Progress & Reference

Progress & Reference

Track your learning journey across all quiz types

Quiz Progress

๐ŸŽต

Tone Recognition

Listen to a syllable and identify which of the 4 tones is being used.

Levels: 3
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๐Ÿ”ค

Initial Recognition

Identify the initial consonant sound (b, p, m, f, etc.)

Levels: 6
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๐ŸŽค

Final Recognition

Identify the final vowel sound (a, ai, an, ang, etc.)

Levels: 5
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๐Ÿ’ฌ

Complete Syllable

Recognize the entire pinyin syllable with tone marks.

Levels: 3
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๐Ÿ”

Minimal Pairs

Distinguish between easily confused syllable pairs.

Levels: 3
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๐Ÿ“š

HSK Audio โ†’ Pinyin

Recognize pinyin for common HSK vocabulary words.

Levels: 3
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๐Ÿ‘‚

Audio to Character

Hear the pronunciation and select the correct Chinese character.

Levels: 6
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๐Ÿ“–

Character to Pinyin

See a Chinese character and select the correct pinyin pronunciation.

Levels: 6
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๐Ÿ”ค

Character to Meaning

See a Chinese character and select the correct English meaning.

Levels: 6
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Pinyin Reference

The Four Tones

1
First Tone (mฤ)

High, level pitch - like singing a high note

2
Second Tone (mรก)

Rising pitch - like asking "What?"

3
Third Tone (mวŽ)

Falling-rising pitch - dip down then up

4
Fourth Tone (mร )

Sharp falling pitch - like saying "No!"

What About the "5th Tone"?

You may have heard of a "neutral tone" or "5th tone" in Mandarin. This app focuses on the four main tones because:

  • It's not a real tone โ€” The neutral tone has no fixed pitch. Its sound depends entirely on the tone that comes before it.
  • It can't be practiced in isolation โ€” Unlike tones 1-4, you can't say a neutral tone syllable by itself.
  • It's better learned through vocabulary โ€” Words like ๅฆˆๅฆˆ (mฤma) naturally teach neutral tone in context.
  • Regional variation โ€” Beijing Mandarin uses it heavily, while Taiwan Mandarin uses it less.

Master the four main tones first, then the neutral tone will come naturally as you learn vocabulary and phrases.

Common Confusions

zh/z/j Sounds

zh (retroflex): Tongue curled back
z (dental): Tongue at teeth
j (palatal): Tongue at hard palate

n vs ng Endings

n: Tongue touches roof of mouth
ng: Back of tongue, nasal sound
Example: an vs ang, en vs eng

รผ (v) vs u

รผ: Rounded lips, say "ee"
u: Rounded lips, say "oo"
Example: ju vs zhu, qu vs chu

Quick Tips

๐Ÿ’ก

Practice daily: 10-15 minutes per day is more effective than long cramming sessions

๐ŸŽง

Listen actively: Use headphones and focus on subtle differences between similar sounds

๐Ÿ”

Repeat out loud: After hearing a syllable, try pronouncing it yourself

๐Ÿ“

Write pinyin: Practice writing tone marks to reinforce visual memory