Tone pair 2-2

This page will cover some examples of the 2-2 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "3" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).

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.

2-2 Tone Pair Words (A2)

If you're just getting started with tone pairs, these simple two-syllable words and phrases are a good place to start. If these are too easy, you may want to move onto the longer (B1) phrases below.

Audio Chinese Pinyin English
play 平时 píngshí usually
play 学习 xuéxí to learn
play 其实 qíshí actually, in fact
play 常常 chángcháng often
play 没来 méi lái didn't come

Source: AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)

1-1 Tone Pair Phrases (B1)

Audio Chinese Pinyin English
play 星期天 xīngqītiān Sunday
play 吃 香蕉 chī xiāngjiāo to eat a banana
play 喝 咖啡 hē kāfēi to drink coffee
play 去 公司 qù gōngsī to go to the office
play 很 开心 hěn kāixīn very happy

Source: AllSet Learning's "Tone Pair" Pronunciation Pack (used with permission)

2-2 Tone Pair Combos

Source: Sinosplice's Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills (used with permission)

  • 蛮忙 (mán máng) quite busy
  • 蛮长 (mán zhǎng) quite long
  • 蛮强 (mán qiáng) quite strong

Sources and further reading

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