1. Tone 1 to Tone 6

Let’s revise the six tones.

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

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 ‒
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6 ‒
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6 ‒
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6 ‒
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 ‒
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6 ‒
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6 ‒
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6 ‒
si1 si2 si3 si4 si5 si6

💡 Tips

Come back and revise the set of the syllable si from Tone 1 to Tone 6 until you can recall them effortlessly. It will be a useful tool that you can use to recall each tone easily.

Practice 🎮

Say the following syllables from Tone 1 to Tone 6. Try it yourself before listening to the recording.

--:--

wan1 wan2 wan3 wan4 wan5 wan6 ‒
wan1 wan2 wan3 wan4 wan5 wan6 ‒
wan1 wan2 wan3 wan4 wan5 wan6
jim1 jim2 jim3 jim4 jim5 jim6 ‒
jim1 jim2 jim3 jim4 jim5 jim6 ‒
jim1 jim2 jim3 jim4 jim5 jim6
seoi1 seoi2 seoi3 seoi4 seoi5 seoi6 ‒
seoi1 seoi2 seoi3 seoi4 seoi5 seoi6 ‒
seoi1 seoi2 seoi3 seoi4 seoi5 seoi6
jau1 jau2 jau3 jau4 jau5 jau6 ‒
jau1 jau2 jau3 jau4 jau5 jau6 ‒
jau1 jau2 jau3 jau4 jau5 jau6
wui1 wui2 wui3 wui4 wui5 wui6 ‒
wui1 wui2 wui3 wui4 wui5 wui6 ‒
wui1 wui2 wui3 wui4 wui5 wui6