Chapter 5 of 16 · Explore the Cantonese path
Sounds · Chapter 5 of 16
Six tones: why the pitch of a word matters
Pitch is part of a Cantonese word, the way a vowel is, and six pitches give six different words. For reading this is a heads-up: the character already tells you which word it is.
≈ 3 min of reading · Practise at your own pace
What’s in this chapter
- Cantonese has six tones: pitch is part of the word, the way a vowel is.
- Jyutping writes the tone as a number 1–6 after the syllable.
- One syllable, six tones, six unrelated words — that is what the numbers are for.
- For reading, tone is a heads-up, not homework: the character tells you which word it is.
In English, saying “cat” higher or lower does not change what it means. In Cantonese it would. The pitch of a syllable is part of the word, as much as its vowel is, and Cantonese uses six.
One syllable, six words
Read down the first column: the syllable si is the same every time, and only the pitch tells the six words apart.
| Word | Pitch |
|---|---|
| 詩 | high and level, like holding a note |
| 史 | starts mid and rises, like an English question |
| 試 | mid and level |
| 時 | low and falling, like a sigh |
| 市 | low and rising slightly |
| 事 | low and level |
Tones 4, 5 and 6 sit in the bottom half of your voice; 1, 2 and 3 sit in the top half.
Three pairs where the tone is the whole difference
Say each pair aloud and listen for the step in pitch. On the page the characters differ, so you can tell the words apart even before your ear can.
Two sounds English does not have
Two Cantonese sounds have no English match. The second column tells you how to make each one.
| Sound | How to make it |
|---|---|
| ng at the start of a word | the ending of “sing”, moved to the front: 我 |
| a final p, t or k | the mouth closes and no air escapes — 食 |
Everything else in Jyutping is close enough to English to start with. j is the y of “yes”; z and c are roughly the ds of “beds” and the ts of “cats”.
What is the number telling you?
- What is different between 買 and 賣 when said aloud?
Show answer +Hide answer −
Only the pitch. 買maai5 “buy” is low-rising; 賣 maai6 “sell” is low-level. - In 朋友
pang4 jau5, what do the 4 and the 5 mark? Show answer +Hide answer −
The tone of each syllable. Both are low: 4 falls, 5 rises slightly.