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
卖	mài	verb	to sell	他卖电脑。
厨房	chú fáng	noun	kitchen	妈妈在厨房做饭。
去	qù	verb	to go	我去中国。
可以	kě yǐ	modal verb	can / may	我可以进来吗？,你不可以去。
司机	sījī	noun	driver	我爸爸是司机。
吃	chī	verb	to eat	我想吃苹果。
吃饭	chī fàn	verb-object	to eat (a meal)	你吃饭了吗？ (Have you eaten?)
名字	míngzi	noun	name	你叫什么名字？ (What's your name?) 我的名字是大卫。 (My name is David.)
吗	ma	particle	question particle for yes/no questions	你好吗？
听	tīng	verb	to listen	请你听我说。 (Qǐng nǐ tīng wǒ shuō. Please listen to me.)
咖啡	kāfēi	noun	coffee	我想喝咖啡。
哪儿	nǎr	question word	where	你在哪儿？,我们去哪儿？
哪里	nǎlǐ (pronounced nálǐ)	question word	where	你去哪里？ (Nǐ qù nǎlǐ?)
唱歌	chànggē	verb	sing	他唱歌很好听。
商店	shāngdiàn	noun	shop	商店在哪儿？
喜欢	xǐ huan	verb	to like	我喜欢中国菜。,你喜欢他吗？
喝	hē	verb	to drink	他不喝茶。
喝水	hē shuǐ	verb-object	to drink water	我每天都喝水。 (I drink water every day.)
四	sì	number/word	four	四月 (sì yuè) — April
在	zài	verb/preposition/adverb	at, in, on; to be at; indicates ongoing action	我在家。
坐	zuò	verb	to sit	请坐。
多少	duōshǎo	question word	how many; how much	这个多少钱？ (Zhège duōshǎo qián?)
大	dà	adjective	big	这个苹果很大。 (Zhège píngguǒ hěn dà. This apple is big.)
天气	tiānqì	noun	weather	今天天气很好。
太阳	tàiyáng	noun	sun	今天太阳很大。

Free Chinese Pronunciation and Tones Vocabulary List PDF and Flashcards

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