The four tones

Learn

Read each one out loud, following the pinyin. Say it a second time before you move on.

妈
mā
mother
First tone. High and level, as if you are holding a note.
麻
má
hemp
Second tone. Rises, like the end of a surprised "what?".
马
mǎ
horse
Third tone. Dips low, then comes back up a little.
骂
mà
to scold
Fourth tone. Falls sharply, like a firm "no!".
吗
ma
(turns a sentence into a yes or no question)
Neutral tone. Short and light, with no mark over it.

Check yourself

What does each one mean? You can take the check again as often as you like.

Question 1 of 5妈mā

to scold

hemp

mother

(turns a sentence into a yes or no question)

Question 2 of 5吗ma

horse

hemp

(turns a sentence into a yes or no question)

to scold

Question 3 of 5骂mà

mother

hemp

to scold

horse

Question 4 of 5麻má

mother

horse

(turns a sentence into a yes or no question)

hemp

Question 5 of 5马mǎ

horse

(turns a sentence into a yes or no question)

to scold

hemp

Lesson done

Take this with you

In Mandarin the pitch of a syllable is part of the word. Mā and mǎ are as different as "cat" and "cot". The mark over the vowel tells you the tone, so read it every time, and say each new word out loud.