[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-article-local-chinese-language-tones":3,"$fHZsWYl_LcdVZ5GxKwtR-ZqvCZbbUdo2_Fi6R_GQKiQM":1021,"blog-article-cms-chinese-language-tones":1023,"article-hreflang-chinese-language-tones":1024,"blog-article-related-chinese-language-tones":1706},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":1000,"extension":1001,"meta":1002,"navigation":1014,"path":1015,"rawbody":1016,"seo":1017,"stem":1018,"__hash__":1019,"timestampUnix":1003,"slug":1004,"h1":1005,"image":1006,"tags":1011,"timestamp":1020,"locale":-1},"content\u002Farticle\u002Fchinese\u002Fmandarin-tones.md","It's Easy to Learn Chinese Tones If You Understand This",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":979},"minimark",[9,19,22,30,33,37,40,45,48,51,56,66,112,115,122,128,132,139,163,353,357,360,378,389,392,397,399,403,406,413,416,572,576,579,600,603,609,815,819,826,829,840,846,849,854,856,860,879,882,899,905,908,911,913,917,920,925,936,939,941,945,948,951,959,974,977],[10,11,12,13,18],"p",{},"Tones scare everybody who wants to ",[14,15,17],"a",{"href":16},"\u002Flearn-chinese","learn Chinese",".",[10,20,21],{},"... but they shouldn't.",[10,23,24,25,29],{},"If you're a native English speaker, you can already make ",[26,27,28],"em",{},"all"," of the tones in Mandarin Chinese just fine. Chinese speakers just use them differently than you do.",[31,32],"toc",{},[34,35],"prose-button",{"href":16,"text":36},"Learn Chinese pronunciation with Migaku",[38,39],"hr",{},[41,42,44],"h2",{"id":43},"step-1-learn-the-difference-between-tones-and-intonation","Step 1: Learn the difference between tones and intonation",[10,46,47],{},"The only thing standing between most learners and confidence with Mandarin's tones is one simple concept.",[10,49,50],{},"Let's clarify that concept.",[52,53,55],"h3",{"id":54},"how-english-intonation-works","How English intonation works",[10,57,58,59,65],{},"Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, ",[14,60,64],{"href":61,"rel":62},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sinosplice.com\u002Flife\u002Farchives\u002F2015\u002F01\u002F27\u002Fkaisers-dude-system-of-tones",[63],"nofollow","forgive my voice acting skills"," and check this out:",[67,68,69,77,82,87,92,97,102,107],"ol",{},[70,71,72],"li",{},[73,74],"custom-audio",{"src":75,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_high_short.m4a","3",[70,78,79],{},[73,80],{"src":81,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_high.m4a",[70,83,84],{},[73,85],{"src":86,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_falling.m4a",[70,88,89],{},[73,90],{"src":91,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_you_dawg.m4a",[70,93,94],{},[73,95],{"src":96,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_exasperated.m4a",[70,98,99],{},[73,100],{"src":101,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_annoyed.m4a",[70,103,104],{},[73,105],{"src":106,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_rising.m4a",[70,108,109],{},[73,110],{"src":111,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_low_short.m4a",[10,113,114],{},"I said one word eight different times, changed the way I said it each time, it meant something different each time, and you understood what I meant each time. Incredible, isn't it?",[10,116,117,118,121],{},"Suffice it to say that English is a ",[26,119,120],{},"very"," tonal language.",[123,124,125],"blockquote",{},[10,126,127],{},"If you speak English, you are perfectly capable of understanding and making all of Mandarin's tones.",[52,129,131],{"id":130},"how-mandarin-chinese-tones-work","How Mandarin Chinese tones work",[10,133,134,135,138],{},"Before I tell you what you're supposedly hearing, let's just hear the tones and take a moment to think about what's ",[26,136,137],{},"actually"," going on. Compare the two sets of audio below, and maybe the audio above. Listen for things like:",[140,141,142,148,154,160],"ul",{},[70,143,144,145],{},"Melody ",[26,146,147],{},"(how does the pitch move?)",[70,149,150,151],{},"Quality ",[26,152,153],{},"(neutral voice, gravelly voice, breathy voice, etc.)",[70,155,156,157],{},"Emotion ",[26,158,159],{},"(robot or snarky?)",[70,161,162],{},"Anything else that sticks out to you",[164,165,166],"table",{},[167,168,169,182,208,238,267,295,324],"tbody",{},[170,171,172,178],"tr",{},[173,174,177],"th",{"colSpan":76,"className":175},[176],"main-header","English",[173,179,181],{"colSpan":76,"className":180},[176],"Mandarin",[170,183,184,189,194,199,202,205],{},[173,185,188],{"className":186},[187],"tone-number","Tone #",[173,190,193],{"className":191},[192],"description","Description",[173,195,198],{"className":196},[197],"audio","Audio",[173,200,188],{"className":201},[187],[173,203,193],{"className":204},[192],[173,206,198],{"className":207},[197],[170,209,210,215,219,225,228,232],{},[211,212,214],"td",{"className":213},[187],"1",[211,216,218],{"className":217},[192],"Annoyed dude",[211,220,222],{"className":221},[197],[73,223],{"src":224,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-1.m4a",[211,226,214],{"className":227},[187],[211,229,231],{"className":230},[192],"High level tone",[211,233,235],{"className":234},[197],[73,236],{"src":237,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu1.m4a",[170,239,240,244,248,254,257,261],{},[211,241,243],{"className":242},[187],"2",[211,245,247],{"className":246},[192],"Concerned dude",[211,249,251],{"className":250},[197],[73,252],{"src":253,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-2.m4a",[211,255,243],{"className":256},[187],[211,258,260],{"className":259},[192],"Low rising tone",[211,262,264],{"className":263},[197],[73,265],{"src":266,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu2.m4a",[170,268,269,272,276,282,285,289],{},[211,270,76],{"className":271},[187],[211,273,275],{"className":274},[192],"\"You dawg!\" dude\"",[211,277,279],{"className":278},[197],[73,280],{"src":281,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-3.m4a",[211,283,76],{"className":284},[187],[211,286,288],{"className":287},[192],"Low falling tone",[211,290,292],{"className":291},[197],[73,293],{"src":294,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu3.mp3.m4a",[170,296,297,301,305,311,314,318],{},[211,298,300],{"className":299},[187],"4",[211,302,304],{"className":303},[192],"Angry dude",[211,306,308],{"className":307},[197],[73,309],{"src":310,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-4.m4a",[211,312,300],{"className":313},[187],[211,315,317],{"className":316},[192],"High falling tone",[211,319,321],{"className":320},[197],[73,322],{"src":323,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu4.m4a",[170,325,326,330,334,340,343,347],{},[211,327,329],{"className":328},[187],"5",[211,331,333],{"className":332},[192],"Neutral dude",[211,335,337],{"className":336},[197],[73,338],{"src":339,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-5.m4a",[211,341,329],{"className":342},[187],[211,344,346],{"className":345},[192],"Neutral\u002Ftoneless tone",[211,348,350],{"className":349},[197],[73,351],{"src":352,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu5.m4a",[52,354,356],{"id":355},"the-key-difference-between-english-and-chinese-pronunciation","The key difference between English and Chinese Pronunciation",[10,358,359],{},"You've now heard both, so here's the key point to observe. Per Wikipedia:",[140,361,362,370],{},[70,363,364,369],{},[14,365,368],{"href":366,"rel":367},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FTone_(linguistics)",[63],"Tone"," → \"[The] use of pitch in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning—that is, to distinguish or to inflect words.\"",[70,371,372,377],{},[14,373,376],{"href":374,"rel":375},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FIntonation_(linguistics)",[63],"Intonation"," → \"[The] variation in pitch used to indicate the speaker's attitudes and emotions [and] to highlight or focus an expression...\"",[10,379,380,381,384,385,388],{},"You're used to making tones, but they're tied to emotions for you, where they aren't for Mandarin speakers. Or, from another direction: The syllable \"ver\" is stressed in ",[26,382,383],{},"version"," but not in ",[26,386,387],{},"over",". It just so happens that we pronounce \"ver\" more strongly in some words and more relaxed in other words. Chinese tones are similarly mechanical: each tone is just a possible \"shape\" of a Chinese syllable.",[10,390,391],{},"If you take your English emotions—see the above table—and keep the melody but subtract the emotion, you end up remarkably close to Chinese's tones.",[123,393,394],{},[10,395,396],{},"Stress gives shape to English words; tone gives shape to Chinese words.",[38,398],{},[41,400,402],{"id":401},"step-2-learn-the-four-tones-of-the-chinese-language","Step 2: Learn the four tones of the Chinese language",[10,404,405],{},"Here are Mandarin's four tones (plus a bonus one!) visualized:",[407,408],"img",{"src":409,"alt":410,"width":411,"height":412},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002FmandarinTone.webp","Mandarin tone chart",2400,1704,[10,414,415],{},"And now let's talk through the chart a bit:",[164,417,418,419],{},"\n  ",[167,420,421,418,439,418,473,418,498,418,523,418,548],{},[170,422,423,424,423,427,423,430,423,433,423,436,418],{},"\n    ",[173,425,426],{},"Tone Name",[173,428,429],{},"Example",[173,431,432],{},"Translation",[173,434,435],{},"Tone mark",[173,437,438],{},"Description of pitch contour ",[170,440,423,441,423,444,423,455,423,458,423,461,418],{},[211,442,443],{},"1 \u002F 1st",[211,445,446,451],{},[447,448],"typo",{"lang":449,"syntax":450},"zh","今天[jin1 tian1;t]",[73,452],{"src":453,":type":454},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_今天.m4a","0",[211,456,457],{},"today",[211,459,460],{},"ō (macron)",[211,462,463,464,468,469,472],{},"A high, flat, unwavering tone. ",[465,466,467],"i",{}," Don't "," let your pitch trail off! ",[470,471],"br",{}," Remain at the same \"height\" for the duration of the tone.",[170,474,423,475,423,478,423,486,423,489,423,492,418],{},[211,476,477],{},"2 \u002F 2nd",[211,479,480,483],{},[447,481],{"lang":449,"syntax":482},"由於[you2 yu2;c]",[73,484],{"src":485,":type":454},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_由於.mp3",[211,487,488],{},"due to",[211,490,491],{},"ó (acute)",[211,493,494,495,497],{},"Start at your normal talking pitch and immediately rise. ",[470,496],{}," The melody is very similar to that of \"what?\" in English. ",[170,499,423,500,423,503,423,511,423,514,423,517,418],{},[211,501,502],{},"3 \u002F 3rd",[211,504,505,508],{},[447,506],{"lang":449,"syntax":507},"我[wo3;r]",[73,509],{"src":510,":type":454},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_我.m4a",[211,512,513],{},"I \u002F me",[211,515,516],{},"ǒ (caron)",[211,518,519,520,522],{},"Start with a low pitch and drop your pitch until your voice turns gravelly. ",[470,521],{}," Rises back up in careful speech. More like an inverted first tone in \"normal\" speech.",[170,524,423,525,423,528,423,536,423,539,423,542,418],{},[211,526,527],{},"4 \u002F 4th",[211,529,530,533],{},[447,531],{"lang":449,"syntax":532},"但是[dan4 shi4;c]",[73,534],{"src":535,":type":454},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_但是.m4a",[211,537,538],{},"but \u002F however",[211,540,541],{},"ò (grave)",[211,543,544,545,547],{},"Start at the top of your vocal register and drop sharply. ",[470,546],{}," Melody is similar to that of \"No!\" in English.",[170,549,423,550,423,553,423,561,423,564,423,567,418],{},[211,551,552],{},"5 \u002F 5th ",[211,554,555,558],{},[447,556],{"lang":449,"syntax":557},"的[de5;uj]",[73,559],{"src":560,":type":454},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_的.mp3",[211,562,563],{},"possessive particle",[211,565,566],{},"o (none)",[211,568,569,570],{},"Just your normal talking voice with no intentional inflection. ",[470,571],{},[52,573,575],{"id":574},"first-practice-chinese-tones-in-isolation","First, practice Chinese tones in isolation",[10,577,578],{},"Each tone has a distinct quality. If you can't hear a tone's quality, it will be difficult to produce them yourself. So:",[67,580,581,589,592],{},[70,582,583,584],{},"Look up ",[14,585,588],{"href":586,"rel":587},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wiktionary.org\u002Fwiki\u002FAppendix:Mandarin_Frequency_lists\u002F1-1000",[63],"common Chinese words on Wikipedia",[70,590,591],{},"Identify a few Chinese syllables with each pitch (or check out the list below the image)",[70,593,594,595],{},"Listen to recordings from native speakers ",[14,596,599],{"href":597,"rel":598},"https:\u002F\u002Fforvo.com\u002Fword\u002F%E4%BB%96\u002F#zh",[63],"on Forvo",[10,601,602],{},"Or, with a Migaku subscription, you can use our Chinese Tone Trainer. We'll play the audio of a one-syllable word, ask you to identify its tone, and build your tonal awareness with immediate feedback.",[407,604],{"src":605,"width":606,"height":607,"alt":608},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-pitch-trainer.jpeg",1974,1104,"A screenshot of the Migaku Chinese Pitch Trainer",[610,611,613,616,633,636,640,643,671,675,678,705,709,712,739,743,746,773,777,780,809],"accordion",{"heading":612},"(Reference: 3 example words for each tone)",[10,614,615],{},"At Migaku, we assign a unique color to each tone:",[140,617,618,621,624,627,630],{},[70,619,620],{},"1st tone is red",[70,622,623],{},"2nd tone is yellow",[70,625,626],{},"3rd tone is green",[70,628,629],{},"4th tone is blue",[70,631,632],{},"5th tone is grey",[10,634,635],{},"This gives your memory one extra thing to latch onto, which is helpful early on. Eventually this will all be second nature, but until then—it's helpful to just remember that a word is red.",[52,637,639],{"id":638},"_1st-tone-words","1st tone words",[10,641,642],{},"A few words that utilize Chinese's first tone:",[140,644,645,653,662],{},[70,646,647,649,650,652],{},[447,648],{"lang":449,"syntax":450},"\n \n",[73,651],{"src":453,":type":76},"\n = today\n",[70,654,655,649,658,661],{},[447,656],{"lang":449,"syntax":657},"应该[ying1 gai1;v]",[73,659],{"src":660,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_应该.m4a","\n = should \u002F ought to\n",[70,663,664,649,667,670],{},[447,665],{"lang":449,"syntax":666},"公司[gong1 si1;n]",[73,668],{"src":669,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_公司.m4a","\n = business\n",[52,672,674],{"id":673},"_2nd-tone-words","2nd tone words",[10,676,677],{},"A few words that utilize Chinese's second tone:",[140,679,680,687,696],{},[70,681,682,649,684,686],{},[447,683],{"lang":449,"syntax":482},[73,685],{"src":485,":type":76},"\n = due to\n",[70,688,689,649,692,695],{},[447,690],{"lang":449,"syntax":691},"成為[cheng2 wei2;v]",[73,693],{"src":694,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_成為.mp3","\n = to become\n",[70,697,698,649,701,704],{},[447,699],{"lang":449,"syntax":700},"其實[qi2 shi2;d]",[73,702],{"src":703,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ftts_其實.mp3","\n = actually \u002F in fact\n",[52,706,708],{"id":707},"_3rd-tone-words","3rd tone words",[10,710,711],{},"A few words that utilize Chinese's third tone:",[140,713,714,721,730],{},[70,715,716,649,718,720],{},[447,717],{"lang":449,"syntax":507},[73,719],{"src":510,":type":76},"\n = I\u002Fme\n",[70,722,723,649,726,729],{},[447,724],{"lang":449,"syntax":725},"你[ni3;r]",[73,727],{"src":728,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_你.m4a","\n = you (singular)\n",[70,731,732,649,735,738],{},[447,733],{"lang":449,"syntax":734},"好[hao3;a]",[73,736],{"src":737,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_好.m4a","\n = good\n",[52,740,742],{"id":741},"_4th-tone-words","4th tone words",[10,744,745],{},"A few words that utilize Chinese's fourth tone:",[140,747,748,755,764],{},[70,749,750,649,752,754],{},[447,751],{"lang":449,"syntax":532},[73,753],{"src":535,":type":76},"\n = but\n",[70,756,757,649,760,763],{},[447,758],{"lang":449,"syntax":759},"社會[she4 hui4;n]",[73,761],{"src":762,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_社會.mp3","\n = society\n",[70,765,766,649,769,772],{},[447,767],{"lang":449,"syntax":768},"這樣[zhe4 yang4;r]",[73,770],{"src":771,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_這樣.mp3","\n = like this \u002F in this way\n",[52,774,776],{"id":775},"_5th-tone-words","5th tone words",[10,778,779],{},"A few words that utilize Chinese's fifth or neutral tone:",[140,781,782,791,800],{},[70,783,784,649,787,790],{},[447,785],{"lang":449,"syntax":786},"好[hao3;a]的[de5;uj]",[73,788],{"src":789,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_好的.mp3","\n = okay \u002F alright\n",[70,792,793,649,796,799],{},[447,794],{"lang":449,"syntax":795},"朋友[peng2 you5;n]",[73,797],{"src":798,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_朋友.m4a","\n = friend\n",[70,801,802,649,805,808],{},[447,803],{"lang":449,"syntax":804},"妈妈[ma1 ma5;n]",[73,806],{"src":807,":type":76},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_妈妈.m4a","\n = mom \u002F mother\n",[10,810,811,812,814],{},"The main place you'll encounter this is with ",[447,813],{"lang":449,"syntax":557},", but keep your ears peeled! It also occurs as the second syllable of a number of words.",[52,816,818],{"id":817},"next-learn-pinyin-and-the-pitch-combinations","Next, learn pinyin and the pitch combinations",[10,820,821,822,825],{},"Tones don't usually exist in isolation: they flow into each other in speech. This in mind, your next step toward mastering the tones is to learn them in ",[26,823,824],{},"pairs",": to be familiar with not just \"Tone 1\" and \"Tone 2\" but also \"Tone 1 → Tone 2\".",[10,827,828],{},"Migaku makes this easy.",[67,830,831,834,837],{},[70,832,833],{},"You'll learn pinyin",[70,835,836],{},"You learn how the tones work",[70,838,839],{},"You drill common words for each of the possible tone pair combinations",[407,841],{"src":842,"width":843,"height":844,"alt":845},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-fundamentals-tone23.jpeg",1580,1110,"A screenshot from our Chinese Pronunciation course, showing how we help users learn Chinese tones and pinyin",[34,847],{"href":16,"text":848},"Learn Chinese tones with Migaku",[850,851,853],"centered-text",{"italic":852},"","\nMigaku is completely free for 10 days—no credit card required. At 13 flashcards per day, you can completely finish our pronunciation course within that time.\n",[38,855],{},[41,857,859],{"id":858},"step-3-watch-youtube-to-observe-how-natives-pronounce-mandarin-chinese-tones","Step 3: Watch YouTube to observe how natives pronounce Mandarin Chinese tones",[10,861,862,863,865,866,869,870],{},"Your ears are incredibly powerful things. Immersing yourself in the reality of how natives ",[26,864,137],{}," talk will often do you more good than reading English explanations of how people ",[26,867,868],{},"supposedly"," talk. This will lead you to notice things like how two third tones in a row are actually pronounced as a second tone and then a third tone. ",[26,871,872,873,878],{},"(This is called ",[14,874,877],{"href":875,"rel":876},"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FStandard_Chinese_phonology#Tone_sandhi",[63],"tonal sandhi"," or \"tone changes\").",[10,880,881],{},"So:",[67,883,884,893,896],{},[70,885,886,887,892],{},"Boot up Migaku's ",[14,888,891],{"href":889,"rel":890},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=_CMzfhsCYrA&list=PL2FsjAIKmm56U9gGCymHZ8pDzPaRMHXOI",[63],"Just Starting Mandarin"," playlist",[70,894,895],{},"Select a video that looks interesting",[70,897,898],{},"Watch it with Migaku",[407,900],{"src":901,"width":902,"height":903,"alt":904},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-youtube-cheese.jpeg",1592,1108,"A screenshot showing how Migaku enhances YouTUbe videos to make them more accessible to Chinese learners",[10,906,907],{},"We make it easier to understand Chinese videos by generating subtitles if the video doesn't have them, letting you display subtitles in two languages at once, and letting you click on words to see what they mean.",[34,909],{"href":16,"text":910},"Learn Chinese with YouTube",[38,912],{},[41,914,916],{"id":915},"step-4-use-flashcards-to-remember-and-practice-chinese-tones","Step 4: Use flashcards to remember and practice Chinese tones",[10,918,919],{},"If you stumble into a useful looking word or sentence, just click the orange button in the top-right corner of the dictionary. We'll automatically turn it into a flashcard that looks like this:",[407,921],{"src":922,"width":923,"height":607,"alt":924},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-youtube-cheese-flashcard.jpeg",1578,"A screenshot of a flashcard Migaku automatically made from YouTube to help users learn Chinese words",[10,926,927,931,932,935],{},[14,928,930],{"href":929},"%5D(\u002Fblog\u002Flanguage-fun\u002Fspaced-repetition-language-learning)","We'll periodically nudge you to review words you make flashcards out of"," until you eventually remember what they mean—",[26,933,934],{},"and"," how to pronounce them.",[34,937],{"href":16,"text":938},"Learn Chinese with Migaku",[38,940],{},[41,942,944],{"id":943},"the-1-thing-you-need-to-remember-if-you-want-to-learn-chinese","The #1 thing you need to remember if you want to learn Chinese",[10,946,947],{},"I moved to Taiwan in 2018, so I get it: Mandarin is intimidating. Tones are scary, pronunciation is scary, Chinese characters are scary. It's a lot.",[10,949,950],{},"The thing is, as complex as modern Chinese learning applications are, learning Mandarin is actually very simple:",[123,952,953],{},[10,954,955,956],{},"If you consume media you enjoy in Chinese, and you understand some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. ",[26,957,958],{},"Period.",[10,960,961,962,965,966,969,970,973],{},"You ",[26,963,964],{},"do"," need to get your feet under you somehow, but to really get anywhere with Chinese, you'll eventually need to dive into the deep end and begin spending more time ",[26,967,968],{},"in"," Chinese and less time in English learning ",[26,971,972],{},"about"," Chinese.",[10,975,976],{},"That transition is scary, too—but Migaku has been purpose-built to make overcoming it as painless as possible. You might even have fun.",[34,978],{"href":16,"text":938},{"title":852,"searchDepth":980,"depth":980,"links":981},2,[982,988,997,998,999],{"id":43,"depth":980,"text":44,"children":983},[984,986,987],{"id":54,"depth":985,"text":55},3,{"id":130,"depth":985,"text":131},{"id":355,"depth":985,"text":356},{"id":401,"depth":980,"text":402,"children":989},[990,991,992,993,994,995,996],{"id":574,"depth":985,"text":575},{"id":638,"depth":985,"text":639},{"id":673,"depth":985,"text":674},{"id":707,"depth":985,"text":708},{"id":741,"depth":985,"text":742},{"id":775,"depth":985,"text":776},{"id":817,"depth":985,"text":818},{"id":858,"depth":980,"text":859},{"id":915,"depth":980,"text":916},{"id":943,"depth":980,"text":944},"Chinese Tones intimidate many learners of Chinese... but, the thing is, we actually have all of Chinese's tones in English, too. Understand English, and you'll understand Mandarin pronunciation, too.","md",{"timestampUnix":1003,"slug":1004,"h1":1005,"image":1006,"tags":1011},1755818870469,"chinese-language-tones","[Chinese Pronunciation] 4 Steps to Mastering the 4 Mandarin Chinese Tones",{"src":1007,"width":1008,"height":1009,"alt":1010},"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-tones.webp",5617,3746,"A female hand holding four colored arrows, intended to represent the four main tones of Mandarin Chinese.",[1012,1013],"fundamentals","pronunciation",true,"\u002Farticle\u002Fchinese\u002Fmandarin-tones","---\ntitle: \"It's Easy to Learn Chinese Tones If You Understand This\"\ndescription: \"Chinese Tones intimidate many learners of Chinese... but, the thing is, we actually have all of Chinese's tones in English, too. Understand English, and you'll understand Mandarin pronunciation, too.\"\ntimestampUnix: 1755818870469\nslug: 'chinese-language-tones'\nh1: '[Chinese Pronunciation] 4 Steps to Mastering the 4 Mandarin Chinese Tones'\nimage:\n  src: '\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-tones.webp'\n  width: 5617\n  height: 3746\n  alt: 'A female hand holding four colored arrows, intended to represent the four main tones of Mandarin Chinese.'\ntags:\n  - fundamentals\n  - pronunciation\n---\n\nTones scare everybody who wants to [learn Chinese](\u002Flearn-chinese).\n\n... but they shouldn't.\n\nIf you're a native English speaker, you can already make _all_ of the tones in Mandarin Chinese just fine. Chinese speakers just use them differently than you do.\n\n\u003Ctoc>\u003C\u002Ftoc>\n\n\u003Cprose-button href=\"\u002Flearn-chinese\" text=\"Learn Chinese pronunciation with Migaku\">\u003C\u002Fprose-button>\n\n---\n\n## Step 1: Learn the difference between tones and intonation\n\nThe only thing standing between most learners and confidence with Mandarin's tones is one simple concept.\n\nLet's clarify that concept.\n\n### How English intonation works\n\nBefore we get too far ahead of ourselves, [forgive my voice acting skills](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.sinosplice.com\u002Flife\u002Farchives\u002F2015\u002F01\u002F27\u002Fkaisers-dude-system-of-tones) and check this out:\n\n1. \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_high_short.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\n2. \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_high.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\n3. \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_falling.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\n4. \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_you_dawg.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\n5. \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_exasperated.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\n6. \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_annoyed.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\n7. \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_rising.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\n8. \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude_low_short.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\n\nI said one word eight different times, changed the way I said it each time, it meant something different each time, and you understood what I meant each time. Incredible, isn't it?\n\nSuffice it to say that English is a _very_ tonal language.\n\n> If you speak English, you are perfectly capable of understanding and making all of Mandarin's tones.\n\n### How Mandarin Chinese tones work\n\nBefore I tell you what you're supposedly hearing, let's just hear the tones and take a moment to think about what's _actually_ going on. Compare the two sets of audio below, and maybe the audio above. Listen for things like:\n\n- Melody _(how does the pitch move?)_\n- Quality _(neutral voice, gravelly voice, breathy voice, etc.)_\n- Emotion _(robot or snarky?)_\n- Anything else that sticks out to you\n\n\u003Chtml>\n\u003Cbody>\n\u003Ctable>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth colspan=\"3\" class=\"main-header\">English\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth colspan=\"3\" class=\"main-header\">Mandarin\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Cth class=\"tone-number\">Tone #\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth class=\"description\">Description\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth class=\"audio\">Audio\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth class=\"tone-number\">Tone #\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth class=\"description\">Description\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003Cth class=\"audio\">Audio\u003C\u002Fth>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">1\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">Annoyed dude\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-1.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">1\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">High level tone\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu1.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">2\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">Concerned dude\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-2.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">2\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">Low rising tone\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu2.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">3\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">\"You dawg!\" dude\"\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-3.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">3\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">Low falling tone\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu3.mp3.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">4\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">Angry dude\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-4.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">4\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">High falling tone\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu4.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003Ctr>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">5\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">Neutral dude\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fdude-tone-5.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"tone-number\">5\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"description\">Neutral\u002Ftoneless tone\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003Ctd class=\"audio\">\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fzh-fu5.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003C\u002Fbody>\n\u003C\u002Fhtml>\n\n### The key difference between English and Chinese Pronunciation\n\nYou've now heard both, so here's the key point to observe. Per Wikipedia:\n\n- [Tone](\u003Chttps:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FTone_(linguistics)>) → \"\\[The\\] use of pitch in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning—that is, to distinguish or to inflect words.\"\n- [Intonation](\u003Chttps:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FIntonation_(linguistics)>) → \"\\[The\\] variation in pitch used to indicate the speaker's attitudes and emotions \\[and\\] to highlight or focus an expression...\"\n\nYou're used to making tones, but they're tied to emotions for you, where they aren't for Mandarin speakers. Or, from another direction: The syllable \"ver\" is stressed in _version_ but not in _over_. It just so happens that we pronounce \"ver\" more strongly in some words and more relaxed in other words. Chinese tones are similarly mechanical: each tone is just a possible \"shape\" of a Chinese syllable.\n\nIf you take your English emotions—see the above table—and keep the melody but subtract the emotion, you end up remarkably close to Chinese's tones.\n\n> Stress gives shape to English words; tone gives shape to Chinese words.\n\n---\n\n## Step 2: Learn the four tones of the Chinese language\n\nHere are Mandarin's four tones (plus a bonus one!) visualized:\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002FmandarinTone.webp\" alt=\"Mandarin tone chart\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1704\" \u002F>\n\nAnd now let's talk through the chart a bit:\n\n\u003Ctable>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Cth>Tone Name\u003C\u002Fth>\n    \u003Cth>Example\u003C\u002Fth>\n    \u003Cth>Translation\u003C\u002Fth>\n    \u003Cth>Tone mark\u003C\u002Fth>\n    \u003Cth>Description of pitch contour \u003C\u002Fth>\n  \u003C\u002Ftr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd>1 \u002F 1st\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>\u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"今天[jin1 tian1;t]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo>\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_今天.m4a\" :type=\"0\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>today\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>ō (macron)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>A high, flat, unwavering tone. \u003Ci> Don't \u003C\u002Fi> let your pitch trail off! \u003Cbr> Remain at the same \"height\" for the duration of the tone.\u003C\u002Ftd>\n  \u003C\u002Ftr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd>2 \u002F 2nd\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>\u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"由於[you2 yu2;c]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo>\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_由於.mp3\" :type=\"0\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>due to\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>ó (acute)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>Start at your normal talking pitch and immediately rise. \u003Cbr> The melody is very similar to that of \"what?\" in English. \u003C\u002Ftd>\n  \u003C\u002Ftr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd>3 \u002F 3rd\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>\u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"我[wo3;r]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo>\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_我.m4a\" :type=\"0\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>I \u002F me\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>ǒ (caron)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>Start with a low pitch and drop your pitch until your voice turns gravelly. \u003Cbr> Rises back up in careful speech. More like an inverted first tone in \"normal\" speech.\u003C\u002Ftd>\n  \u003C\u002Ftr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd>4 \u002F 4th\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>\u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"但是[dan4 shi4;c]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo>\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_但是.m4a\" :type=\"0\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>but \u002F however\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>ò (grave)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>Start at the top of your vocal register and drop sharply. \u003Cbr> Melody is similar to that of \"No!\" in English.\u003C\u002Ftd>\n  \u003C\u002Ftr>\n  \u003Ctr>\n    \u003Ctd>5 \u002F 5th \u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>\u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"的[de5;uj]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo>\u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_的.mp3\" :type=\"0\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>possessive particle\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>o (none)\u003C\u002Ftd>\n    \u003Ctd>Just your normal talking voice with no intentional inflection. \u003Cbr>\u003C\u002Ftd>\n  \u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\n### First, practice Chinese tones in isolation\n\nEach tone has a distinct quality. If you can't hear a tone's quality, it will be difficult to produce them yourself. So:\n\n1. Look up [common Chinese words on Wikipedia](https:\u002F\u002Fen.wiktionary.org\u002Fwiki\u002FAppendix:Mandarin_Frequency_lists\u002F1-1000)\n2. Identify a few Chinese syllables with each pitch (or check out the list below the image)\n3. Listen to recordings from native speakers [on Forvo](https:\u002F\u002Fforvo.com\u002Fword\u002F%E4%BB%96\u002F#zh)\n\nOr, with a Migaku subscription, you can use our Chinese Tone Trainer. We'll play the audio of a one-syllable word, ask you to identify its tone, and build your tonal awareness with immediate feedback.\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-pitch-trainer.jpeg\" width=\"1974\" height=\"1104\" alt=\"A screenshot of the Migaku Chinese Pitch Trainer\" \u002F>\n\n\u003Caccordion heading=\"(Reference: 3 example words for each tone)\">\n\nAt Migaku, we assign a unique color to each tone:\n\n- 1st tone is red\n- 2nd tone is yellow\n- 3rd tone is green\n- 4th tone is blue\n- 5th tone is grey\n\nThis gives your memory one extra thing to latch onto, which is helpful early on. Eventually this will all be second nature, but until then—it's helpful to just remember that a word is red.\n\n### 1st tone words\n\nA few words that utilize Chinese's first tone:\n\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"今天[jin1 tian1;t]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_今天.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = today\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"应该[ying1 gai1;v]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_应该.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = should \u002F ought to\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"公司[gong1 si1;n]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_公司.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = business\n\n### 2nd tone words\n\nA few words that utilize Chinese's second tone:\n\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"由於[you2 yu2;c]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_由於.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = due to\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"成為[cheng2 wei2;v]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_成為.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = to become\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"其實[qi2 shi2;d]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ftts_其實.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = actually \u002F in fact\n\n### 3rd tone words\n\nA few words that utilize Chinese's third tone:\n\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"我[wo3;r]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_我.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = I\u002Fme\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"你[ni3;r]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_你.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = you (singular)\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"好[hao3;a]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_好.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = good\n\n### 4th tone words\n\nA few words that utilize Chinese's fourth tone:\n\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"但是[dan4 shi4;c]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_但是.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = but\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"社會[she4 hui4;n]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_社會.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = society\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"這樣[zhe4 yang4;r]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_這樣.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = like this \u002F in this way\n\n### 5th tone words\n\nA few words that utilize Chinese's fifth or neutral tone:\n\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"好[hao3;a]的[de5;uj]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Ffvo_好的.mp3\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = okay \u002F alright\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"朋友[peng2 you5;n]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_朋友.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = friend\n- \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"妈妈[ma1 ma5;n]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo> \u003Ccustom-audio src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmgk_妈妈.m4a\" :type=\"3\">\u003C\u002Fcustom-audio> = mom \u002F mother\n\nThe main place you'll encounter this is with \u003Ctypo lang=\"zh\" syntax=\"的[de5;uj]\">\u003C\u002Ftypo>, but keep your ears peeled! It also occurs as the second syllable of a number of words.\n\n\u003C\u002Faccordion>\n\n### Next, learn pinyin and the pitch combinations\n\nTones don't usually exist in isolation: they flow into each other in speech. This in mind, your next step toward mastering the tones is to learn them in _pairs_: to be familiar with not just \"Tone 1\" and \"Tone 2\" but also \"Tone 1 → Tone 2\".\n\nMigaku makes this easy.\n\n1. You'll learn pinyin\n2. You learn how the tones work\n3. You drill common words for each of the possible tone pair combinations\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-fundamentals-tone23.jpeg\" width=\"1580\" height=\"1110\" alt=\"A screenshot from our Chinese Pronunciation course, showing how we help users learn Chinese tones and pinyin\" \u002F>\n\n\u003Cprose-button href=\"\u002Flearn-chinese\" text=\"Learn Chinese tones with Migaku\">\u003C\u002Fprose-button>\n\n\u003CCenteredText italic>Migaku is completely free for 10 days—no credit card required. At 13 flashcards per day, you can completely finish our pronunciation course within that time.\u003C\u002FCenteredText>\n\n---\n\n## Step 3: Watch YouTube to observe how natives pronounce Mandarin Chinese tones\n\nYour ears are incredibly powerful things. Immersing yourself in the reality of how natives _actually_ talk will often do you more good than reading English explanations of how people _supposedly_ talk. This will lead you to notice things like how two third tones in a row are actually pronounced as a second tone and then a third tone. _(This is called [tonal sandhi](https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FStandard_Chinese_phonology#Tone_sandhi) or \"tone changes\")._\n\nSo:\n\n1. Boot up Migaku's [Just Starting Mandarin](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.youtube.com\u002Fwatch?v=_CMzfhsCYrA&list=PL2FsjAIKmm56U9gGCymHZ8pDzPaRMHXOI) playlist\n2. Select a video that looks interesting\n3. Watch it with Migaku\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-youtube-cheese.jpeg\" width=\"1592\" height=\"1108\" alt=\"A screenshot showing how Migaku enhances YouTUbe videos to make them more accessible to Chinese learners\" \u002F>\n\nWe make it easier to understand Chinese videos by generating subtitles if the video doesn't have them, letting you display subtitles in two languages at once, and letting you click on words to see what they mean.\n\n\u003Cprose-button href=\"\u002Flearn-chinese\" text=\"Learn Chinese with YouTube\">\u003C\u002Fprose-button>\n\n---\n\n## Step 4: Use flashcards to remember and practice Chinese tones\n\nIf you stumble into a useful looking word or sentence, just click the orange button in the top-right corner of the dictionary. We'll automatically turn it into a flashcard that looks like this:\n\n\u003Cimg src=\"\u002Fassets\u002Fblog\u002Fmigaku-chinese-youtube-cheese-flashcard.jpeg\" width=\"1578\" height=\"1104\" alt=\"A screenshot of a flashcard Migaku automatically made from YouTube to help users learn Chinese words\" \u002F>\n\n[We'll periodically nudge you to review words you make flashcards out of](\u003C](\u002Fblog\u002Flanguage-fun\u002Fspaced-repetition-language-learning)>) until you eventually remember what they mean—_and_ how to pronounce them.\n\n\u003Cprose-button href=\"\u002Flearn-chinese\" text=\"Learn Chinese with Migaku\">\u003C\u002Fprose-button>\n\n---\n\n## The #1 thing you need to remember if you want to learn Chinese\n\nI moved to Taiwan in 2018, so I get it: Mandarin is intimidating. Tones are scary, pronunciation is scary, Chinese characters are scary. It's a lot.\n\nThe thing is, as complex as modern Chinese learning applications are, learning Mandarin is actually very simple:\n\n> If you consume media you enjoy in Chinese, and you understand some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. _Period._\n\nYou _do_ need to get your feet under you somehow, but to really get anywhere with Chinese, you'll eventually need to dive into the deep end and begin spending more time _in_ Chinese and less time in English learning _about_ Chinese.\n\nThat transition is scary, too—but Migaku has been purpose-built to make overcoming it as painless as possible. You might even have fun.\n\n\u003Cprose-button href=\"\u002Flearn-chinese\" text=\"Learn Chinese with Migaku\">\u003C\u002Fprose-button>\n",{"title":5,"description":1000},"article\u002Fchinese\u002Fmandarin-tones","h7179CjJx2Cy30k3bf7loic3RERY7RQGHedS9HAYKoE","August 21, 2025",{"approximate_member_count":1022},20965,null,[1025],{"id":4,"title":5,"body":1026,"description":1000,"extension":1001,"meta":1702,"navigation":1014,"path":1015,"rawbody":1016,"seo":1705,"stem":1018,"__hash__":1019,"timestampUnix":1003,"slug":1004,"h1":1005,"image":1703,"tags":1704},{"type":7,"value":1027,"toc":1683},[1028,1032,1034,1038,1040,1042,1044,1046,1048,1050,1052,1057,1091,1093,1097,1101,1103,1107,1123,1275,1277,1279,1291,1297,1299,1303,1305,1307,1309,1311,1313,1421,1423,1425,1439,1441,1443,1585,1587,1591,1593,1601,1603,1605,1607,1609,1611,1622,1624,1635,1637,1639,1641,1643,1645,1647,1649,1655,1657,1659,1661,1663,1665,1671,1679,1681],[10,1029,12,1030,18],{},[14,1031,17],{"href":16},[10,1033,21],{},[10,1035,24,1036,29],{},[26,1037,28],{},[31,1039],{},[34,1041],{"href":16,"text":36},[38,1043],{},[41,1045,44],{"id":43},[10,1047,47],{},[10,1049,50],{},[52,1051,55],{"id":54},[10,1053,58,1054,65],{},[14,1055,64],{"href":61,"rel":1056},[63],[67,1058,1059,1063,1067,1071,1075,1079,1083,1087],{},[70,1060,1061],{},[73,1062],{"src":75,":type":76},[70,1064,1065],{},[73,1066],{"src":81,":type":76},[70,1068,1069],{},[73,1070],{"src":86,":type":76},[70,1072,1073],{},[73,1074],{"src":91,":type":76},[70,1076,1077],{},[73,1078],{"src":96,":type":76},[70,1080,1081],{},[73,1082],{"src":101,":type":76},[70,1084,1085],{},[73,1086],{"src":106,":type":76},[70,1088,1089],{},[73,1090],{"src":111,":type":76},[10,1092,114],{},[10,1094,117,1095,121],{},[26,1096,120],{},[123,1098,1099],{},[10,1100,127],{},[52,1102,131],{"id":130},[10,1104,134,1105,138],{},[26,1106,137],{},[140,1108,1109,1113,1117,1121],{},[70,1110,144,1111],{},[26,1112,147],{},[70,1114,150,1115],{},[26,1116,153],{},[70,1118,156,1119],{},[26,1120,159],{},[70,1122,162],{},[164,1124,1125],{},[167,1126,1127,1135,1155,1179,1203,1227,1251],{},[170,1128,1129,1132],{},[173,1130,177],{"colSpan":76,"className":1131},[176],[173,1133,181],{"colSpan":76,"className":1134},[176],[170,1136,1137,1140,1143,1146,1149,1152],{},[173,1138,188],{"className":1139},[187],[173,1141,193],{"className":1142},[192],[173,1144,198],{"className":1145},[197],[173,1147,188],{"className":1148},[187],[173,1150,193],{"className":1151},[192],[173,1153,198],{"className":1154},[197],[170,1156,1157,1160,1163,1168,1171,1174],{},[211,1158,214],{"className":1159},[187],[211,1161,218],{"className":1162},[192],[211,1164,1166],{"className":1165},[197],[73,1167],{"src":224,":type":76},[211,1169,214],{"className":1170},[187],[211,1172,231],{"className":1173},[192],[211,1175,1177],{"className":1176},[197],[73,1178],{"src":237,":type":76},[170,1180,1181,1184,1187,1192,1195,1198],{},[211,1182,243],{"className":1183},[187],[211,1185,247],{"className":1186},[192],[211,1188,1190],{"className":1189},[197],[73,1191],{"src":253,":type":76},[211,1193,243],{"className":1194},[187],[211,1196,260],{"className":1197},[192],[211,1199,1201],{"className":1200},[197],[73,1202],{"src":266,":type":76},[170,1204,1205,1208,1211,1216,1219,1222],{},[211,1206,76],{"className":1207},[187],[211,1209,275],{"className":1210},[192],[211,1212,1214],{"className":1213},[197],[73,1215],{"src":281,":type":76},[211,1217,76],{"className":1218},[187],[211,1220,288],{"className":1221},[192],[211,1223,1225],{"className":1224},[197],[73,1226],{"src":294,":type":76},[170,1228,1229,1232,1235,1240,1243,1246],{},[211,1230,300],{"className":1231},[187],[211,1233,304],{"className":1234},[192],[211,1236,1238],{"className":1237},[197],[73,1239],{"src":310,":type":76},[211,1241,300],{"className":1242},[187],[211,1244,317],{"className":1245},[192],[211,1247,1249],{"className":1248},[197],[73,1250],{"src":323,":type":76},[170,1252,1253,1256,1259,1264,1267,1270],{},[211,1254,329],{"className":1255},[187],[211,1257,333],{"className":1258},[192],[211,1260,1262],{"className":1261},[197],[73,1263],{"src":339,":type":76},[211,1265,329],{"className":1266},[187],[211,1268,346],{"className":1269},[192],[211,1271,1273],{"className":1272},[197],[73,1274],{"src":352,":type":76},[52,1276,356],{"id":355},[10,1278,359],{},[140,1280,1281,1286],{},[70,1282,1283,369],{},[14,1284,368],{"href":366,"rel":1285},[63],[70,1287,1288,377],{},[14,1289,376],{"href":374,"rel":1290},[63],[10,1292,380,1293,384,1295,388],{},[26,1294,383],{},[26,1296,387],{},[10,1298,391],{},[123,1300,1301],{},[10,1302,396],{},[38,1304],{},[41,1306,402],{"id":401},[10,1308,405],{},[407,1310],{"src":409,"alt":410,"width":411,"height":412},[10,1312,415],{},[164,1314,418,1315],{},[167,1316,1317,418,1329,418,1349,418,1367,418,1385,418,1403],{},[170,1318,423,1319,423,1321,423,1323,423,1325,423,1327,418],{},[173,1320,426],{},[173,1322,429],{},[173,1324,432],{},[173,1326,435],{},[173,1328,438],{},[170,1330,423,1331,423,1333,423,1339,423,1341,423,1343,418],{},[211,1332,443],{},[211,1334,1335,1337],{},[447,1336],{"lang":449,"syntax":450},[73,1338],{"src":453,":type":454},[211,1340,457],{},[211,1342,460],{},[211,1344,463,1345,468,1347,472],{},[465,1346,467],{},[470,1348],{},[170,1350,423,1351,423,1353,423,1359,423,1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