Minimal pair · Standard Mandarin (Putonghua), isolated citation tones
Mandarin /t/ vs /tʰ/Unaspirated and aspirated t
Learn to hear the difference between t and tʰ in Mandarin words.
Practice these sounds/t/
An unvoiced tongue closure
A brief stop near the front of the mouth. The target here is the first consonant.
As in刀
/tʰ/
The tʰ category
Listen for the target sound in each word.
As in掏
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Learn to hear the difference between t and tʰ in Mandarin words.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each word刀
/tau˥/knife低
/ti˥/low堆
/twei˥/pile灯
/təŋ˥/lamp多
/two˥/many; much掏
/tʰau˥/reach in and take out踢
/tʰi˥/kick推
/tʰwei˥/push汤
/tʰɑŋ˥/soup听
/tʰiŋ˥/listen10 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.