Print or Export
Pronunciation Lesson 5
1. Tone 6 (Low Level)
Tone 6 is the low level tone. The pitch remains at the low pitch throughout the whole syllable. The pitch of Tone 6 is slightly lower than the pitch of Tone 3.
| Tone Number | Tone 6 |
| Tone Name | Low level |
| Diagram |  |
Step 1 Let’s revise Tone 3 first. Listen to the syllable si in Tone 3.
si3
Listen to the syllable si in Tone 6. Pay attention to the pitch. It is slightly lower than the pitch of Tone 3.
si6
Listen to the syllable si in Tone 3 and Tone 6.
si3 si6
Step 2 Practice saying Tone 3 with the syllable si. Listen and repeat.
si3
To say Tone 6, lower the pitch of Tone 3 a little. Practice saying Tone 6 with the syllable si. Listen and repeat.
si6
Practice saying Tone 3 and Tone 6 with the syllable si. Listen and repeat.
si3 si6
💡 Tips
The pitch of si6 is similar to the pitch of the syllable ci in the English word sociology.
Listen.
sociology ci si6
Practice Practice saying Tone 6 with other syllables. Listen and repeat.
- zung6
- mei6
- ngou6
- laan6
- hon6
Congratulations! 🎉
You have learned all the tones!
2. Tone 1 to Tone 6
We have learned all the six tones. Let’s revise them together.
| Tone Number | Tone 1 | Tone 2 | Tone 3 | Tone 4 | Tone 5 | Tone 6 |
| Tone Name | High level | Mid rising | Mid level | Low falling | Low rising | Low level |
| Diagram |  |  |  |  |  |  |
The Romanization system Jyutping uses numbers to represent the tone of a syllable. It could be difficult to remember which tone is represented by which number. You can try to associate each tone with the shape of its number.
Also, to remember Tone 4 is the falling tone, remember the number four sounds like fall. To remember Tone 5 is a rising tone, remember the food fried rice. Fried sounds like the number five, and rice sounds like rise.
Step 1 Listen to the syllable si in Tone 1 to Tone 6 together. Pay attention to the pitch.
si1
si1 si2
si1 si2 si3
si1 si2 si3 si4
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6
Step 2 Practice saying the syllable si in Tone 1 to Tone 6. Listen and repeat.
si1
si1 si2
si1 si2 si3
si1 si2 si3 si4
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6
💡 Tips
If you find it difficult to remember the tones, you can remember their similar sounds in English.
Practice Practice saying Tone 1 to Tone 6 with other syllables. Listen and repeat.
- fu1 fu2 fu3 fu4 fu5 fu6
- fan1 fan2 fan3 fan4 fan5 fan6
- hon1 hon2 hon3 hon4 hon5 hon6
- soeng1 soeng2 soeng3 soeng4 soeng5 soeng6
3. The Initial j
Step 1 Listen to the initial j.
j
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
j
Hard palate: The part of your upper jaw just behind your alveolar ridge
💡 Tips
The initial j is not pronounced like the English j sound (as in the word job). Don’t be confused by the letter j.
Listen.
It is [j], but not [dʒ].
Practice Practice saying the initial j with different finals. Listen and repeat.
- j ‒ e ‒ je6
- j ‒ yu ‒ jyu6
- j ‒ am ‒ jam6
- j ‒ in ‒ jin6
- j ‒ oeng ‒ joeng6
4. The Initial w
Step 1 Listen to the initial w.
w
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
w
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
Practice Practice saying the initial w with different finals. Listen and repeat.
- w ‒ aa ‒ waa6
- w ‒ o ‒ wo6
- w ‒ ai ‒ wai6
- w ‒ un ‒ wun6
- w ‒ ong ‒ wong6
5. Combining a Vowel with an Ending Consonant
In the last lesson, we have learned the finals with -m, -n and -ng. In this lesson, we will focus on the finals with the ending consonants -p, -t and -k.
Before we move on, let’s first revise the vowels we have learned.
Listen and repeat.
| aa | a | e | i | o | u | eo | oe | yu |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
6. The Finals Ending with -p
Note that the final ep only appears in very few words.
Step 1 Listen to the finals ending with -p.
- aap
- ap
- ep
- ip
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
- aap
- ap
- ep
- ip
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the finals ending with -p. Listen and repeat.
💡 Tips
If a syllable has a final ending with -p, -t or -k, the tone of that syllable will generally be a level tone (Tone 1, Tone 3 or Tone 6). There are only very few exceptions.
The Final aap
- d ‒ aap ‒ daap1
- t ‒ aap ‒ taap3
- c ‒ aap ‒ caap3
- h ‒ aap ‒ haap6
- z ‒ aap ‒ zaap6
The Final ap
- s ‒ ap ‒ sap1
- z ‒ ap ‒ zap1
- n ‒ ap ‒ nap1
- h ‒ ap ‒ hap6
- j ‒ ap ‒ jap6
The Final ep
g ‒ ep ‒ gep6
The Final ip
- g ‒ ip ‒ gip1
- d ‒ ip ‒ dip2
- s ‒ ip ‒ sip3
- l ‒ ip ‒ lip6
- j ‒ ip ‒ jip6
7. The Finals Ending with -t
Note that the finals et and oet only appear in very few words.
Step 1 Listen to the finals ending with -t.
- aat
- at
- et
- it
- ot
- ut
- eot
- oet
- yut
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
- aat
- at
- et
- it
- ot
- ut
- eot
- oet
- yut
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 syllables with the finals ending with -t. Listen and repeat.
The Final aat
- k ‒ aat ‒ kaat1
- b ‒ aat ‒ baat3
- m ‒ aat ‒ maat3
- l ‒ aat ‒ laat6
- w ‒ aat ‒ waat6
The Final at
- f ‒ at ‒ fat1
- j ‒ at ‒ jat1
- w ‒ at ‒ wat1
- d ‒ at ‒ dat6
- z ‒ at ‒ zat6
The Final et
p ‒ et ‒ pet6
The Final it
- b ‒ it ‒ bit1
- d ‒ it ‒ dit3
- t ‒ it ‒ tit3
- s ‒ it ‒ sit6
- l ‒ it ‒ lit6
The Final ot
- g ‒ ot ‒ got3
- h ‒ ot ‒ hot3
The Final ut
- k ‒ ut ‒ kut3
- f ‒ ut ‒ fut3
- m ‒ ut ‒ mut3
- b ‒ ut ‒ but6
- w ‒ ut ‒ wut6
The Final eot
- c ‒ eot ‒ ceot1
- z ‒ eot ‒ zeot1
- l ‒ eot ‒ leot6
- s ‒ eot ‒ seot6
The Final oet
- c ‒ oet ‒ coet2
- g ‒ oet ‒ goet4
The Final yut
- t ‒ yut ‒ tyut3
- k ‒ yut ‒ kyut3
- c ‒ yut ‒ cyut3
- j ‒ yut ‒ jyut6
- l ‒ yut ‒ lyut6
8. The Finals Ending with -k
Step 1 Listen to the finals ending with -k. Pay attention to the vowels i in ik and u in uk. They sound slightly different from when we say them individually.
- aak
- ak
- ek
- ik
- ok
- uk
- oek
Step 2 Listen and repeat.
- aak
- ak
- ek
- ik
- ok
- uk
- oek
Soft palate: The back of the roof of your mouth
💡 Tips
When saying the vowel i in ik or the vowel u in uk, open your mouth a little more than when you say the vowel i or the vowel u individually.
Practice Practice saying the syllables with the finals ending with -k. Listen and repeat.
The Final aak
- c ‒ aak ‒ caak1
- b ‒ aak ‒ baak3
- j ‒ aak ‒ jaak3
- ng ‒ aak ‒ ngaak6
- w ‒ aak ‒ waak6
The Final ak
- d ‒ ak ‒ dak1
- s ‒ ak ‒ sak1
- h ‒ ak ‒ hak1
- l ‒ ak ‒ lak6
- m ‒ ak ‒ mak6
The Final ek
- l ‒ ek ‒ lek1
- p ‒ ek ‒ pek3
- t ‒ ek ‒ tek3
- k ‒ ek ‒ kek6
- s ‒ ek ‒ sek6
The Final ik
- g ‒ ik ‒ gik1
- j ‒ ik ‒ jik1
- n ‒ ik ‒ nik1
- z ‒ ik ‒ zik6
- w ‒ ik ‒ wik6
The Final ok
- m ‒ ok ‒ mok1
- f ‒ ok ‒ fok3
- h ‒ ok ‒ hok3
- ng ‒ ok ‒ ngok6
- w ‒ ok ‒ wok6
The Final uk
- b ‒ uk ‒ buk1
- s ‒ uk ‒ suk1
- j ‒ uk ‒ juk1
- z ‒ uk ‒ zuk6
- l ‒ uk ‒ luk6
The Final oek
- g ‒ oek ‒ goek3
- c ‒ oek ‒ coek3
- z ‒ oek ‒ zoek6
- l ‒ oek ‒ loek6
- j ‒ oek ‒ joek6
9. Revision Section A
Instructions for Questions 1 to 3
Follow the steps below to complete each question.
Step 1: Say the syllable, word or sentence aloud yourself.
Step 2: Listen to the recording and compare your pronunciation to the recording.
Step 3: Follow the recording and say the syllable, word or sentence again.
Question 1
Say the syllables below.
- wun2
- naam5
- ngok6
- baak3
- wing5
- kaat1
- jip6
- ceot1
- goet4
- fuk6
- hon5
- joek3
- san5
- lem2
- tim4
- jik6
- zyut3
- maang4
- pin2
- dak1
If you find this question challenging, practice with the additional recording below.
- w ‒ un ‒ wun ‒ wun1 wun2 ‒ wun2
- n ‒ aam ‒ naam ‒ naam1 naam2 naam3 naam4 naam5 ‒ naam5
- ng ‒ ok ‒ ngok ‒ ngok1 ngok2 ngok3 ngok4 ngok5 ngok6 ‒ ngok6
- b ‒ aak ‒ baak ‒ baak1 baak2 baak3 ‒ baak3
- w ‒ ing ‒ wing ‒ wing1 wing2 wing3 wing4 wing5 ‒ wing5
- k ‒ aat ‒ kaat ‒ kaat1 ‒ kaat1
- j ‒ ip ‒ jip ‒ jip1 jip2 jip3 jip4 jip5 jip6 ‒ jip6
- c ‒ eot ‒ ceot ‒ ceot1 ‒ ceot1
- g ‒ oet ‒ goet ‒ goet1 goet2 goet3 goet4 ‒ goet4
- f ‒ uk ‒ fuk ‒ fuk1 fuk2 fuk3 fuk4 fuk5 fuk6 ‒ fuk6
- h ‒ on ‒ hon ‒ hon1 hon2 hon3 hon4 hon5 ‒ hon5
- j ‒ oek ‒ joek ‒ joek1 joek2 joek3 ‒ joek3
- s ‒ an ‒ san ‒ san1 san2 san3 san4 san5 ‒ san5
- l ‒ em ‒ lem ‒ lem1 lem2 ‒ lem2
- t ‒ im ‒ tim ‒ tim1 tim2 tim3 tim4 ‒ tim4
- j ‒ ik ‒ jik ‒ jik1 jik2 jik3 jik4 jik5 jik6 ‒ jik6
- z ‒ yut ‒ zyut ‒ zyut1 zyut2 zyut3 ‒ zyut3
- m ‒ aang ‒ maang ‒ maang1 maang2 maang3 maang4 ‒ maang4
- p ‒ in ‒ pin ‒ pin1 pin2 ‒ pin2
- d ‒ ak ‒ dak ‒ dak1 ‒ dak1
Question 2
Say the words below.
- 的士 dik1 si2 taxi
- 郵局 jau4 guk2 post office
- 學校 hok6 haau6 school
- 粟米 suk1 mai5 corn
- 栗子 leot6 zi2 chestnut
- 黑椒 hak1 ziu1 black pepper
- 煙肉 jin1 juk6 bacon
- 百合花 baak3 hap6 faa1 lily
Question 3
Say the sentences below.
- 我叫阿偉。
ngo5 giu3 aa3 wai5.
I am called Ah Wai. - 我今年三十一歲。
ngo5 gam1 nin4 saam1 sap6 jat1 seoi3.
I am 31 years old. - 我鍾意游水同煲劇。
ngo5 zung1 ji3 jau4 seoi2 tung4 bou1 kek6.
I like swimming and binge-watching TV series.
10. Revision Section B
Instructions for Questions 1 to 5
Follow the steps below to complete each question.
Step 1: Say the sound, syllable, word or sentence 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, word or sentence 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.
- mat1
- duk6
- jam2
- leot6
- wang4
- lek1
- hot3
- ceon4
- nyun5
- sap6
- pet6
- wut6
- fung4
- zaan2
- gep6
- daap3
- ngong6
- beng2
- tit3
- koeng5
If you find this question challenging, practice with the additional recording below.
- m ‒ at ‒ mat ‒ mat1 ‒ mat1
- d ‒ uk ‒ duk ‒ duk1 duk2 duk3 duk4 duk5 duk6 ‒ duk6
- j ‒ am ‒ jam ‒ jam1 jam2 ‒ jam2
- l ‒ eot ‒ leot ‒ leot1 leot2 leot3 leot4 leot5 leot6 ‒ leot6
- w ‒ ang ‒ wang ‒ wang1 wang2 wang3 wang4 ‒ wang4
- l ‒ ek ‒ lek ‒ lek1 ‒ lek1
- h ‒ ot ‒ hot ‒ hot1 hot2 hot3 ‒ hot3
- c ‒ eon ‒ ceon ‒ ceon1 ceon2 ceon3 ceon4 ‒ ceon4
- n ‒ yun ‒ nyun ‒ nyun1 nyun2 nyun3 nyun4 nyun5 ‒ nyun5
- s ‒ ap ‒ sap ‒ sap1 sap2 sap3 sap4 sap5 sap6 ‒ sap6
- p ‒ et ‒ pet ‒ pet1 pet2 pet3 pet4 pet5 pet6 ‒ pet6
- w ‒ ut ‒ wut ‒ wut1 wut2 wut3 wut4 wut5 wut6 ‒ wut6
- f ‒ ung ‒ fung ‒ fung1 fung2 fung3 fung4 ‒ fung4
- z ‒ aan ‒ zaan ‒ zaan1 zaan2 ‒ zaan2
- g ‒ ep ‒ gep ‒ gep1 gep2 gep3 gep4 gep5 gep6 ‒ gep6
- d ‒ aap ‒ daap ‒ daap1 daap2 daap3 ‒ daap3
- ng ‒ ong ‒ ngong ‒ ngong1 ngong2 ngong3 ngong4 ngong5 ngong6 ‒ ngong6
- b ‒ eng ‒ beng ‒ beng1 beng2 ‒ beng2
- t ‒ it ‒ tit ‒ tit1 tit2 tit3 ‒ tit3
- k ‒ oeng ‒ koeng ‒ koeng1 koeng2 koeng3 koeng4 koeng5 ‒ koeng5
Question 5
Say the words below.
- 地鐵 dei6 tit3 subway
- 課室 fo3 sat1 classroom
- 紅蘿蔔 hung4 lo4 baak6 carrot
- 椰菜花 je4 coi3 faa1 cauliflower
- 辣椒 laat6 ziu1 chili
- 茄汁 ke2 zap1 ketchup
- 雪糕 syut3 gou1 ice cream
- 可樂 ho2 lok6 coke
Question 5
Say the sentences below.
-
我讀哲學嘅。
ngo5 duk6 zit3 hok6 ge3.
I study philosophy. -
我係一個設計師嚟嘅。
ngo5 hai6 jat1 go3 cit3 gai3 si1 lai4 ge3.
I am a designer. -
我住喺石硤尾嘅。
ngo5 zyu6 hai2 sek6 gip3 mei5 ge3.
I live in Shek Kip Mei (a district in Hong Kong).
Question 6
Listen to the following song. The song has a lot of syllables formed by the finals ending with -p, -t or -k. Complete the syllables below with p, t or k. Note that each ◯ below represents one syllable.
時光倒流一句話 si4 gwong1 dou2 lau4 jat1 geoi3 waa6
林家謙 lam4 gaa1 him1
💡 Tips: Click the blanks to see the answers.