Notice pitch movement and distinguish a light syllable from tone 1.
About 10–15 minutes for the core practice · Split into two short sessions if helpful · English-guided · All ages
Listen → Learn & blend → Choose → Record & compare → Use it
Listen & notice · Learn & blend
Keep the vowel; change the pitch
Tone 1 is high and level; tone 2 rises; tone 3 is low and can rise when said alone; tone 4 falls. These are relative pitch patterns, not musical notes you must hit.
Trace what you hear
Use a finger to trace a level, rising, low, or falling path while listening. Our examples use different syllables: focus on their pitch pattern, not just their consonant.
Light does not mean tone 1
In mā ma, the second ma is short and light, with no tone mark. Its pitch depends on the surrounding tones. In connected speech, a third tone is often low without a full rise.
Syllables and words use the original course voice. Separate recordings are used only for simple, compound and nasal finals in the sound reference. For words, focus on the sound named on the card.
Record the two examples marked Practice 1 and Practice 2. Use the other examples whenever you want extra practice.
mā Tone 1: levelmá Tone 2: risingmǎ Tone 3: low, with a rise in isolationmà Tone 4: falling
Listen to the same ma syllable in four tones, then try the word examples below.
bā八eight
Tone 1: high and level
chá茶tea
Tone 2: rising
Practice 1mǎ马horse
Tone 3: low
là辣spicy
Tone 4: falling
Practice 2mā ma妈妈mum
Second syllable: light and short
Dedicated sound recordings · 6 examples
Listen in small groups. These reference sounds do not add completion tasks. The spellings show the intended targets; in connected speech, notice the spoken tones.
Same syllable · four tones
mā妈má麻mǎ马mà骂
Light syllables in words
bàba爸爸xièxie谢谢
Hear & choose · Quick review
Choose an answer for immediate feedback. You can retry; your first answers remain in the review summary.
1. Listen, then choose the pinyin you hear.
2. Listen, then choose the pinyin you hear.
3. Listen, then choose the pinyin you hear.
4. Listen, then choose the pinyin you hear.
5. Which description fits the second ma in mā ma?
6. Must every third tone have a full rise in a phrase?
Use it
Say mā ma with one clear first tone and one short, light syllable.
Family option: take turns listening, saying the example, and noticing one sound. Stay on this page; no extra materials are needed. Independent option: look away and say it again before recording.
Your practice so far
Finish the six review questions and the two recordings marked Practice 1 and Practice 2 for a practice-complete tick. Listening results and recording completion are separate. No pronunciation score is given.
Progress is saved for the selected learner on this browser. Voice clips stay in this tab and clear when it reloads.
Sources & image credits
Curriculum references: 幼儿汉语 1–4 and 中文 1–12. Lessons are organised by learning themes and include original texts and graded adaptations.
