Tone Pairs & Minimal Pairs
Practice distinguishing and producing tone pairs: māo vs. máo vs. mǎo vs. mào. Learn the tone sandhi rule: in two 3rd-tone syllables in a row, the first becomes 2nd tone.
A lesson of Mandarin Chinese A1 — Beginner, in Tones & Pinyin, about 10 minutes.
By the end of this lesson, you will distinguish all tone combinations in two-syllable words and apply the third-tone sandhi rule correctly.
Why Tone Pairs Matter
Real Mandarin speech is almost never single syllables. Most Chinese words are two syllables (双音节词 shuāngyīnjié cí), and hearing or producing them correctly requires understanding how tones interact.
There are 25 possible tone combinations (including neutral): 1+1, 1+2, 1+3, 1+4, 1+neutral, 2+1… etc.
The 16 Core Two-Syllable Combinations
Practice each with a real word:
| Tones | Example | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1+1 | 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 1+2 | 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language |
| 1+3 | 飞机 | fēijī | airplane |
| 1+4 | 工作 | gōngzuò | work/job |
| 2+1 | 回家 | huíjiā | go home |
| 2+2 | 学生 | xuésheng | student |
| 2+3 | 明白 | míngbái | understand |
| 2+4 | 然后 | ránhòu | then/after |
| 3+1 | 你好 | nǐhǎo | hello |
| 3+2 | 所以 | suǒyǐ | therefore |
| 3+3 | 可以 | kěyǐ | can/may |
| 3+4 | 喜欢 | xǐhuān | like |
| 4+1 | 大家 | dàjiā | everyone |
| 4+2 | 对不 | duìbù | (start of 对不起) |
| 4+3 | 不好 | bùhǎo | not good |
| 4+4 | 再见 | zàijiàn | goodbye |
The Third-Tone Sandhi Rule
This is the most important tone change rule in Mandarin: two third tones in a row — the first becomes second tone.
Rule: 3rd + 3rd → 2nd + 3rd (in speech)
| Written |
|---|