Minimal pair · Standard Mandarin (Putonghua), isolated citation tones
Mandarin /˥/ vs /˧˥/Level or rising?
One of the six tone comparisons included in Dong et al.; these particular words are not appendix-confirmed.
Practice these sounds/˥/
The ˥ category
Listen for the target sound in each word.
As in妈
/˧˥/
The ˧˥ category
Listen for the target sound in each word.
As in麻
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Mā/má, shī/shí and bā/bá contrast a level tone with a rising one. The spelling and gloss identify the intended character reading.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
The syllable stays the same within each listed pair, but X uses a different syllable during practice. Match the pitch shape across syllables; pinyin stays hidden until you choose to reveal it.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each word妈
/ma˥/mother八
/pa˥/eight搭
/ta˥/put up; erect诗
/ʂɻ̩˥/poem汤
/tʰɑŋ˥/soup鸡
/tɕi˥/chicken七
/tɕʰi˥/seven西
/ɕi˥/west烟
/jɛn˥/smoke猪
/ʈʂu˥/pig方
/fɑŋ˥/square分
/fən˥/divide; separate麻
/ma˧˥/numb拔
/pa˧˥/pull out达
/ta˧˥/reach; attain十
/ʂɻ̩˧˥/ten糖
/tʰɑŋ˧˥/sugar急
/tɕi˧˥/urgent; anxious骑
/tɕʰi˧˥/ride席
/ɕi˧˥/mat盐
/jɛn˧˥/salt竹
/ʈʂu˧˥/bamboo房
/fɑŋ˧˥/room; house坟
/fən˧˥/grave; tomb24 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.