Comments on: Learning the third tone in Mandarin Chinese

By: Chinese listening, fast and slow: Three ways of slowing down Mandarin speech | Hacking Chinese

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:43:08 +0000

[…] can also behave differently with different speaking rates. This is particularly true for the third tone (Shih, 1997). In natural speech, 我很好 (wǒ hěn hǎo), “I’m good”, will […]

By: Learning Chinese through comprehensible input | Hacking Chinese

Learning Chinese through comprehensible input | Hacking Chinese — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:57:53 +0000

[…] example, I am pretty sure that I would never have fixed my problem with the third tone without somebody explicitly pointing it out…. This does not mean that tones are not mainly learnt through input, just that directing attention […]

By: 7 kinds of tone problems in Mandarin and what to do about them | Hacking Chinese

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 04:02:08 +0000

[…] on your way to mastery. Naturally, you might struggle with a certain tone, most commonly the third tone, the second tone or the neutral tone, but here I’m talking about different kinds of problems, […]

By: Language learning with a Chinese girlfriend or boyfriend | Hacking Chinese

Language learning with a Chinese girlfriend or boyfriend | Hacking Chinese — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:04:20 +0000

[…] in Chinese rather than English, this doesn’t mean that they are interested in talking about how the third tone changes or where to put 了 in a sentence. Focus on real communication and save the language-related […]

By: Native speakers and native speakers | Hacking Chinese

Native speakers and native speakers | Hacking Chinese — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 11:20:34 +0000

[…] There are exceptions, though. Knowing some theory can be immensely helpful because it highlights things you might not even notice. The third-tone question above is a great example of this. I misunderstood how the third tone worked from the very start (I didn’t realise it was just a low tone), which is one of the most commonly observed issues among students. Read more here: Learning the third tone in Mandarin Chinese. […]

By: Don’t learn Mandarin pronunciation by reading, listen and mimic instead | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 13:30:33 +0000

[…] You learn how to say nǐ (你, “you”) with a dipping tone, then assume it’s the same in nǐhǎo (你好, “hello”) and nǐshuō (你说, “you say”). It’s not. In the first case, it’s a rising tone, and in the second, it’s a low tone. See this article if you need help sorting out how the third tone is actually pronounced. […]

By: YouGlish: A free service to hear and see Chinese words in context | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 14:27:09 +0000

[…] in articulation and tone sandhi (the change of tone based on adjacent tones). For example, the third tone is pronounced differently in context compared to in isolation, and how it’s pronounced in context also depends on the rate of speech. Understanding these […]

By: 3 thing I wish I had known as a beginner student of Chinese | Hacking Chinese

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 05:49:33 +0000

[…] I waited too long before I started using Chinese, which meant it took me longer to figure out some core issues than it otherwise would have. For example, I would have realised earlier that I needed to seriously up my listening game, and I might also have figured out some pronunciation issues earlier, such as how the third tone is actually pronounced. […]

By: The Hacking Chinese guide to Mandarin tones | Hacking Chinese | Hacking Chinese

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 19:25:33 +0000

[…] This gives a clear system which is easy to remember and less complicated to put into practice than the traditional way of teaching the third tone as a dipping tone. If you want to learn more about that, I’ve explained the situation in detail here: Learning the third tone in Mandarin Chinese. […]

By: You won't learn Chinese simply by living abroad | Hacking Chinese

You won't learn Chinese simply by living abroad | Hacking Chinese — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 14:04:40 +0000

[…] Another example is teachers instructing students to pronounce the third tone as a dipping tone, even though it’s actually a low-falling tone in most cases. This is not because the teacher can’t pronounce the tone correctly but because they lack a deeper understanding of phonology and how speech rate affects the pronunciation of tones. I wrote more about this issue here: Learning the third tone in Mandarin Chinese. […]