Lost in Pitch
Dealing with the Frustration of Learning Chinese Tones
Image by: Andrea Piacquadio
By Hanyu Tales (8th May 2025)
Tones are the bane of many Chinese learners’ existences. Learners in this study described themselves as “very tone aware”, and for good reason! Learners soon become aware that tones alter the meaning of what they say, which is unsettling for those who are native speakers of a language in which tones simply reflect emotion. In this article, we will look at what the research says about learning tones, while considering some of the approaches Chinese teachers commonly follow.
Tones First
Wen Cao pushes a “Tones First” approach, claiming that teaching tones thoroughly from the very beginning is the best approach. Furthermore, it is suggested that tones in isolation should be the focus for beginners, ignoring the pronunciation of syllables so that as much energy can be put into mastering the pitch of each tone as possible. This idea is also supported in an article in the Language Learning journal, while popular language coach Fàn Lǎoshī (Rita) also gets students to focus on tones in isolation at the beginning of her pronunciation course, asking them to hum in the tones before adding syllables.
Syllables Second
When students feel comfortable producing the tones, the next step is of course to add single syllables. Wen Cao advocates focusing on familiar sounds first— such as fa and mi—in order to avoid wasting mental energy worrying about how to pronounce difficult syllable sounds while still trying to master the tones. On the other hand, Zhang Ling proposes using minimal pairs, such as mā, má, mǎ, mà. This follows the same logic as before, reducing mental burden as much as possible at each step. Rita’s pronunciation course, takes the same approach, slowly introducing progressively challenging syllables alongside the tones.
Contrast is Key
After learning the tones in isolation, then practicing them attached to single syllables, the next step for the teachers already mentioned is get students to combine these isolated syllables. This is a crucial stage in recognizing tones, as it introduces contrast, the importance of which is highlighted in this passage from the book On the Learning of Chinese
“Learners cannot possibly be aware of certain aspects of a thing if they have not experienced the variation of the thing with respect to those aspects”
In other words, understanding the nuances of each tone is easier when you listen to it alongside the other tones, so that you can identify the differences. To achieve this, Zhang Ling advocates for tone-ordered phrases, such as 新年晚会 (xīn nián wǎn huì), which contains all 4 tones, allowing users to note contrast and recognize the tones in context. Contrast is vital because, as Rachel Tsai highlights, learners have a tendency to get tones mixed up, especially the second and third tone. Comparison is the thief of joy in many contexts, but not when it comes to learning tones. Choose Contours
Tones are usually shown using pinyin with contours, colors, or numbers. A study comparing these ways of visually indicating tone found that pitch contours and numbers were superior to color in terms of enhancing learners’ tone perception. This makes sense intuitively, as more mental processing power is likely required to remember which color corresponds to which tone, so numbers and contours are a more sensible option. However, research on Chinese learners in the US found that a contour and pinyin method worked best for learning pinyin, beating the use of pinyin with a number to indicate tone, and the use of a contour without pinyin. Rachel Tsai supports the use of a contour too, so if you have the choice, opt for a contour over numbers or colours to heighten your chances of grasping tones as effectively as possible.
Where Do I Start?
For beginners, following an online course or hiring a teacher to build a foundation is always going to be the best first step. However, for those who are already at an intermediate stage or do not want to spend any money, you can improve your tones for free. Rachel Tsai mentions the utility of wave-form graphs for comparing your speech to that of a native speaker. Find a recording of a native speaker, record yourself trying to mimic them, use a tool like Audacity or WaveVisual to turn the recordings into wave-form graphs, then compare the recordings to see where you are differing. If that sounds like too much hassle, give Speechling a try! Speechling is a completely free tool that allows you to practice shadowing a native speaker. It is especially great for improving your tones as it not only includes sound waves to compare your recording to that of a native speaker, but it uses contour tones to accompany the pinyin for each word. Just 5-10 minutes of tone-focused shadowing per day is likely to reap huge rewards. 
Mastering tones takes time and the most efficacious learning methods (mimicking and shadowing, mostly) can be tedious. Fortunately, pronunciation-focused activities are intense, and therefore usually recommended for short, regular bursts. Try out some of the resources shared in this article and make it a habit to spend just a few minutes each day practicing your tones—you will soon notice a huge improvement in your oral Chinese.
Image by: Pixabay