rd tone | bù | 不吃 (bù chī, not eat), 不来 (bù lái, not come), 不好 (bù hǎo, not good) |
| Between a repeated word, in potential complements and in a few set words | bu (neutral) | 去不去 (qù bu qù, going or not?), 好不好 (hǎo bu hǎo, OK?), 听不懂 (tīng bu dǒng, can't understand), 对不起 (duìbuqǐ, sorry) |
不客气 shows why you need to know each syllable's own tone: 气 is neutral here, but 客 is a fourth tone (kè), so 不 becomes bú.
For when to use 不 and when to use 没, see 不 vs 没. The neutral bu in 听不懂 is part of a potential complement, explained in our potential complements guide.
Tone change rules at a glance
| Rule | Written | Said |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd + 3rd | 你好 nǐ hǎo | ní hǎo |
| 3rd + another tone | 老师 lǎoshī | low lǎo, with no rise |
| 一 + 4th | 一个 yī gè | yí ge |
| 一 + 1st, 2nd or 3rd | 一天 yī tiān | yì tiān |
| 不 + 4th | 不是 bù shì | bú shì |
| Verb + 一 or 不 + verb | 看一看 kàn yī kàn, 去不去 qù bù qù | kàn yi kàn, qù bu qù |
Tone Numbers: Writing Pinyin as ma1, ma2, ma3
When tone marks are hard to type, you can write the tone as a number after each syllable instead. The official pinyin standard allows numbers for tones in technical use, and you will see them in word lists, data files, chat messages and some dictionaries.
| Tone numbers | Tone marks | Word |
|---|---|---|
| ma1 ma2 ma3 ma4 ma5 | mā má mǎ mà ma | 妈 麻 马 骂 吗 |
| ni3 hao3 | nǐ hǎo | 你好, hello |
| xie4 xie5 | xièxie | 谢谢, thank you |
| dou1 | dōu | 都, all |
| gui4 | guì | 贵, expensive |
| liu4 | liù | 六, six |
| lv4 (or lu:4) | lǜ | 绿, green |
| nv3 (or nu:3) | nǚ | 女, female |
| xian1 | xiān | 先, first |
| Xi1'an1 | Xī'ān | 西安, Xi'an (a city) |
The rules are simple:
- Put the number right after the syllable, with no space: ma1.
- Write the original tone, not the changed one. 你好 is ni3 hao3, even though you say ní hǎo.
- Write the neutral tone as 5, sometimes 0, or leave the number off.
- Write ü as v or u:, because most keyboards have no ü key: lv4 for 绿 (lǜ).
- When you turn a number back into a mark, put the mark on the vowel given by the rules under "Where the tone mark goes", not at the end of the syllable.
The last two rows show why numbers and apostrophes matter: xian1 is one syllable, 先, while Xi1'an1 is two, the city of 西安.
Typing Chinese characters
On a pinyin keyboard you usually type the letters without any tones and pick the character from a list: type xiexie and choose 谢谢. On most pinyin keyboards, v stands in for ü, so lv brings up 绿. Tones still matter, though. Typing shi brings up a long list, including 是 (shì), 十 (shí) and 事 (shì), and you have to recognize the one you mean. Learning each word with its tone and its character together makes that choice quick.
Practice Drills with Minimal Pairs
Short daily drills work better than long sessions. Try these for five minutes a day, always out loud.
Drill 1: Four-tone ladders
Say each row from the first tone to the fourth, then backwards. Exaggerate the shapes at first and make them smaller as you get comfortable.
| Syllable | Tone 1 | Tone 2 | Tone 3 | Tone 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ba | 八 bā, eight | 拔 bá, to pull out | 把 bǎ, to hold | 爸 bà, dad |
| tang | 汤 tāng, soup | 糖 táng, sugar; candy | 躺 tǎng, to lie down | 烫 tàng, scalding hot |
| shu | 书 shū, book | 熟 shú, ripe; familiar | 数 shǔ, to count | 树 shù, tree |
| 星 xīng, star | 行 xíng, OK | 醒 xǐng, to wake up | 姓 xìng, surname |
Drill 2: Two-syllable minimal pairs
The two words in each row have the same sounds and differ only in tone. Read across, then ask a friend to say one word from each row and guess which one you heard.
| Word A | Word B | Tones |
|---|---|---|
| 练习 liànxí, to practice | 联系 liánxì, to contact | 4+2 vs 2+4 |
| 睡觉 shuìjiào, to sleep | 水饺 shuǐjiǎo, boiled dumplings | 4+4 vs 3+3 |
| 眼睛 yǎnjing, eye | 眼镜 yǎnjìng, glasses | 3+neutral vs 3+4 |
| 知道 zhīdào, to know | 指导 zhǐdǎo, to guide | 1+4 vs 3+3 |
| 经理 jīnglǐ, manager | 经历 jīnglì, experience | 1+3 vs 1+4 |
| 同事 tóngshì, colleague | 同时 tóngshí, at the same time | 2+4 vs 2+2 |
| 大学 dàxué, university | 大雪 dàxuě, heavy snow | 4+2 vs 4+3 |
| 四 sì, four | 死 sǐ, to die | 4 vs 3 |
Drill 3: Read the tone changes
Read each sentence from the "Written" column, then check yourself against the "Said" column.
| Sentence | Written | Said | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你好！ | Nǐ hǎo! | Ní hǎo! | Hello! |
| 请等一下。 | Qǐng děng yīxià. | Qíng děng yíxià. | Please wait a moment. |
| 我买一本书。 | Wǒ mǎi yī běn shū. | Wó mǎi yì běn shū. | I'm buying a book. |
| 不是，我不去。 | Bù shì, wǒ bù qù. | Bú shì, wǒ bú qù. | No, I'm not going. |
| 你去不去？ | Nǐ qù bù qù? | Nǐ qù bu qù? | Are you going or not? |
| 一共一百块。 | Yīgòng yībǎi kuài. | Yígòng yìbǎi kuài. | It's 100 yuan altogether. |
Drill 4: Hum, then speak the tone pairs
Go back to the tone pair grid and take one row of five words a day. For each word, first hum its melody with your mouth closed, then say the word three times. Humming separates the pitch from the consonants and vowels, so you can hear whether the shape is right. Record yourself and compare with a native speaker's recording, so you hear your tones the way a listener does.
Drill 5: Count out loud
The numbers one to ten use all four tones: yī, èr, sān, sì, wǔ, liù, qī, bā, jiǔ, shí. Count to ten and back, then read a phone number digit by digit. Our Chinese numbers guide has the full rules, including the special tones of 一.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many tones are there in Mandarin Chinese?
Mandarin has four main tones plus a neutral tone. Tone 1 is high and level, tone 2 rises, tone 3 dips low, tone 4 falls, and the neutral tone is short and light, with a pitch that depends on the syllable before it.
What do tone numbers like ma1 and ma2 mean?
They are a way to write tones without tone marks. The number after the syllable gives the tone: ma1 is mā, ma2 is má, ma3 is mǎ and ma4 is mà. The neutral tone is written ma5, ma0 or just ma.
What are tone pairs in Chinese?
Tone pairs are the 20 tone combinations a two-syllable word can have: one of four tones on the first syllable, and one of four tones or the neutral tone on the second. Most Chinese words have two syllables, so practicing pairs like 老师 (lǎoshī) or 学校 (xuéxiào) is closer to real speech than practicing single syllables.
What is the third tone rule?
When two third tones come together, the first one is said as a second tone: 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo. Before any other tone, a third tone usually stays low and does not rise at the end.
How do the tones of 一 and 不 change?
Both become a second tone before a fourth tone: 一个 (yí ge), 不是 (bú shì). Before the other tones, 一 becomes yì, as in 一起 (yìqǐ), while 不 stays bù. When you count or use it as an ordinal, 一 keeps yī.
Which Mandarin tones are hardest to tell apart?
For many learners it is the second and third tones, because both can have a rising part. Remember that the third tone is mainly low: in most words it never rises at all. Practicing pairs such as 牛奶 (niúnǎi) and 小时 (xiǎoshí) helps you hear the difference.
What's Next
For the basics of making each tone with your voice, read how to hear and pronounce the four Mandarin tones. Then put the chart to work: our Chinese numbers guide is an easy place to practice all four tones, and the HSK 1 vocabulary list gives you 500 words to read aloud with pinyin. If you plan to take the HSKK speaking test, see the HSK exam format for how it fits next to the HSK.
Learn Chinese is free to download on iOS and Android, with no account and no ads, and HSK 1 and HSK 2 are free in full. Its Unit 0, "Pinyin & the 4 tones", covers the basics, every syllable in its pinyin chart can be played, and the tone trainer checks whether you can tell the tones apart by ear. The app guide explains how each tool works.
Practice This Vocabulary in Learn Chinese
Drill stroke order, test yourself on tone pairs, and take practice tests directly on your device.