24 September 2026

The four tones, without the tears

Every syllable in Mandarin has a tone: the shape the pitch of your voice makes as you say it. Change the tone and you change the word. 妈 (mā) is “mother” and 马 (mǎ) is “horse”.

The shapes

• First tone (ā) is high and flat, like holding a note.
• Second tone (á) rises, like asking “what?”.
• Third tone (ǎ) dips low and comes back up a little.
• Fourth tone (à) falls sharply, like a firm “no!”.

There is also a neutral tone, short and light, with no mark at all, as in 吗 (ma).

Two rules that change tones

Two third tones in a row are hard to say, so the first one rises: 你好 is written nǐ hǎo but said ní hǎo. And 不 (bù, “not”) becomes bú before a fourth tone, as in 不客气 (bú kèqi, “you’re welcome”).

Practise with your hands

Draw the shape of each tone in the air as you say it. It feels silly, and it works. Try lesson 1 in the free practice lessons, then send your tutor a voice note of all four.