# Chinese Tone Pair Flashcards: 80 Cards for All 20 Tone Pairs You hum each word's two tones before you say it, then lay the card on its square of the chart, from 公司 to 意思. For beginners who know the four tones but mix them up in two-syllable words. Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-tone-pair-flashcards ## At a glance - Level: Total beginner · HSK 1 - Format: Flashcards · PDF · 14 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Nov 4, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-tone-pair-flashcards. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 这个字是几声？ (Zhège zì shì jǐ shēng?) — Which tone is this character? ## By the end you can - See all 20 tone pairs on one chart. Four rows, one for each start tone, meet five endings. Read across a row to hear one start with every ending, then down a column. 身体 (shēntǐ): body; health - Read a card's label before you say the word. 2-4 means a second tone, then a fourth. A 0 means a light neutral ending with no tone mark. 孩子 (háizi): child - Keep tone 1 high and level into the next syllable. Pairs 1-1 to 1-0 start high and hold it, whatever comes next: 公司, 今年, 机场, 生日 and 衣服. 星期 (xīngqī): week - Rise on tone 2 without losing the ending. Pairs 2-1 to 2-0 start in the middle and rise, like a question, before the second syllable: 足球, 没有, 牛肉, 便宜. 游泳 (yóuyǒng): to swim - Keep tone 3 low, and lift it before another tone 3. Tone 3 stays low before other tones, as in 手机 and 跑步. The four 3-3 cards keep both marks but are said 2-3: 可以 kěyǐ sounds like kéyǐ. 手表 (shǒubiǎo): watch - Fall fast on tone 4, then land the second syllable. Pairs 4-1 to 4-0 drop from high to low and then hold, rise, dip or fall again: 上班, 练习, 地铁, 运动. 下雨 (xià yǔ): to rain - Keep neutral endings short and light. Four cards for each of 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 and 4-0, from family words like 哥哥 and 奶奶 to 东西 and 意思. 漂亮 (piàoliang): pretty; beautiful - Drill all 80 cards in short rounds. Cover the pinyin and say, hum the two tones on "mm-mm" first, sort cards onto the chart, and beat your one-minute score. ## What's inside - Tone Pair Chart: The 20 Tone Pairs at a Glance - Pairs 1–2: Tone Pairs 1-1 and 1-2 - Pairs 3–4: Tone Pairs 1-3 and 1-4 - Pairs 5–6: Tone Pairs 1-0 and 2-1 - Pairs 7–8: Tone Pairs 2-2 and 2-3 - Pairs 9–10: Tone Pairs 2-4 and 2-0 - Pairs 11–12: Tone Pairs 3-1 and 3-2 - Pairs 13–14: Tone Pairs 3-3 and 3-4 - Pairs 15–16: Tone Pairs 3-0 and 4-1 - Pairs 17–18: Tone Pairs 4-2 and 4-3 - Pairs 19–20: Tone Pairs 4-4 and 4-0 - Ways to drill: Five Ways to Drill Tone Pairs ## How to use this book Ten days, in short rounds. Cover the pinyin, say the word from the characters and the label, then check the tone marks and play the audio. Start each day with yesterday's missed pile. - Before Day 1: Print, cut and pin up the chart. Print pages 4 to 13 on thick paper and cut out the 80 cards. Put the chart on page 3 where you study. - Days 1–2: Tone 1 starts. Pairs 1 to 5, from 飞机 to 哥哥. Keep the first syllable high and level. - Days 3–4: Tone 2 starts. Pairs 6 to 10. Hum the two tones on "mm-mm" before you say each word. - Days 5–6: Tone 3 starts. Pairs 11 to 15, including the four 3-3 cards said 2-3. Sort easy, slow and missed cards into piles. - Days 7–8: Tone 4 starts. Pairs 16 to 20. Shuffle in cards from earlier pages and lay each one on its square of the chart. - Days 9–10: All 80 mixed. One-minute rounds with every card. Record yourself reading one page and play it next to the audio, listening hardest to the second syllable. ## Who it's for Beginners who know the four tones one at a time but mix them up in two-syllable words, and who like to drill with something in their hands. Every card is an everyday word, so you learn useful vocabulary as you go. Before you start: It helps to know the four tone marks. Every card has characters, pinyin and English, and the free audio reads every word with a pause to say it back. You'll need a printer and scissors. ## What's on the cards? 80 everyday words, four for each of the 20 tone pairs, on ten pages of cards, plus a chart of all 20 pairs on page 3 and a page of five ways to drill. Each card has the characters, the pinyin, the English and a pair label like 2-4. ## What do the numbers on each card mean? They are the word's tone pair: the first number is the first syllable's tone and the second is the second syllable's. 4-3 is a fourth tone then a third, as in 地铁 dìtiě, and 0 is a light neutral ending, as in 认识 rènshi (4-0). ## Why are the 3-3 cards said 2-3? When two third tones meet, the first one rises, so 可以 kěyǐ sounds like kéyǐ. The cards keep both dictionary marks, and the label reminds you how to say the word. Tone Changes in Everyday Mandarin covers this and other tone changes in full. ## Is there audio? Yes, free on this book's page. It reads every word on the 80 cards, with a pause after each one for you to say it back. ## How long does it take? Ten days in short rounds: words that start with tone 1 on Days 1 and 2, then tone 2, tone 3 and tone 4, two days each, and all 80 mixed on Days 9 and 10. Start each day with yesterday's missed pile. ## What should I use next? Chinese Tone Chart and Tone Pair Practice: 20 Tone Pairs takes one key word per pair into sentences, a story and a conversation. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. Version 2026-11, updated Nov 4, 2026.