Pinyin Pronunciation Guide

Master Chinese sounds and tones with our audio examples

The Four Tones of Mandarin

Mandarin Chinese has four main tones plus a neutral tone. Each tone changes the meaning of a syllable, making tones essential to understand and be understood in Chinese.

1st Tone (ˉ)
High and level tone. Example: "mā" (妈, mother)
2nd Tone (ˊ)
Rising tone. Example: "má" (麻, hemp)
3rd Tone (ˇ)
Falling-rising tone. Example: "mǎ" (马, horse)
4th Tone (ˋ)
Falling tone. Example: "mà" (骂, scold)
Neutral
No accent mark. Example: "ma" (吗, question particle)

Initial Sounds

Here are some of the most important initial sounds in Mandarin Chinese:

b
Similar to English "b" but unaspirated
p
Similar to English "p" but with stronger aspiration
m
Same as English "m"
f
Same as English "f"
d
Similar to English "d" but unaspirated
t
Similar to English "t" but with stronger aspiration

This is a sample of our Pinyin Pronunciation Guide. For the complete guide with all audio lessons, please contact Belle for more information.

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