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
买	mǎi	verb	to buy	妈妈买水果。
了	le	particle	aspect particle indicating completion or change of state	我吃了。
二	èr	number/word	two	我有两个苹果。 (Wǒ yǒu liǎng gè píngguǒ.) — I have two apples.
云	yún	noun	cloud	天上有白云。
五	wǔ	number/word	five	五星 (wǔ xīng) — five stars
人	rén	noun	person	那个人是我的老师。
什么	shén me	question word	what	这是什么？,你说什么？
今天	jīntiān	noun	today	今天天气很好。
他	tā	pronoun	he, him	他是学生。
们	men	suffix	plural marker for pronouns and some nouns	我们
你	nǐ	pronoun	you (singular)	你好吗？
你好	nǐ hǎo	greeting	hello	你好！,你好，老师。
便宜	piányi	adjective	cheap	这个很便宜。
先生	xiānsheng	noun	Mr.; husband	王先生是我的老师。
八	bā	number/word	eight	八点 (bā diǎn) — eight o'clock
公园	gōngyuán	noun	park	公园很大。
六	liù	number/word	six	六月 (liù yuè) — June
再见	zài jiàn	farewell	goodbye	再见！,明天再见。
写	xiě	verb	to write	我在写字。 (Wǒ zài xiě zì. I am writing characters.)
冷	lěng	adjective	cold	冬天很冷。 (Dōngtiān hěn lěng. Winter is cold.)
动物	dòngwù	noun	animal	动物园里有很多动物。
北京	Běijīng	proper noun	Beijing (capital of China)	北京是中国的首都。
医生	yīshēng	noun	doctor	他是医生。
医院	yīyuàn	noun	hospital	我去医院。
十	shí	number/word	ten	十月 (shí yuè) — October

Free Chinese Pronunciation and Tones Vocabulary List PDF and Flashcards

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