Tones can make or break your meaning in Chinese-literally. Say mā and you’re talking about mother; say mǎ and you’re on a horse. If you’ve ever mixed up a purchase because your tone was off, you know exactly why this list exists.
We’ve rounded up around 160 practical tone patterns, neutral tone words, and tone change rules so you can stop guessing and start sounding like you mean it. No dusty theory, just the differences that show up in real conversations-whether you’re chatting about your day or reading a sign in Traditional Chinese.
Don’t worry—tones get friendlier with a little practice, and your ears will catch on faster than you think. Scroll to the bottom of this article for the free printable Chinese tones vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable Chinese tones flashcards.
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker Traditional Chinese section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve got the tones down? The quick quiz below will let you know which ones might still be playing tricks on you.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Pinyin | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 說 | shuō | verb | to speak, say | 他說中文。 |
| 誰 | shéi / shuí | pronoun | who | 你是誰？ |
| 請 | qǐng | Verb | please, to request | |
| 謝謝 | xiè xie | expression | thank you | 謝謝你的幫助。 |
| 謝謝 | xiè xie | expression | Thank you. | 謝謝你幫助我。 |
| 讀 | dú | Verb | to read | |
| 買 | mǎi | verb | to buy | 我去商店買東西。 |
| 賣 | mài | Verb | to sell | |
| 走 | zǒu | verb | to walk, go | 我們走路。 |
| 跑 | pǎo | Verb | to run | |
| 車 | chē | noun | vehicle; car | 我坐車去學校。 |
| 這 | zhè | pronoun | this | 這本書很好。 |
| 這 | zhè | pronoun/determiner | this | 這 |
| 那 | nà | pronoun | that | 那個人是我朋友。 |
| 那 | nà | pronoun/determiner | that | 那 |
| 醫生 | yīshēng | Noun | doctor | |
| 醫院 | yīyuàn | noun | hospital | |
| 銀行 | yínháng | Noun | bank | |
| 錢 | qián | noun | money | 你有錢嗎？ |
| 長 | zhǎng | verb/noun | to grow; chief (when zhǎng); long (when cháng) | 他長高了。 / 他是校長。 |
| 門 | mén | noun | door; gate | 請開門。 |
| 開 | kāi | verb | to open; to drive; to start | 他開門了。 |
| 難 | nán | adjective | difficult | 這個問題很難。 |
| 電影 | diànyǐng | noun | movie | |
| 電腦 | diànnǎo | noun | computer |
Free Chinese Tones Vocabulary List PDF and Flashcard Downloads
Use the purple vocab-list button to get your Chinese tones vocabulary list, and the teal flashcards button for your Chinese tones flashcards. Both downloads are 100% free and require no signup.
