Tone pair chart · 3–3
Third + third tone words
All 46 HSK 1–4 words with a third tone then a third tone, each to hear in a female or male voice. Tap a word to hear it, again for slower.
The 46 words
How 3–3 is said
When two third tones come together, the first is said as a second tone: 你好 is written nǐ hǎo and said ní hǎo. The pinyin keeps the written tones, so every word on this page is said with a rising first syllable.
Questions
What are some third + third tone words?
你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello), 可以 (kě yǐ, can), 哪里 (nǎ lǐ, where), 水果 (shuǐ guǒ, fruit), 有点 (yǒu diǎn, a little), 手表 (shǒu biǎo, wristwatch). This page has all 46 on the HSK 1 to 4 lists that we have checked recordings of.
How many tone pairs are there in Mandarin?
Twenty. Each of the four tones can be followed by any of the four, which makes 16, and each can be followed by the neutral tone, which makes 4 more.
Practise the pairs
Pinyin test: one word for each of the 20 pairs, one score. Tone practice: say a word and see your tones over a native speaker’s. Pinyin trainer: more of the pairs you miss until they stick.
Voices by ElevenLabs, the same two as the app’s word cards.