The four tones

mā má mǎ mà — same sound, different meaning

💡 In Chinese, the pitch of your voice (the tone) changes the meaning. Draw the line in the air with your hand as you say it.

mom

💡 Tone 1: high and flat

hemp

💡 Tone 2: rising, like asking “huh?”

horse

💡 Tone 3: dips down, then comes up

to scold

💡 Tone 4: a sharp fall, like “No!”

question word

💡 Neutral tone: short and light