pronouncekit

TONE

mā: first tone: high and level

Learn the Mandarin first tone: high, steady and held. See its pitch contour and practice mā, tiān and gāo.

mā12345

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

High and level, around 55 on the five-level pitch scale.

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

Hold the first word high and level; let the second rise.

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

Tones are part of each syllable, and changing one can change the word. The first tone stays high and level for its whole length.

What your mouth is doing

Your mouth shape does not change for tone: pitch comes from the vocal folds. Use a comfortable voice near the top of your range, then keep it flat.

Tone is pitch from the vocal folds, so the panda’s mouth shows the vowels and consonants, not the tone.

Compared with English

English speakers use a pitch fall on stressed words in statements. Holding a high level pitch feels like singing one note, or like a doctor’s “ahh”. Avoid the falling pitch of an English statement.

Build the sound, step by step

  1. Sing one comfortable note on ā, high in your range.
  2. Hold it for a second without letting it fall.
  3. Say tiān and gāo, with the same level pitch.

What to watch for

  • Starting low makes it sound like a question or second tone. Begin high.
  • Letting it fall at the end, as in English statements, sounds like fourth tone.

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