Sound · Chapter 1
The four tones
mā · má · mǎ · mà · ma
Every syllable has a tone, and the tone is part of the word: mā, má, mǎ and mà are four different words. The 1st is high and level, the 2nd rises, the 3rd dips low, the 4th falls sharply; a short, light syllable has no mark (the neutral tone). Tap a word to hear it.
Examples
- 他 tā he, him
- 人 rén person, people
- 我 wǒ I, me
- 是 shì to be
- 吗 ma question particle for yes-no questions