Pinyin
Where Does the Tone Mark Go? Learn the Rule in 5 Minutes
If hǎo, shuǐ, and liù still feel like guesswork, this is the placement rule you need—plus the speech changes textbooks often explain too late.
You know the tone number, but the syllable has two vowels. Should it be shuǐ or shǔi? Liù or lìu? The good news is that Mandarin does not make you guess. The placement rule fits on one line: a first, then e, then o in ou; otherwise mark the second vowel in iu or ui.
That solves the spelling. Sound is the next step. Real Mandarin shortens neutral tones and changes some third tones in connected speech, so we will handle the written rule first and then show what your ears should expect.
First, know what the marks are telling you
Mandarin has four main lexical tones. A fifth category, usually called the neutral tone, is short and unstressed. Tone-number pinyin writes the number after the syllable; tone-mark pinyin places a mark over a vowel.
| Tone | Pitch shape | Tone mark | Number form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | High and level | mā | ma1 | 妈 mā, mother |
| Second | Rising | má | ma2 | 麻 má, hemp; numb |
| Third | Low, often dipping | mǎ | ma3 | 马 mǎ, horse |
| Fourth | Sharp fall | mà | ma4 | 骂 mà, to scold |
| Neutral | Light and short | ma | ma5 or ma | 吗 ma, question particle |
The five-minute placement rule
A pinyin syllable may contain more than one written vowel, but it receives one tone mark. The placement rule is predictable.
If there is an a, mark the a
hǎo, jiā, kuài. The a has priority wherever it appears.
If there is no a, look for e
hēi, xué, lèi. In the final ou, mark the o: dōu, kǒu, hòu.
When i and u appear together, mark the later vowel
liú and guì. This is the rule learners most often reverse.
Remove the dot from i when i carries the mark
Write nǐ, not nǐ with an extra dot. The tone mark replaces it.
a takes the mark
e takes the mark
o takes the mark in ou
i is later in ui
u is later in iu
The spelling trap: a hidden ü
The vowel ü keeps its dots after n and l: 女 is nǚ and 绿 is lǜ. After j, q, x, and y, the dots are omitted in standard pinyin because plain u cannot occur there. So 去 is written qù but pronounced with the ü vowel, not the u in 路 lù.
This spelling shortcut causes a common pronunciation error. English speakers see ju and produce something close to “joo.” The Mandarin sound is closer to jü: keep the tongue forward as for i while rounding the lips.
The written u represents ü here.
xū begins with the same rounded front vowel.
Why 你好 sounds like ní hǎo
Textbooks often draw the third tone as falling and then rising. That full shape is clearest when the syllable is isolated or emphasized. In ordinary speech, a third tone before another syllable is often mostly low. Trying to perform a dramatic dip every time makes speech slow and heavy.
When two third tones meet, the first is pronounced like a second tone. The spelling does not change. 你好 remains nǐ hǎo in writing, but the first syllable is normally heard as ní.
Write the original tones; pronounce the first third tone as rising.
Two tone changes you will hear every day
Two extremely common words change tone according to what follows. Dictionaries show their base forms as yī and bù, but natural speech follows a simple pattern.
一 before a fourth tone becomes yí
一个 yí ge, 一样 yíyàng. It rises into the following falling tone.
一 before a first, second, or third tone becomes yì
一天 yì tiān, 一年 yì nián, 一起 yìqǐ.
不 before a fourth tone becomes bú
不是 bú shì, 不要 bú yào. Before other tones it stays bù: 不好 bù hǎo.
Neutral tone: make it light, not lifeless
A neutral-tone syllable has no tone mark and receives less stress. Its exact pitch depends on the tone before it. The main practical point is to keep it light. Saying every syllable with equal length and force makes even correct tones sound mechanical.
The second ma is light.
A 10-minute practice routine that sounds human
Start with two-syllable words
Single-syllable drills teach the shapes, but words such as 中国, 可以, 现在, and 知道 teach movement between tones.
Copy a whole short phrase
Listen, pause, and imitate the pitch, length, and stress together. Do not rebuild every syllable separately.
Record one sentence
Compare your version with the original. Check whether the important syllables stand out and neutral tones stay light.
Keep tone marks in your notes
If you repeatedly read unmarked pinyin, your brain practises guessing. Use tone-number input when convenient, then convert it to tone marks for reading.