pronouncekit

PRONUNCIATION RULE

nǐ hǎo → ní hǎo: third-tone change

Learn why nǐ hǎo sounds like ní hǎo: a third tone before another third tone rises. Also learn the half third before other tones.

nǐ hǎo → ní hǎo

Mouth & tongue

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Vocal folds: vibrating

TongueTeethUvula

Simplified human pronunciation. The small uvula hangs from the palate; it is not the vocal folds. The wave indicates voicing.

Nasal: the soft palate lowers; air exits the nose

Sound to demonstrate
Tone

Rising from mid to high, around 35.

Voice settings

The mouth starts slightly open. Movement is slowed for observation; the synthetic sound plays once at its original speed. Pause holds the current mouth shape; reset returns to the relaxed position. The panda is a symbolic teaching aid for human pronunciation, not animal anatomy. A simplified teaching model, not a measured or anatomically validated simulation. It shows the soft palate lowering for nasal sounds, but not airflow. Single syllables use eSpeak NG, a synthetic voice on your device. Its pitch range is narrower than natural speech, so use the tone diagrams and word buttons as well. Words and sentences use a voice from your browser or device when one is available. No native recordings are bundled.

Words to practice

Sentence to practice

Listen and compare

The first word changes because a third tone follows; the second does not.

Pinyin here shows dictionary tones. Spoken tones change in some contexts, such as nǐ hǎo; see the lessons on tone changes.

What you are learning

Two third tones in a row are hard to say, so the first one changes. Pinyin normally keeps writing the original tone, so the spelling hides the change.

What your mouth is doing

For third + third, say the first syllable with a second-tone rise. Before first, second or fourth tones, say a half third: stay low without the final rise. Before a neutral tone it is usually a half third, though some words rise, as in xiǎngxiang. Long strings depend on how words group together.

Compared with English

English has nothing like this as a rule, though rhythm groups pitch in a similar way. Do not try to make the full dip on every written third tone, as that sounds unnatural.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Say ní hǎo, using a rise on the first syllable.
  2. Say lǎoshī with a low start and no rise before the first tone.
  3. Say hěn hǎo, kěyǐ and wǔ bǎi.

What to watch for

  • Making the full dip twice in nǐ hǎo sounds broken.
  • Writing ní hǎo in your own pinyin is confusing: keep the written tone and change only what you say.

Related lessons

Keep practicing

References & editorial notes

PronounceKit wrote this lesson as practical guidance for English speakers, based on the references below. The comparisons are editorial teaching suggestions. It describes common Mainland Standard Mandarin patterns, not every accent or regional variety, and it has not been independently reviewed by a pronunciation specialist or Mandarin teacher.

Published 5 November 2026