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The four tones

Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral tone. The same syllable with a different tone is a different word: mā 妈, má 麻, mǎ 马, mà 骂.

First tone (ā) is high and flat. Second tone (á) rises, like asking "huh?". Third tone (ǎ) dips low. Fourth tone (à) falls sharply, like a firm "no!".

Tone marks sit on the main vowel: a or e first, the o in ou, otherwise the last vowel.

In the drills, look at the character and pick the pinyin with the right tone. If your browser has a Chinese voice, tap the speaker to hear it.

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