In Chinese, tones are employed to differentiate semantic differences. Characters with the same initial and final but varying tones convey distinct meanings. There are four basic tones in Mandarin. The following shows the four tones and their pitch values (from 1 to 5, where 1 represents the lowest pitch and 5 represents the highest pitch).
- The first tone is a high level tone with a pitch value of 55;
- The second tone is a rising tone with a pitch value of 35;
- The third tone is a dipping tone with a pitch value of 214;
- The fourth tone is a falling tone with a pitch value of 51.
Below are the four tone marks.
Here are some examples of the four tones:
The first tone in Mandarin is a high level tone, and it is the same as its counterpart in Cantonese, for example, the tone of "妈" (mā, mom) in Mandarin is the same as that of "媽" (maa1, mom) in Cantonese.
The second tone is a high rising tone, and it sounds like the second tone in Cantonese. For instance, the tone of the Mandarin word "达" (dá, as in 抵达, to arrive) is almost the same as the tone of the Cantonese word "打"(daa2, hit).
The third tone is a dipping tone. When pronouncing the third tone, start with pitch level 2, go down a little bit more to the lowest pitch, and then go higher to pitch level 4 at the end of the syllable. There is no equivalent of the Mandarin third tone in Cantonese.
Note that the third tone is pronounced in its original tone only when it is used on its own or at the end of a word or sentence. In connected speech, when a third tone is preceded by a first, second, or fourth tone, it is pronounced as a half third tone, which, in most situations, is the first half "21". For example,
When the third tone in Mandarin is pronounced as a half third tone "21", it is a low tone. In this case, it sounds like the fourth tone in Cantonese. For example, the tone of "马" in the word "马车" (mǎchē, carriage) in Mandarin, is just like the tone of "麻" in the word "麻煩" (maa4 faan4, troublesome) in Cantonese.
The fourth tone in Mandarin is a high falling tone, and sounds like a stressed affirmative answer in English such as “Yes!”. When pronouncing it, try to go to the top of your pitch range at the beginning. Interestingly, some Cantonese speakers, particularly among the elderly, pronounce certain first tone words (55) with a falling tone pitch value (53). Examples include the "州" in the word "廣州" (Gwong2 zau3), or the "香" in the word "香港"(Heong3 gong2). The fourth tone in Mandarin closely resembles the pitch value (53) of these Cantonese words.
Note:
Some local non-Chinese speaking students have difficulty distinguishing between the first and second tones, while others struggle to differentiate between the second and third tones. To overcome these challenges, it is beneficial to focus on the unique contour of each tone. Moreover, taking advantage of the similarities between these Mandarin tones and their corresponding Cantonese tones may help to more effectively distinguish between the easily confused tones.
Tone 1 vs Tone 2:
Tone 2 vs Tone 3:
Due to the fact that some Cantonese speakers, as mentioned above, pronounce the first tone as a high falling tone in Cantonese, learners who can speak Cantonese might mixup the first with the fourth tones in Mandarin. Therefore, when pronouncing the first tone in Mandarin, be careful not to read it as a high falling tone.
Tone 1 vs Tone 4:
