Tone pair 2-1

This page will cover some examples of the 2-1 tone pair, which Sinosplice rates as a "4" 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.

2-1 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 时间 shíjiān time
play 前天 qiántiān the day before yesterday
play 昨天 zuótiān yesterday
play 明天 míngtiān tomorrow
play 回家 huíjiā to go home

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

2-1 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)

2-1 Tone Pair Combos

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

  • 蛮新 (mán xīn) quite new
  • 蛮黑 (mán hēi) quite dark

Sources and further reading

Websites