Fine-tune your tones
Note 2: Fix your 1st tone
Practice Goals:
- Understand why you mispronounce the 1st tone.
- Being able to pronounce the 1st tone correctly.
- Hear the differences between the 1st tone and the other tones clearly.
- New learning habit: Listen to a recording for a few times, let it soaks in, then repeat it back.
Is the 1st tone the easiest tone? Well, it does require the least muscle control compared to the other tones. But here’s the catch: it easily slips into other tones if you are not paying attention. In today’s practice note, I’ll help you sharpen your listening skills for the 1st tone so you can hear it clearly and catch yourself when you mispronounce it. We will use video, audio clips and quizzes to help you fine-tune your tone.
Download the PDF to save all the exercises for this practice note. You can use it for self-study or team up with your teacher or a Chinese-speaking friend to practice together.
First tone troubleshooting
Watch the video to get a clearer understanding of the first tone and how to pronounce it more naturally and accurately.
Now, let’s get things straight one by one.
The 1st tone vs. the other tones
Listen to the following sentences. Focus on how the 1st tone sounds compare to the other tones.
Pro tip: Listen to each sentence a few times first. Let the sounds settle in your “mind’s ear” before repeating them out loud.
the 1st tone vs. the 2nd tone
Xuéshēng huíjiā xué Zhōngwén.
(The students go home to study Chinese.)
學生回家學中文。/ 学生回家学中文。
(slower)
(faster)
the 1st tone vs. the 3rd tone
Wǒ gāi mǎi duōshǎo zhī bǐ?
(How many pens should I buy?)
我該買多少隻筆？/ 我该买多少支笔？
(slower)
(faster)
the 1st tone vs. the 4th tone
Tā yào sān fèn suānlàtāng.
(He wants to have three servings of the hot and sour soup.)
他要三份酸辣湯。/ 他要三份酸辣汤。
(slower)
(faster)
Minimal pairs
Now, practice with these minimal pairs to sharpen your ear even more:
shānzhū (wild boar山豬/山猪)
shānzhú (mangosteen 山竹)
lǎoshī (teacher 老师/老师)
laoshí (honest 老實/老实)
gūlì (to isolate 孤立)
gǔlì (to encourage 鼓勵/鼓励)
qīshí (seventy 七十)
qǐshí (to beg for food 乞食)
yīshēng (doctor 醫生/医生)
yìshēng (one’s lifetime 一生)
gānbēi (Cheers! 乾杯/干杯)
gānbèi (scallop 干貝/干贝)
Did you get it right? Take the quiz below to see if you can tell the 1st tone from other tones! (click start test, and click on the sound icons to listen.)
Talk to a native speaker
One powerful way to improve your pronunciation and listening is to practice with a native speaker. Grab your list of minimal pairs and take turns reading one word from each pair. The other person guesses which word you said. This exercise helps you recalibrate both your listening and pronunciation in real time.
If you tend to use your hands or head to express tones, ask your partner to look away 😉
Download the PDF so you’ll always have the materials handy for review!
Next time, we will focus on fine-tuning your 2nd tone—one of the tones that feels impossible to control. Keep practicing and stay-tuned!
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