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Using the word "ma" as an example, the first tone is indicated using the symbol above the letter a: "mā". Your voice stays flat, with no rise or dip in the way it sounds. Mandarin Chinese has four main tones, as follows: X Research source

It is essential to learn the different tones if you wish to speak Mandarin Chinese correctly. Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language, which means that different tones can change the meaning of a word, even if the pronunciation and spelling are otherwise the same. This article has been viewed 1,205,223 times. This article received 52 testimonials and 100% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. WikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback.

There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. He is the host of MandarinPod, an advanced Chinese language learning podcast. Tian also holds a certification in Foreign Language (&ESL) - Mandarin (7-12) from New York State and certifications in Test for English Majors and Putonghua Proficiency Test from The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. Tian holds a Bachelor's Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL) from Sun Yat-sen University and a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from New York University. Tian Zhou is a Language Specialist and the Founder of Sishu Mandarin, a Chinese Language School in the New York metropolitan area. This article was co-authored by Tian Zhou.
