The tones

You may have noticed "accent" marks over the top of the pronunciation of each word. These indicate the tone of the syllable. In mandarin Chinese there are 5 tones as follows:

ā á ǎ à a

First tone:

ā

Flat tone. Try saying "aaahhh" like you do when the doctor asks you to open your mouth wide and say "aaahhh". Now try saying "maaahhh" with them same tone.

Second tone:

á

Rising tone. This is like a surprised tone, as in "Oh?"

Third tone:

ǎ

Falling-rising tone. Try saying "ah" while nodding your head.

Fourth tone:

à

Falling tone. This tone is quite emphatic and you can imagine stamping your foot while you say "ah!" Try to attack this tone and then let it tail off.

Fifth tone:

a

Otherwise known as zero tone. This is a neutral tone and is pronounced without any special emphasis.