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
她	tā	pronoun	she, her	她很漂亮。
好	hǎo	adjective	good	这个很好。 (Zhège hěn hǎo. This is good.)
好看	hǎokàn	adjective	good-looking; interesting (of a film, etc.)	这个电影很好看。
妈妈	māma	noun	mom	我妈妈是医生。 (My mom is a doctor.)
学习	xuéxí	verb	to study; to learn	我喜欢学习中文。 (I like studying Chinese.)
学校	xuéxiào	noun	school	我去学校。 (Wǒ qù xuéxiào. I go to school.)
学生	xuésheng	noun	student	我是学生。 (I am a student.)
它	tā	pronoun	it	它是一只猫。
家	jiā	noun	home, family	我的家很大。 (Wǒ de jiā hěn dà. My home is big.)
对不起	duì bu qǐ	apology	sorry	对不起！,对不起，我迟到了。
小	xiǎo	adjective	small	那只猫很小。 (Nà zhī māo hěn xiǎo. That cat is small.)
山	shān	noun	mountain	那座山很高。
工作	gōngzuò	verb/noun	to work; job	他在医院工作。 (He works at a hospital.)
很	hěn	adverb	very, quite	我很好。
快乐	kuàilè	adjective	happy	祝你生日快乐！
怎么	zěnme	question word	how	你怎么去学校？ (Nǐ zěnme qù xuéxiào?)
想	xiǎng	verb	to want; to think	我想喝水。 (Wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ.) – I want to drink water.
我	wǒ	pronoun	I, me	我是学生。
房间	fáng jiān	noun	room	我的房间很小。
手	shǒu	noun	hand	我的手很小。
手机	shǒujī	noun	cell phone	这是我的手机。
护士	hùshi	noun	nurse	她是一个护士。
旅游	lǚyóu	verb	travel	我喜欢旅游。
早上	zǎoshang	noun	early morning	早上好！
时候	shí hou	noun	time / moment	你什么时候来？,吃饭的时候不要说话。

Free Chinese Pronunciation and Tones Vocabulary List PDF and Flashcards

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