Basic Chinese Tones Four Tones Practice with Tone Cards
Basic Chinese Tones in Mandarin Chinese. Is it important? YES!
Introduction about the Basic Chinese series: How can I introduce the Chinese language to my child? Is it possible to share Chinese with my child if I don’t speak the language, and I am a non-native speaker?
Yes it is possible!
In this Basic Chinese series I will give you a simple introduction to the Chinese language, Chinese characters, and I will show you how you can introduce Mandarin Chinese to your child from ground zero.
The first topic I have shared in this series is the Two Chinese Writing System: Traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese. You can read it here.
This time I want to talk about Chinese tones!
You might have heard that Mandarin is a tonal language. What does that mean?
Look at the picture below and have an overview.
Chinese tones?! What do the four tones sound like? Here are an audio example for you. Listen and catch the tones.
Chinese has 4 tones plus a neutral tone. It technically has a total of 5 tones.
However, Chinese native speakers often disregard to include the fifth one when they talk about Chinese tones in general.
That is why you hear Chinese native speakers say, “Chinese has 4 tones.”
Mandarin Chinese is not the only tonal language spoken by Chinese people. Many of the other Chinese languages spoken in different regions in China are tonal as well.
For example: Cantonese, which is spoken in Canton province, China, and its neighboring area as well as Hong Kong (Hong Kong Cantonese) has 9 tones.
Hokkien, which is used in Fujian province, China, and neighboring areas, has 7 tones.
Chinese provinces are similar to the states in the United States.
Asian languages like Thai, Lao, and Vietnamese are also tonal languages.
In comparison, the tones in Chinese is manageable. See the tone cards below and practice.
When the Chinese tone changes it becomes a different word.
Chinese Tones practice with the tone card shown above.
mā or ma1 means “ma” with a FIRST tone. It is “mom 媽|妈.”
mǎ or ma3 means “ma” with a THIRD tone. It is “horse 馬|马.”
Here is another fun tone card.
kū or ku1 indicates “ku” with a FIRST tone. It is “to cry.”
kù or ku4 indicates “ku” with a FOURTH tone. It is “cool.”
Say each word slowly and make it long. Sing it with your child and it will make it quite fun.
Here is another…
yǔ or yu3 is “yu” with a THIRD tone. It is “rain.”
yú or yu2 is “yu” with a SECOND tone. It is “fish.”
By now, you see the tones are quite important in Chinese language. What’s for dinner? Fish or rain?
Ready for another one?
táng or tang2 is “tang” with a SECOND tone. It is “candy or sugar.”
tāng or tang1 is “tang” with a FIRST tone. It is “soup.”
Kids get so excited with this one. Candy or soup? You will be surprised with what they pick.
The best way to practice tones is to listen, listen, and listen!
The more children listen to clear and correct Chinese pronunciation the more the correct tones stick. This is the same for adult learners. The language input always comes first!
The tool I have for you is the audio program that have helped thousands of families introduce Chinese to their young children.
“Let’s Learn Mandarin Chinese with Miss Panda!” CD/MP3 album has an introduction to Chinese tones and over 100 commonly used everyday Chinese expressions.
