Tone pair 3-3
This page will cover some examples of the 3-3 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "4" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).
3-3 also experiences a tone change, when read, it becomes 2-3. Practice this tone pair using the words below. Once you can say them reliable in isolation (as just a tone pair), try putting them in longer sentences while keeping the tones accurate.
3-3 Tone Pair Combos
Source: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills (used with permission)
- 很好 (hěn hǎo) very good
- 很小 (hěn xiǎo) very small
- 很早 (hěn zǎo) very early
- 很晚 (hěn wǎn) very late
- 很美 (hěn měi) very beautiful
3-3 Tone Pair Words
Sources: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills, AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)
- 你好 (nǐhǎo) hello, hi
- 所有 (suǒyǒu) all
- 有点 (yǒudiǎn) a little
- 水果 (shuǐguǒ) fruit
- 也许 (yěxǔ) perhaps, maybe
- 保守 (bǎoshǒu) conservative
Sources and further reading
Websites
- Sinosplice: The Process Of Learning Tones
- Sinosplice: Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills, New Feature: Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills
- Hacking Chinese: Focusing on tone pairs to improve your Mandarin pronunciation
- About.com: How tone pairs can improve your Mandarin pronunciation
