Tone pair 3-2

This page will cover some examples of the 3-2 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "7" 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.

3-2 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
以前 yǐqián before, previous; ago
小时 xiǎoshí hour
好玩 hǎowán fun
美国 Měiguó the United States
法国 Fǎguó France

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

3-2 Tone Pair Phrases (B1)

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

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

3-2 Tone Pair Combos

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

  • 很忙 (hěn máng) very busy
  • 很强 (hěn qiáng) very strong
  • 很长 (hěn zhǎng) very long
  • 很红 (hěn hóng) very red
  • 很油 (hěn yóu) very oily

Sources and further reading

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