Chinese Pronunciation and Tones: Free PDF and Flashcards

Mastering Chinese tones can feel like learning to sing a language before you speak it. This list of around 160 pronunciation essentials breaks down the four tones, the neutral tone, and common tone-change rules so you stop guessing and start sounding clear.

Each entry pairs a straightforward meaning with a practical example sentence, showing you exactly how the tone or sound pattern works in a real Chinese sentence. No dusty theory – just the patterns that show up when you order food, ask directions, or chat with friends.

Ready to make those tones less mysterious and a lot more friendly? Scroll to the bottom of this article for the free printable Chinese Pronunciation and Tones vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable Chinese Pronunciation and Tones flashcards.

Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker Chinese section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.

Quick Quiz

Think you can tell your má (hemp) from your mǎ (horse)? Take the quick quiz below to see how many tone patterns you’ve really locked in.

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Browse the Full List

Word	Pinyin	Type	Meaning	Example
b- series	bā bá bǎ bà	tone drill	four-tone contrast	bā bá bǎ bà
d- series	dā dá dǎ dà	tone drill	four-tone contrast	dā dá dǎ dà
f- series	fā fá fǎ fà	tone drill	four-tone contrast	fā fá fǎ fà
g- series	gā gá gǎ gà	tone drill	four-tone contrast	gā gá gǎ gà
l- series	lā lá lǎ là	tone drill	four-tone contrast	lā lá lǎ là
m- series	mā má mǎ mà	tone drill	four-tone contrast	mā má mǎ mà
n- series	nā ná nǎ nà	tone drill	four-tone contrast	nā ná nǎ nà
Neutral tone	ma	tone	light/neutral tone	吗 ma (question particle)
t- series	tā tá tǎ tà	tone drill	four-tone contrast	tā tá tǎ tà
Third tone sandhi	nǐ hǎo	rule	two third tones: first becomes second	你好 nǐhǎo (hello)
Tone 1	mā	tone	high level tone	妈 mā (mother)
Tone 2	má	tone	rising tone	麻 má (hemp)
Tone 3	mǎ	tone	falling-rising tone	马 mǎ (horse)
Tone 4	mà	tone	falling tone	骂 mà (scold)
Tone mark on ü	nǚ / lǜ	rule	dots on ü; j/q/x omit umlaut	女 nǚ, 绿 lǜ
yi/wu/yu as syllables	yī / wǔ / yú	rule	i/u/ü alone use y/w/y prefix	一 yī, 五 wǔ, 鱼 yú
一	yī	number/word	one	我有一本书。 (Wǒ yǒu yī běn shū.) — I have one book.
七	qī	number/word	seven	七月 (qī yuè) — July
三	sān	number/word	three	三个人 (sān gè rén) — three people
上海	Shànghǎi	proper noun	Shanghai (major Chinese city)	上海是一个大城市。
不	bù	adverb	not, no	我不去。
东西	dōng xi	noun	thing / stuff	这是什么东西？,我去买东西。
中国	Zhōngguó	proper noun	China	中国很大。 (China is very big.)
九	jiǔ	number/word	nine	九月 (jiǔ yuè) — September
书	shū	noun	book	我有很多书。 (Wǒ yǒu hěn duō shū. I have many books.)

Free Chinese Pronunciation and Tones Vocabulary List PDF and Flashcards

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