Tone pair 1-1

If you're already familiar with tone pairs, then you might be ready for some specific examples. This page will cover some examples of the 1-1 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "1" on a difficulty rating of 1-7 (easiest to hardest).

This one's pretty easy! You just stay high and level, almost robot-like. 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.

1-1 Tone Pair Words

Audio Word Dictionary Says People Pronounce It
play 今天 jīntiān today
play 公司 gōngsī company
play 星期 xīngqī week
play 咖啡 kāfēi coffee
play 香蕉 xiāngjiāo banana

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

1-1 Tone Pair Phrases

Audio Word Dictionary Says People Pronounce It
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

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

1-1 Tone Pair Combos

Audio Word Dictionary Says People Pronounce It
play 真新 zhēn xīn really new
play 真黑 zhēn hēi really black, really dark
play 真干 zhēn gān really dry
play 真轻 zhēn qīng really light
play 真酸 zhēn suān really sour

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

Sources and further reading

Websites