Practice · Listening
Which tone did you hear?
Listen to one character, then choose its tone. The pronunciation and meaning stay hidden until you answer.
Begin with 20 questions and just two contrasting tones. Compare reference sounds, replay as often as you like, and retry mistakes before moving on.
Audio uses your device’s installed voices. Choose a quiet place and a comfortable volume. These examples are isolated syllables; tones can sound different in connected speech.
Listen, then choose the tone
Keyboard: choose a tone using its number. Press Space to listen again. Press Enter after completing a question to continue.
Reference sounds · listen and compare
Compare the pitch height and direction: high and level, rising, low/dipping, or falling.
These examples use the audio speed selected above. Compare them, then replay the quiz sound and choose your answer in the quiz:
Reference sounds · listen and compare
Compare the pitch height and direction: high, mid, or low level tones, and rising or falling tones.
These examples use the audio speed selected above. Compare them, then replay the quiz sound and choose your answer in the quiz:
Round complete
Review the words below, then try another round. An isolated syllable is a starting point; keep listening to whole words and phrases too.