Chinese Tone Trainer
Hear a real word, pick the tone pattern you heard — the fastest way to build tone recognition.
Hear it, then test your tones
Take the free 3–5-minute pronunciation test and get a score for every tone.
Which tone pattern did you hear?
You cannot produce a tone you cannot hear. Research on Mandarin acquisition keeps landing on the same conclusion: learners who train tone *perception* first pick up accurate pronunciation far faster than learners who jump straight to speaking. This trainer drills exactly that — it plays a real word, you name the tone pattern — and then closes the loop by asking you to say the word yourself.
The words are real HSK vocabulary across the two-syllable tone combinations, because tones change shape in pairs: a third tone before another third tone turns into a rising tone, a fourth tone before a fourth gets clipped. (3-3 words are deliberately left out of the quiz — sandhi means what you hear is 2-3.) Pairs are how Mandarin is actually spoken.
Hearing the pattern is half the job. After each answer, tap “Say it — get scored” and record the word you just heard: every syllable comes back with its own tone score and sound scores for the initial and the final, plus the tone you actually produced when it was not the one expected. Listening tells you whether you can hear a 2-4; the score tells you whether you can say one. A few scored takes a day are free on this page; for daily drilling, the TonePerfect app scores every take the same way.
Why train tone pairs instead of single tones?
Real speech almost never gives you an isolated syllable. Tones influence their neighbours (sandhi), and the 20 pair combinations are the standard drill unit used by pronunciation teachers — master them and full sentences stop feeling fast.
How is the audio generated?
Your device's built-in Mandarin voice reads real Chinese words, so the listening quiz uploads nothing and works offline in most browsers. Only a recording you choose to score is sent for assessment.
Can the tone trainer check my own pronunciation?
Yes. After you answer, tap “Say it — get scored” and record the same word. The take is scored syllable by syllable — tone, initial and final — by the same engine as our Mandarin tones test, so you see exactly which syllable slipped and which tone you said instead.
What score should I aim for?
Consistent 90%+ on the listening quiz, then use the speaking step on the pairs you still miss. If you plateau, slow down: play the word several times and hum the pitch contour before answering — and before recording.
More free tools
Test your pronunciation
Free, with a score for every word.
Free · 3–5 minutes · no signup
How good is your Chinese pronunciation, really?
Reading about tones is not the same as producing them. Say a few words into your mic and the AI scores every syllable — tone, initial and final — then shows you which sounds are holding you back.
Runs in your browser. Nothing to install.
Train, don't just read
Practice your pronunciation in the app
A guide can explain the tones, but you can't fix your pronunciation by reading. The TonePerfect app lets you actually say the words and scores every syllable — initial, final, and tone — in real time, so you hear your mistakes and correct them on the spot.
- Instant AI feedback on every syllable
- Practice any word, sentence, or HSK list
- Hands-on tone training you can't get from reading
Free to start · 4.7★ · 50,000+ learners