Introduction to Chinese alphabet (Pinyin)

Learning Mandarin Tones

Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language. In order to differentiate meaning, the same syllable can be pronounced with different tones. Mandarin's tones give it a very distinctive quality, but the tones can also be a source of miscommunication if not given due attention.
Mandarin is said to have four main tones（four tones in spoken Mandarin: high; rising; falling and rising; and falling.） and one neutral tone (or, as some say, five tones). Each tone has a distinctive pitch contour which can be graphed using the Chinese 5-level system.

First Tone
The first tone is high and level. It is important to keep one's voice even (almost monotone) across the whole syllable when pronouncing the first tone. It is represented by a straight horizontal line above a letter in pinyin (or sometimes by a number "1" written after the syllable).
Try listening to the following first tone syllables:

Second Tone
The second rises moderately. In English we sometimes associate this rise in pitch with a question. The second tone is represented by a rising diagonal line above a letter in pinyin (or sometimes by a number "2" written after the syllable).
Try listening to the following second tone syllables:

Third Tone
The third tone falls and then rises again. When pronounced clearly, its tonal "dipping" is very distinctive. It is represented by a curved "dipping" line above a letter in pinyin (or sometimes by a number "3" written after the syllable).
Try listening to the following third tone syllables:

Fourth Tone
The fourth tone starts out high but drops sharply to the bottom of the tonal range. English-speakers often associate this tone with an angry command. It is represented by a dropping diagonal line above a letter in pinyin (or sometimes by a number "4" written after the syllable).
Try listening to the following fourth tone syllables: