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Pronunciation Lesson 2
1. Tone 3 (Mid Level)
Tone 3 is the mid level tone. The pitch remains at the middle pitch throughout the whole syllable. The pitch of Tone 3 is slightly lower than the pitch of Tone 1.
| Tone Number | Tone 3 |
| Tone Name | Mid level |
| Diagram |  |
Step 1 Let’s revise Tone 1 first. Listen to the syllable si in Tone 1.
si1
Listen to the syllable si in Tone 3. Pay attention to the pitch. It is slightly lower than the pitch of Tone 1.
si3
Listen to the syllable si in Tone 1 and Tone 3.
si1 si3
Step 2 Practice saying Tone 1 with the syllable si. Listen and repeat.
si1
To say Tone 3, lower the pitch of Tone 1 a little. Practice saying Tone 3 with the syllable si. Listen and repeat.
si3
Practice saying Tone 1 and Tone 3 with the syllable si. Listen and repeat.
si1 si3
Practice Practice saying Tone 3 with other syllables. Listen and repeat.
- paa3
- se3
- go3
- fu3
2. Tone 1 to Tone 3
We have learned the first three tones. Let’s revise them together.
| Tone Number | Tone 1 | Tone 2 | Tone 3 |
| Tone Name | High level | Mid rising | Mid level |
| Diagram |  |  |  |
Step 1 Listen to the syllable si in Tone 1 to Tone 3 together. Pay attention to the pitch.
si1
si1 si2
si1 si2 si3
Step 2 Practice saying the syllable si in Tone 1 to Tone 3. Listen and repeat.
si1
si1 si2
si1 si2 si3
Practice Practice saying Tone 1 to Tone 3 with other syllables. Listen and repeat.
- paa1 paa2 paa3
- go1 go2 go3
- fu1 fu2 fu3
3. The Initial Pair z and c
The Initial z
Step 1 Listen to the initial z.
z
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
z
Blade of tongue: The flat part just behind your tongue tip
Alveolar ridge: The small ridge just behind your upper front teeth
The Initial c
Step 1 Listen to the initial c.
c
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
c
Blade of tongue: The flat part just behind your tongue tip
Alveolar ridge: The small ridge just behind your upper front teeth
Practice Practice saying the initials z and c with different finals. Listen and repeat.
-
z ‒ aa ‒ zaa3
c ‒ aa ‒ caa3
zaa3 caa3 -
z ‒ e ‒ ze3
c ‒ e ‒ ce3
ze3 ce3 -
z ‒ i ‒ zi3
c ‒ i ‒ ci3
zi3 ci3 -
z ‒ o ‒ zo3
c ‒ o ‒ co3
zo3 co3
4. The Final a
The final a is formed by the vowel a alone. Note that the final a only appears in very few words.
Step 1 Listen to the final a.
a
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
a
Tongue Position: Open your mouth a little by lowering your lower jaw a little. Lower the front of your tongue a little.
Lip Shape: Relax your lips. Avoid rounding or spreading them.
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final a. Listen and repeat.
- g ‒ a ‒ ga3
- z ‒ a ‒ za3
5. The Vowel eo
The vowel eo doesn’t form a final on its own. It is always combined with another vowel or an ending consonant to form a final. Also, note that the vowel eo is not produced by combining the vowel e and the vowel o. It is a sound different from both of them.
Step 1 Listen to the vowel eo.
eo
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
eo
Tongue Position: Raise the center of your tongue toward your hard palate a little.
Lip Shape: Round your lips a little. Your lips will move forward a little.
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
6. Combining Vowels
We have learned seven vowels so far. Let’s revise them.
Listen and repeat.
| aa | a | e | i | o | u | eo |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
We can combine these vowels with the vowel i or u to form other finals. Note that not all combinations are possible.
Listen.
We will focus on the finals ending with the vowel i in this lesson and those with the vowel u in the next lesson.
7. The Finals Ending with the Vowel i
Step 1 Listen to the finals ending with the vowel i. Notice the smooth transition from the first vowel to the second vowel.
- aa ‒ i ‒ aa + i ‒ aai
- a ‒ i ‒ a + i ‒ ai
- e ‒ i ‒ e + i ‒ ei
- o ‒ i ‒ o + i ‒ oi
- u ‒ i ‒ u + i ‒ ui
- eo ‒ i ‒ eo + i ‒ eoi
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
- aa ‒ i ‒ aa + i ‒ aai
- a ‒ i ‒ a + i ‒ ai
- e ‒ i ‒ e + i ‒ ei
- o ‒ i ‒ o + i ‒ oi
- u ‒ i ‒ u + i ‒ ui
- eo ‒ i ‒ eo + i ‒ eoi
8. The Final aai
The final aai is formed by the vowels aa and i.
Step 1 Listen to the final aai.
aai
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
aai
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final aai. Listen and repeat.
- p ‒ aai ‒ paai ‒ paai1 paai2 paai3
- g ‒ aai ‒ gaai ‒ gaai1 gaai2 gaai3
- s ‒ aai ‒ saai ‒ saai1 saai2 saai3
9. The Final ai
The final ai is formed by the vowels a and i.
Step 1 Listen to the final ai.
ai
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
ai
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final ai. Listen and repeat.
- t ‒ ai ‒ tai ‒ tai1 tai2 tai3
- d ‒ ai ‒ dai ‒ dai1 dai2 dai3
- z ‒ ai ‒ zai ‒ zai1 zai2 zai3
10. The Final ei
The final ei is formed by the vowels e and i.
Step 1 Listen to the final ei.
ei
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
ei
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final ei. Listen and repeat.
- b ‒ ei ‒ bei ‒ bei1 bei2 bei3
- p ‒ ei ‒ pei ‒ pei1 pei2 pei3
- g ‒ ei ‒ gei ‒ gei1 gei2 gei3
11. The Final oi
The final oi is formed by the vowels o and i.
Step 1 Listen to the final oi.
oi
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
oi
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final oi. Listen and repeat.
- g ‒ oi ‒ goi ‒ goi1 goi2 goi3
- z ‒ oi ‒ zoi ‒ zoi1 zoi2 zoi3
- c ‒ oi ‒ coi ‒ coi1 coi2 coi3
12. The Final ui
The final ui is formed by the vowels u and i.
Step 1 Listen to the final ui.
ui
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
ui
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final ui. Listen and repeat. Note that the syllables bui2 and fui2 are not included below because they don’t represent any words.
- b ‒ ui ‒ bui ‒ bui1 bui3
- f ‒ ui ‒ fui ‒ fui1 fui3
13. The Final eoi
The final eoi is formed by the vowels eo and i.
Step 1 Listen to the final eoi.
eoi
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
eoi
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final eoi. Listen and repeat.
- d ‒ eoi ‒ deoi ‒ deoi1 deoi2 deoi3
- s ‒ eoi ‒ seoi ‒ seoi1 seoi2 seoi3
- c ‒ eoi ‒ ceoi ‒ ceoi1 ceoi2 ceoi3
14. Revision Section A
Instructions for Questions 1 to 2
Follow the steps below to complete each question.
Step 1: Say the syllable or word aloud yourself.
Step 2: Listen to the recording and compare your pronunciation to the recording.
Step 3: Follow the recording and say the syllable or word again.
Question 1
Say the syllables below.
- paai3
- bui1
- tai2
- ci3
- fu3
- doi2
- kei2
- ga3
- saa1
- fe1
- so1
- zeoi3
If you find this question challenging, practice with the additional recording below.
- p ‒ aai ‒ paai ‒ paai1 paai2 paai3 ‒ paai3
- b ‒ ui ‒ bui ‒ bui1 ‒ bui1
- t ‒ ai ‒ tai ‒ tai1 tai2 ‒ tai2
- c ‒ i ‒ ci ‒ ci1 ci2 ci3 ‒ ci3
- f ‒ u ‒ fu ‒ fu1 fu2 fu3 ‒ fu3
- d ‒ oi ‒ doi ‒ doi1 doi2 ‒ doi2
- k ‒ ei ‒ kei ‒ kei1 kei2 ‒ kei2
- g ‒ a ‒ ga ‒ ga1 ga2 ga3 ‒ ga3
- s ‒ aa ‒ saa ‒ saa1 ‒ saa1
- f ‒ e ‒ fe ‒ fe1 ‒ fe1
- s ‒ o ‒ so ‒ so1 ‒ so1
- z ‒ eoi ‒ zeoi ‒ zeoi1 zeoi2 zeoi3 ‒ zeoi3
Question 2
Say the words below.
- 雞 gai1 chicken
- 水 seoi2 water
- 叉 caa1 fork
- 筷子 faai3 zi2 chopsticks
- 汽水 hei3 seoi2 soft drink
15. Revision Section B
Instructions for Questions 1 to 5
Follow the steps below to complete each question.
Step 1: Say the sound, syllable or word aloud yourself.
Step 2: Listen to the recording and compare your pronunciation to the recording.
Step 3: Follow the recording and say the sound, syllable or word again.
Question 1
Say the initials below. Click the initials to hear the sounds. Click + to go to the page of each initial.
Question 2
Say the finals below. Click the finals to hear the sounds. Click + to go to the page of each final.
Question 3
Say the syllable si with the tones below. Click the tones to hear the sounds. Click + to go to the page of each tone.
Question 4
Say the syllables below.
- faa1
- coi3
- ze2
- sai2
- kei3
- gu1
- ci1
- teoi1
- bui3
- po2
- daai2
- za3
If you find this question challenging, practice with the additional recording below.
- f ‒ aa ‒ faa ‒ faa1 ‒ faa1
- c ‒ oi ‒ coi ‒ coi1 coi2 coi3 ‒ coi3
- z ‒ e ‒ ze ‒ ze1 ze2 ‒ ze2
- s ‒ ai ‒ sai ‒ sai1 sai2 ‒ sai2
- k ‒ ei ‒ kei ‒ kei1 kei2 kei3 ‒ kei3
- g ‒ u ‒ gu ‒ gu1 ‒ gu1
- c ‒ i ‒ ci ‒ ci1 ‒ ci1
- t ‒ eoi ‒ teoi ‒ teoi1 ‒ teoi1
- b ‒ ui ‒ bui ‒ bui1 bui2 bui3 ‒ bui3
- p ‒ o ‒ po ‒ po1 po2 ‒ po2
- d ‒ aai ‒ daai ‒ daai1 daai2 ‒ daai2
- z ‒ a ‒ za ‒ za1 za2 za3 ‒ za3
Question 5
Say the words below.
- 杯 bui1 cup
- 枱 toi2 table
- 遮 ze1 umbrella
- 飛機 fei1 gei1 plane
- 菠菜 bo1 coi3 spinach
Question 6
Listen to the following song. Complete the syllables below with the finals ending with the vowel i. Note that each ◯ below represents one syllable.
好好地過 hou2 hou2 dei6 gwo3
RubberBand
💡 Tips: Click the blanks to see the answers.