Sìshēng Tone Drill

Drill Presets

Press play, then pick the tone. Space replay · 1–4 answer · Enter next

–Accuracy

0Streak

0Best streak

Rows: the real tone. Columns: what you answered. Red cells are your confusions; the drill plays your weak tones more often.

Same syllable, four tones

Pick a syllable and play the tones side by side. Listening to them back to back is the fastest way to lock in the shapes.

2 vs 3: The big one. Tone 2 climbs steadily from the middle, like a surprised "huh?". Tone 3 drops to the lowest note you'll hear, often a bit creaky, and only rises at the end, if at all. Ask: did it go low first? Then it's 3.
1 vs 4: Both start high. Tone 1 stays up there, flat, like holding a sung note. Tone 4 crashes down fast and short, like an angry "No!".
1 vs 2: Tone 1 is level the whole time. Tone 2 is still moving upward when it ends.
3 in words: Before another syllable, tone 3 is a "half third": just low and flat, no rise (老师 lǎoshī sounds like low + high). Two 3rds in a row: the first becomes a 2 (你好 sounds like ní hǎo). Exams normally still expect the written tone 3.
Trick: Hum along with what you heard, or trace the shape with your hand. Your hand goes flat, up, down-then-up, or down.