Print or Export
Pronunciation Lesson 3
1. Tone 4 (Low Falling)
Tone 4 is the low falling tone. The pitch goes down from the low pitch to even lower.
| Tone Number | Tone 4 |
| Tone Name | Low falling |
| Diagram |  |
💡 Tips
To remember Tone 4 is the falling tone, remember the number four sounds like fall.
Step 1 Listen to the syllable si in Tone 4. Pay attention to the pitch.
si4
Step 2 Practice saying Tone 4 with the syllable si. Listen and repeat.
si4
💡 Tips
The pitch of si4 is similar to the pitch of the second syllable in the word juicy.
Listen.
juicy cy si4
Practice Practice saying Tone 4 with other syllables. Listen and repeat.
- so4
- ceoi4
- fu4
- ke4
- pui4
2. Tone 1 to Tone 4
We have learned the first four tones. Let’s revise them together.
| Tone Number | Tone 1 | Tone 2 | Tone 3 | Tone 4 |
| Tone Name | High level | Mid rising | Mid level | Low falling |
| Diagram |  |  |  |  |
Step 1 Listen to the syllable si in Tone 1 to Tone 4 together. Pay attention to the pitch.
si1
si1 si2
si1 si2 si3
si1 si2 si3 si4
Step 2 Practice saying the syllable si in Tone 1 to Tone 4. Listen and repeat.
si1
si1 si2
si1 si2 si3
si1 si2 si3 si4
Practice Practice saying Tone 1 to Tone 4 with other syllables. Listen and repeat.
- tai1 tai2 tai3 tai4
- fu1 fu2 fu3 fu4
- coi1 coi2 coi3 coi4
3. The Initial m
Step 1 Listen to the initial m.
m
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
m
Practice Practice saying the initial m with different finals. Listen and repeat.
- m ‒ o ‒ mo4
- m ‒ aai ‒ maai4
- m ‒ ai ‒ mai4
- m ‒ ei ‒ mei4
- m ‒ ui ‒ mui4
4. The Initial n
Step 1 Listen to the initial n.
n
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
n
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 initial n with different finals. Listen and repeat.
- n ‒ aa ‒ naa4
- n ‒ ai ‒ nai4
- n ‒ ei ‒ nei4
5. The Initial ng
Step 1 Listen to the initial ng.
ng
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
ng
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
💡 Tips
If you find it difficult to produce the initial ng, try the following trick. First, say the initial g. Then, add some nasal sound to the initial g and you will get the initial ng.
Listen.
g ng
Practice Practice saying the initial ng with different finals. Listen and repeat.
- ng ‒ aa ‒ ngaa4
- ng ‒ o ‒ ngo4
- ng ‒ aai ‒ ngaai4
- ng ‒ ai ‒ ngai4
- ng ‒ oi ‒ ngoi4
6. The Finals Ending with the Vowel u
In the last lesson, we learned that we can combine the vowels below with the vowel i or u to form other finals. Let’s first revise the vowels.
| aa | a | e | i | o | u | eo |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
In this lesson, we will focus on the finals ending with the vowel u.
Step 1 Listen to the finals ending with the vowel u. Notice the smooth transition from the first vowel to the second vowel.
- aa ‒ u ‒ aa + u ‒ aau
- a ‒ u ‒ a + u ‒ au
- e ‒ u ‒ e + u ‒ eu
- i ‒ u ‒ i + u ‒ iu
- o ‒ u ‒ o + u ‒ ou
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
- aa ‒ u ‒ aa + u ‒ aau
- a ‒ u ‒ a + u ‒ au
- e ‒ u ‒ e + u ‒ eu
- i ‒ u ‒ i + u ‒ iu
- o ‒ u ‒ o + u ‒ ou
7. The Final aau
The final aau is formed by the vowels aa and u.
Step 1 Listen to the final aau.
aau
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
aau
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final aau. Listen and repeat.
- p ‒ aau ‒ paau ‒ paau1 paau2 paau3 paau4
- s ‒ aau ‒ saau ‒ saau1 saau2 saau3 saau4
- c ‒ aau ‒ caau ‒ caau1 caau2 caau3 caau4
8. The Final au
The final au is formed by the vowels a and u.
Step 1 Listen to the final au.
au
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
au
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final au. Listen and repeat.
- t ‒ au ‒ tau ‒ tau1 tau2 tau3 tau4
- s ‒ au ‒ sau ‒ sau1 sau2 sau3 sau4
- c ‒ au ‒ cau ‒ cau1 cau2 cau3 cau4
9. The Final eu
The final eu is formed by the vowels e and u. Note that the final eu only appears in very few words.
Step 1 Listen to the final eu.
eu
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
eu
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final eu. Listen and repeat.
m ‒ eu ‒ meu1
10. The Final iu
The final iu is formed by the vowels i and u.
Step 1 Listen to the final iu.
iu
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
iu
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final iu. Listen and repeat.
- s ‒ iu ‒ siu ‒ siu1 siu2 siu3 siu4
- t ‒ iu ‒ tiu ‒ tiu1 tiu2 tiu3 tiu4
11. The Final ou
The final ou is formed by the vowels o and u.
Step 1 Listen to the final ou.
ou
Step 2 Listen and repeat. Pay attention to your mouth shape. Use a mirror to check it if needed.
ou
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the final ou. Listen and repeat.
- p ‒ ou ‒ pou ‒ pou1 pou2 pou3 pou4
- t ‒ ou ‒ tou ‒ tou1 tou2 tou3 tou4
- c ‒ ou ‒ cou ‒ cou1 cou2 cou3 cou4
12. 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.
- pou2
- faai3
- meu1
- teoi4
- ga3
- ngo4
- ze3
- kei4
- mui2
- biu1
- gu3
- ci4
- nau1
- zoi3
- saa2
- dai3
- paau1
If you find this question challenging, practice with the additional recording below.
- p ‒ ou ‒ pou ‒ pou1 pou2 ‒ pou2
- f ‒ aai ‒ faai ‒ faai1 faai2 faai3 ‒ faai3
- m ‒ eu ‒ meu ‒ meu1 ‒ meu1
- t ‒ eoi ‒ teoi ‒ teoi1 teoi2 teoi3 teoi4 ‒ teoi4
- g ‒ a ‒ ga ‒ ga1 ga2 ga3 ‒ ga3
- ng ‒ o ‒ ngo ‒ ngo1 ngo2 ngo3 ngo4 ‒ ngo4
- z ‒ e ‒ ze ‒ ze1 ze2 ze3 ‒ ze3
- k ‒ ei ‒ kei ‒ kei1 kei2 kei3 kei4 ‒ kei4
- m ‒ ui ‒ mui ‒ mui1 mui2 ‒ mui2
- b ‒ iu ‒ biu ‒ biu1 ‒ biu1
- g ‒ u ‒ gu ‒ gu1 gu2 gu3 ‒ gu3
- c ‒ i ‒ ci ‒ ci1 ci2 ci3 ci4 ‒ ci4
- n ‒ au ‒ nau ‒ nau1 ‒ nau1
- z ‒ oi ‒ zoi ‒ zoi1 zoi2 zoi3 ‒ zoi3
- s ‒ aa ‒ saa ‒ saa1 saa2 ‒ saa2
- d ‒ ai ‒ dai ‒ dai1 dai2 dai3 ‒ dai3
- p ‒ aau ‒ paau ‒ paau1 ‒ paau1
Question 2
Say the words below.
- 貓 maau1 cat
- 狗 gau2 dog
- 兔仔 tou3 zai2 rabbit
- 橋 kiu4 bridge
- 煲 bou1 pot
- 提子 tai4 zi2 grape
- 茶 caa4 tea
- 啤酒 be1 zau2 beer
13. 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.
- ngau4
- seoi2
- ziu1
- gaai3
- meu1
- pei4
- baa4
- ni1
- fu4
- za3
- de1
- so4
- caau2
- pui4
- mou2
- tai4
- koi3
If you find this question challenging, practice with the additional recording below.
- ng ‒ au ‒ ngau ‒ ngau1 ngau2 ngau3 ngau4 ‒ ngau4
- s ‒ eoi ‒ seoi ‒ seoi1 seoi2 ‒ seoi2
- z ‒ iu ‒ ziu ‒ ziu1 ‒ ziu1
- g ‒ aai ‒ gaai ‒ gaai1 gaai2 gaai3 ‒ gaai3
- m ‒ eu ‒ meu ‒ meu1 ‒ meu1
- p ‒ ei ‒ pei ‒ pei1 pei2 pei3 pei4 ‒ pei4
- b ‒ aa ‒ baa ‒ baa1 baa2 baa3 baa4 ‒ baa4
- n ‒ i ‒ ni ‒ ni1 ‒ ni1
- f ‒ u ‒ fu ‒ fu1 fu2 fu3 fu4 ‒ fu4
- z ‒ a ‒ za ‒ za1 za2 za3 ‒ za3
- d ‒ e ‒ de ‒ de1 ‒ de1
- s ‒ o ‒ so ‒ so1 so2 so3 so4 ‒ so4
- c ‒ aau ‒ caau ‒ caau1 caau2 ‒ caau2
- p ‒ ui ‒ pui ‒ pui1 pui2 pui3 pui4 ‒ pui4
- m ‒ ou ‒ mou ‒ mou1 mou2 ‒ mou2
- t ‒ ai ‒ tai ‒ tai1 tai2 tai3 tai4 ‒ tai4
- k ‒ oi ‒ koi ‒ koi1 koi2 koi3 ‒ koi3
Question 5
Say the words below.
- 手 sau2 hand
- 頭 tau4 head
- 帽 mou2 hat
- 刀 dou1 knife
- 餃子 gaau2 zi2 dumpling
- 牛扒 ngau4 paa2 steak
- 泡菜 paau3 coi3 kimchi
- 報紙 bou3 zi2 newspaper
Question 6
Listen to the following song. Complete the syllables below with the finals ending with the vowel u. Note that each ◯ below represents one syllable.
掉進海的眼淚 deu6 zeon3 hoi2 dik1 ngaan5 leoi6
程人富 cing4 jan4 fu3
💡 Tips: Click the blanks to see the answers.
The version above is a playful cover of the song. Listen to the original version of the song. Notice the word 掉 deu6 is pronounced as diu6 in the original version (1:18). The pronunciation diu6 is usually used in singing, whereas the pronunciation deu6 is more often heard in conversations only, which creates a special effect when deu6 is sung in the cover above.