Cantonese Tones Made Easy

Hi there,
I was recently asked to do a video on Cantonese tones and so this is the simplest way I know of getting a handle on the tones for non-native speakers.
I hope you'll find it useful and will persevere in learning Cantonese! If you'd like some help, please check out my Traditional Characters in Cantonese Pronunciation classes www.cantolingo.com.
And you like this video, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel, turning the notifications bell on.
Happy learning,
Sue
PS. Please consider supporting my channel by purchasing a copy of my book "ROLL With It!" at www.justroll.co. Thanks!
PS. Follow me on IG and FB: @cantonesecorner
PPS. Learn more Cantonese with me and open new windows into Cantonese culture by taking my Traditional Characters in Cantonese Pronunciation courses over at www.cantolingo.com.
Learn traditional Standard Written Chinese characters, their Cantonese equivalent (if any), the radicals, proper stroke order, and much more! Classes are on-going and combine online self-study with Zoom sessions. This is a university-level course based on materials from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and is effective and fun!

[@zlamdat]

Saai shouldn’t have the high level tone mark. It is a mid tone and has no accent marks in the Yale romanization system

[@CantoneseCorner]

Argh! Yes ... it's written in the mid-tone line but I added the line above ... why? I don't know! :) Thanks for pointing this out!

[@zlamdat]

@@CantoneseCorneroverall this is still a great video!

[@CantoneseCorner]

@@zlamdat Thank you! :)

[@taichihass]

Thank you so much for this video. Someone has already probably said it before but I’ll say it again, it’s the best explanation of tones I’ve come across. The typical “si si si si si” thing just didn’t click. But this is really sticking and helps me relate tones I hear to these examples a lot easier.

[@selectyoutuification]

多謝 Sue for making all these Cantonese videos hope to keep this language alive

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're welcome and thanks! I really hope so -- and am so encouraged by all the Cantonese learning sites on KZbin and IG.

[@selectyoutuification]

@@CantoneseCorner I'm a HKer born and raised in H.K but have been living in Canada for over 30+ yrs. I did not know tone 4 is lower than tone 6 😀 So Thank you 🤗

[@CantoneseCorner]

@@selectyoutuification You're welcome! But I have to be honest and say I'm simplifying it as the "experts" and charts I've seen do say the 4th tone starts higher than 6 but then falls past it, so I get why they order it that way, but still it confused me! Once I understood that, then I was like "oh, ok!" :)

[@selectyoutuification]

@@CantoneseCorner simplicity is best. I take it as an ASMR Cantonese lesson, as a native Cantonese speaker I never knew numbers of tones we have. I found it interesting to know.

[@198redrose]

You're a foreigner and fluent in Cantonese? That's impressive!! My partner is originally from Hong Kong too! He moved to the UK over 8 years ago to study and settled here ever since. We've a 10 month old together, his name is Oliver. When he's old enough to explore vocabulary, his father will introduce the language for sure. I may know a few basic words myself. But may be intrigued to know more.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi and YES! Of course, I would encourage you to learn a bit more (or even a lot more :) I was able to learn so well as I lived in HK so long ... now being back in the US, I'm realising how I need to really keep it up as I don't use/hear it every day. I'm needing to follow the advice I tell my students, which is to listen to the radio more and TV more and find opportunities to speak. 😅Congratulations on your little one - time goes so fast and the gift of another language is soooo valuable! Thanks for watching and I hope my videos can help! 💖

[@GotchaPong]

Im half Cantonese and don't know much of the language. I love and miss Hong Kong. I'm glad to learn from your channel!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thank you! I love and miss HK too ... so much so that it's keeping me from moving forward with my life here, but I know I need to. Hong Kong will always be there ... I'm just not there at the moment. I'm glad if my channel can help you learn more Cantonese and feel more connected! 🇭🇰❤️🇭🇰

[@ielder6326]

thank you❤

[@kyurindiaryvlogs7714]

Loooove seeing canto creators

[@coolsoi7925]

You have a perfect cantonese accent. ! great work!

[@andyso81]

Very nice video. I don’t even know all these tone differences as a native speaker. Well, maybe I was born with them. Your pronunciation is one of the best I have ever heard among foreigners, even better than some natives who speak with “lazy pronunciation 懶音”. Thanks for your teaching video!

[@ypyk2526]

多謝你咁有心去教同spread Cantonese culture and language!

[@ypyk2526]

And you have a sweet and graceful voice makes it very comfortable to listen to your lecture here 💪🏻

[@Runningbowels]

Thank you for the clarification on the 2 types of thank-you's. I never knew what the difference was.

[@theresatang8467]

Thank you Sue👍👍.

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're welcome! 💖

[@friedporkrice]

This is amazing! I'm a mandarin speaker trying to learn cantonese and I could never figure out why people didn't understand me when using 4th jyutping tone until seeing this video...I never knew it's actually lower than 6! Thanks Sue!! 多謝晒!!

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're so welcome! For me too it was a total lightbulb moment, and I remember thinking -- "wait, what are you saying?? How can that be??" But come to think of it, there are a lot of moments like that when learning Cantonese LOL :)

[@viclam249]

Thank you for helping to keep this fun and beautiful language alive 😍

[@euhype802]

Great video, I have been learning for a few weeks with a background in Mandarin - this is the easiest guide to getting them right! Now just to practice lots and get consistent...

[@amyli8995]

Thank you for this video! This is the most clear explanation I've come across!!

[@Bonniebranch7]

I LOVE to snuggle up in your little Cantonese corner ♥️ Like your children, I am half Chinese with an American mom and my dad is from Kowloon, HK. I was however raised in the US and my parents separated when I was 10. My dad never encouraged us to learn Cantonese just mandarin because it was “easier” but I prefer the sound of Cantonese and it’s very nostalgic to me since my dad would spend hours on the phone with family and friends chatting when we were little. In a video from a few years ago you had mentioned you were going to make some flash cards (I am an ultra beginner haha) and I wanted to see if you ever did make them. I’d love to start with them for me and my children ♥️ Thank you!

[@Heresheis0818]

She speaks so well , brilliant woman 👩

[@Sol-ssi]

learning mandarin but looked up cantonese tones bc and this is helpful but i def need to keep doing it to really get it

[@beenseen-od1lz]

Thank you very much! This is the video I always come back to. You made it so easy and clear to understand the tones which can be very intimidating for me as a beginner. Thank you again!

[@Braveplantt]

why dont i see the other 3 tones? aside from that, nice cantonese pronounciation!

[@garytung9110]

多謝

[@jerometsowinghuen]

Greetings from Hong Kong. Hello, Miss Sue. I found your KZbin channel after watching a documentary about you from Apple Seed. Anyway, not just Mandarin, but also the tone in Cantonese is important, too, so that it won't lead confusions when listening.👍🏻

[@CantoneseCorner]

Greetings, Jerome! Thank you and so true -- tones are so important ... and often lead to unintended consequences LOL :)

[@nelic2111]

@@CantoneseCorner Maybe you can make a follow up video about that haha

[@CantoneseCorner]

@@nelic2111 Ahhhh yes!! I really wish I had kept a notebook of all the times I said something that didn't make sense or was unintentionally hilarious. Or the times when listening to native friends speak and I would tell them what they are saying sounds so much like another word or saying -- and to them they would never make the connection, but when I pointed it out they would. Reminds me of a Finnish comedian who did a whole routine on the English word "a*&" ... because sometimes you can't recognise how unintentionally funny your own language is until a non-native speaker points it out LOL You can see his video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4GTi2SvppJlfLM&ab_channel=ISMO

[@Kakashi-Usagi]

This was such a great video to explain tones!

[@mattallison7742]

Really helpful - thank you!

[@mrtsiqsin2290]

As a native speaker, I find tone 2 (mid-rising) and tone 5 (low-rising) the most difficult. I even mix them up sometimes. The other four tones are very distinctive to my ears.

[@CantoneseCorner]

That’s so interesting, MrTsiqsin! Do you think sometimes they ARE interchangeable in some instances? Like for example when people say “hóu a!” (Good!) sometimes it seems for emphasis, they will scoop down even lower than the 2nd tone would dictate? That could just be my ears deceiving me though! 🤷‍♀️😅

[@kkkkk943]

@@CantoneseCorner i think i got what u meant. like when you feel a suggestion is very good, you will say a shorter ‘a’ in a lower tone. and i think this usage is very common in daily conversations.

[@CantoneseCorner]

@@kkkkk943 yes! That’s what I meant, thanks! 🙌

[@sasino]

Yeah same, I'm not even learning Cantonese, I'm only learning Mandarin, and watched this out of curiosity, and definitely the hardest pair for me to distinguish is 2-5

[@pso142]

Thank you 😊👍

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're welcome! And thank you, too, for watching!! 💗

[@faimak848]

You can both teach English and Cantonese at British Council. English for local Chinese Hong Kong pupils and Cantonese for forigen or ABC American born Chinese.

[@lolo8love]

This is SO helpful! Thank you for teaching us this 😊💕.

[@homanyiu2033]

very impressive native Cantonese teaching. I thought u were a Cantonese speaker based on what u natively explained. excellent 😀😀

[@obiphil8672]

Your intonation and enunciation is near native. And your vocabulary is excellent. Very very impressive considering how hard Cantonese is to master. Many native non Cantonese Chinese spent decades in HK and still failed to erase their dialectal accent. You managed that beautifully. A very credible and convincing teacher of Cantonese. Well done.

[@bryank7010]

I am a native speaker and her intonation and enunciation is NOT "near native". She SOUNDS 100% NATIVE!!! she sounds more native than me bruh stop the cap.

[@chm0126]

That's so impressive!!

[@sannywong9718]

Hi Sue, it’s so nice to see you again. You’re back in Hong Kong now! I love seeing your videos. It’s been a long time since I’ve been practicing my Cantonese so this was a nice review of the tones. I think I need to go back to the beginning to review everything! Thanks for doing these videos.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Sanny!! How are you?? I know it's been a very long time and I'm sorry I'm just seeing your message now. I hope all has been well, and now I'm back in the US again! I hope you'll see this message and that all has been well! 💞

[@cecilma3140]

In Malaysia many Cantonese speakers don’t use tone 5 and say those words in tone 3. So “I did buy them all” “我有買晒” which should be 5553 becomes 3333.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks for sharing that! I wish KZbin had the ability to record audio messages as I'd love to hear it ... I'm trying to say it that way, but every time I try, I end up going faster and faster! :)

[@andykw2667]

Merci Sue! Bravo! (Pédagogiquement,çà facilite vraiment pour répertorier les tons)👍

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Andy! Merci beaucoup! Dō jeh saai! Thank you! :) 💖

[@andykw2667]

@@CantoneseCorner Dô jeh Neî síne ngám☺!👍

[@一個愛吃愛煮的人]

多謝妳👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@CantoneseCorner]

m sái haak hei! 唔使客氣 ! Thanks for watching! :)

[@wingwong8670]

Thanks from a Cantonese speaker

[@bijaygurung1634]

Thank you ma'am

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're welcome! I hope you found it useful. Take care and happy learning!

[@lrCheng]

發音非常準！ 多謝承傳保護廣東話文化遺產❤️🥰🙏

[@CantoneseCorner]

多謝嗮 ! ❤️

[@vanessabarryhudgens]

So crazy your Cantonese is really really good lol if I closed my eyes I’ll you’re Hong Konger lol

[@T12321]

Thank you

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're welcome!

[@ena160]

-watching as a person from Hong Kong-

[@CantoneseCorner]

I wish I were a person watching in Hong Kong! Miss it sooooo much. 😩

[@ena160]

@@CantoneseCorner hk is nice 😄 you can visit it some time

[@nayeonqueenofkpop-v5s]

Do Ze Saai for clarifying the canto tones

[@tochik1226]

妳講廣東話好好聽

[@monsterkloo584]

I don't know why I am watching your channel when I am a native speaker 😂😂. My parents definitely didn't teach me about the different tones🤣🤣

[@SamanthaNicoleDoon]

hi. i want to learn cantonese. should I study the tones first? or it's not that important?

[@meagzie]

Thanks sue always love the vids! Any videos for everyday phrases?

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi! You're welcome and I'm so glad!! 💗 I do have some everyday phrases in my Social Lingo course on www.cantolingo.com and 10% off now with the code TENOFF if that helps? SL is 10 essential phrases, 25 vocab words, 6 grammar points, 7 dialogues, 2 connections, 2 weekly group zoom calls - so it may be more than what you're looking for? And your comment makes me think maybe a good "everyday phrases" short course would be a good idea! Whatever you decide, I'm just glad to know you're learning!

[@jd4925]

Do jeh Margarite for another excellent video. Very helpful!

[@CantoneseCorner]

Thanks, J D! I'm so glad. Happy learning! :)

[@alanauUK]

My wife can learn a lot from this. She is a Kiwi girl.

[@earthly_hope_runner]

For the third tone you can probably try using the word "comb".

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hmmmm .... but "comb" would be the first tone, as in 梳頭 sō1 tàuh4 . OH! Do you mean brush/sweep? Like in 掃地 sou3 deih6?

[@zk7843]

Hello ma'am how are you actually I would like to buy your book (lets talk Cantonese ).where can I get it in Hong kong.

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi there! I’m doing well and hope you are too. 🤗 I’m so sorry to say that the book is out of print as far as I know … I’ve tried to track the publisher down but they don’t seem to exist anymore. 😣 I can only suggest a used copy off eBay or elsewhere. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.

[@henryng9406]

Cantonese here. I don't know about the numbering system. Your tone for the word Saai is incorrect. Rewind to 4:11 - 4:40. I think you should dial the tone a little higher for that word.

[@任我行-j4y]

I believe Sue speaks Cantonese better than some native hker

[@KK-yu2kn]

My English is very poor so I can learn English in your Chanel Thankyou

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi K K! I'm so glad. This gives me an idea to do a video of things we say in English that are misused in Chinese ... the first one that comes to mind is the "there have" instead of "there are". Adding it to my list of videos I want to do! Thanks!!

[@felix6905]

廣東話教得好好👍

[@CantoneseCorner]

Hi Felix! Thanks!! 🤗 I appreciate it.

[@MuhammadKhalid-jw1gd]

How to remember the tones of every cantonese word?

[@CantoneseCorner]

I suppose it's much like how do you remember the melody of a song? By hearing it and singing it over and over :)

[@jonathanlee5520]

WOT A Smart GweiPoh ! DoorCheh Sai !

[@yopiano1071]

How come you can speak this difficult language

[@nayeonqueenofkpop-v5s]

She must have lived in HK for 3 decades

[@jonathanlee5520]

I might be a SunGahBoh "GoangFuYaan", but learning the CantoTone structurally & technically is too much for me to stomach 😳😅

[@doc0core]

Hahaha you speak a few words of Cantonese with excellent intonation. How about some common pople speak, 四字詞語

[@-wil2013]

Hi, 廣東話高低音好重要, 又唔可以改變, 如果冇人教過, 西人講晒全低

[@kwl4829]

「三、碗、半、牛、腩、麵」

[@Caocao8888]

It would be much easier if you could use just one simple example, as in Mandarin’s ma1 ma2 ma3 ma4. Looking at the English transliterations hou, saai, saai, jeh, etc. is enough to permanently confuse any beginner. Also, you rush through your otherwise excellent presentation at breakneck speed, leaving you literally breathless, and your viewers/listeners confused. Finally, you call the 4th tone the lowest, but it sounds with the accent/emphasis you gave it, like Mandarin’s 4th tone, so putting it at the bottom is confusing to Mandarin speakers/learners like myself.

[@jimanHK]

Thank you

[@CantoneseCorner]

You're welcome!