Learning Cantonese - Tones

[@edytanto2640]

I'll be damned. I speak Mandarin, Hakka and Teocheow. Even for that the 2nd and 5th tone of Cantonese still haunt me

[@ayongkao6940]

Are you Cambodian?

[@MagicalKid]

For me I always confuse tone 6 to 4 because they are both so low that when I hear them in a conversation I can't differentiate.

[@kugul1683]

If you are doomed, already being able to speak those languages, I can't imagine how doomed I'll be! I can only speak indo-Europæan languages.

[@panel_t]

It's because you are too used to the tones of the languages you already spoke for like the most of your life. It is hard for someone to adapt to another languages fully especially when learning a really hard language like Cantonese.

[@Infinitevoid3008]

Gaginang!!!!

[@eleazarsf5937]

So far, the best Cantonese tones lesson I've seen.

[@nehaa94]

I really liked that you gave example words for each tone that was really helpful thanks!! It would also help to have a video compared tones 2/5 and 3/6 by saying them right after each other.

[@readstories4663]

i think it's important to remember that how high or low the tones are is relative to each other when it's used in a conversation, and it's quite rare to have tones 3&6 or 2&5 right next to each other as homonyms with the same consonant and vowel. If it happens, then just say it the same tone but with one in a higher pitch than the other. If there are no homonyms right next to each other, it doesn't really matter just how high or low you start off as long as the pitch is going up for 2 and 5, or the pitch is going flat for 3 and 6 - again, tones are compared relatively to whatever tones you are saying at the time.

[@notthefather3919]

@@readstories4663 now that's really great advice and it makes sense too. Thank you for that!

[@TaiFerret]

I looked this up out of curiosity because I've heard before that Cantonese has a more complicated tone system than Mandarin, but I'm really surprised there is no dipping or falling tone in Cantonese, like there are in Mandarin.

[@danielgato06]

Doesn't the 4th tone count as some kind of falling tone? But well, this seems indeed harder than mandarin. These tones in cantonese do sound almost the same.

[@TaiFerret]

Daniel Salas Yeah, I was confused by the chart at the end which showed the 4th tone as a level tone instead of a falling tone.

[@CantoneseLessons]

TaiFerret yeah you guys are right! The chart I got has a typo. If you look in the beginning of the video, it has the correct chart. Good catch

[@silvervixen007]

I did the same 😅 man am I glad to learn mandarin😏

[@TaiFerret]

silvervixen007 Well, on the other hand Cantonese sounds (as opposed to tones) seem to be easier than Mandarin sounds.

[@hele4299]

Every Cantonese person growing up must be such a great singer too XD

[@SrChatty]

Doesn't Cantonese sound a bit like singing, though? To me, the "pitch factor" definitely results in a sort of sing-song kind of sound, quite distinct from its 汉语 cousine. To me, a learner of Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese almost sounds closer to Thai. 🙂

[@szecr]

@@SrChatty as a cantonese speaker, i think thai sounds more like viet and khmer

[@SrChatty]

@@szecr Unfortunately, I don't know any Thai, Vietnamese, nor Khmer, and would most likely have a hard time distinguishing one from the other. Hence, I can't really comment on which languages (among the mentioned) that sound more or less alike. What I was getting at, was that as a non-native speaker of Chinese languages, Cantonese definitely sounds quite different from Putonghua, having a kind of singing-like kind of sound to it. I can't help but to suspect that this has to do with the fact that Cantonese, so to speak, have multiple "layers" of supra-phonetic (is that the correct term?) features that play in, i.e. you don't only have tones, but also pitch. My own native language (Swedish) could perhaps in some way be said to be somewhat similar. Many non-native speakers of Swedish often point out that Swedish sounds a bit like singing. The phonological explanation, as far as I know, has to do with the fact that Swedish could also be said to be, in a similar fashion, "multilayered", although mainly with regard to vowel length and what is called "word accent" (which btw is quite similar to your tones). 🙂

[@無名兄弟-i7m]

@@SrChatty Cantonese sounds closer to most if not all Asian languages!

[@SrChatty]

@@無名兄弟-i7m Yeah, or at least the South Western Asian languages. However, I actually stumbled across some very interesting, and quite compelling, arguments pointing to there indeed being a rather close connection between Cantonese and Thai. Apparently, not only is there considerable overlap with regard to basic vocabulary (not least numbers), but also grammar and tones. There are even some Typological theories that place them together, in the same language family. Worth noticing, is also the fact that there is consensus on 壮语 (Zhuangyu) belonging to the same language family as Thai. 壮语 is obviously spoken in the same areas as 粤语 (Cantonese), and is, as far as I can tell, much closer to 粤语 than 汉语 / 普通话.

[@hakimmaro]

2:30 Tone 1 - si1 3:43/3:44 Tone 3 - si3 5:48 Tone 6 - si6 3:09 Tone 2 - si2 5:04 Tone 5 - si5 4:21 Tone 4 - si4

[@iforgoree]

You've saved my life

[@CantoneseLessons]

Tone 5 is practically the same as Tone 2, just as a lower pitch overall.

[@Nerubiru]

The point "act like you're surprised" was so so helpful for me to grasp the difference between th 2nd and 5th tone! Thank you!

[@yixiguan6520]

Finally I understand how the tones in Cantonese work. Good job explaining.

[@gbahlman]

Excellent introduction to tones!! Very clear and relaxed. Is there a lesson 2?

[@ritchieliu8683]

The best one to learn 6 tones in Cantonese on KZbin ... thx buddy...the most recommend Video so far

[@anduknowwho]

i think having tones 3 vs 6 and 2 vs 5, using the same syllables next to each other is a good approach for teaching tones. It'll work more musical and would sound like an interval of 2 notes esp for people who have learnt instruments

[@idontbelonganywhere1136]

I've spoken fluent Mandarin my entire life, and i speak hokkien too. this is the first time tones have ever confused me before, i guess there's a first for everything

[@bigislander72]

Thanks for clarification about tones 3-6 and 5-2. Sometimes I will just listen to some Cantonese and try to guess what tone each syllable is in but I will get them wrong. Even 1-3 for me and sometimes even 4-6... Can't hear the difference sometimes, very subtle.

[@dianebasiga4506]

Im at year 2020 memorising this tones while stuck at quarantine ;>

[@hitoshiigarashi5350]

the chart is crucial for us to even grasp the tones.

[@daisygolding8846]

Such a beautiful language 🥺

[@ALBERTALIMOVICH]

i had watched the video from curiosity, now i utterly shocked at crossing tones, not even at their quantity. this is amazing feature that mandarin doesn't have.

[@ilovecats6933]

I'll be honest I can't differentiate between 3 and 6. I can't control my pitch that well so it sounds like I'm just pronouncing 3 as louder and 6 as softer.

[@IluvHKong]

So helpful. Thanks a lot for posting. More lessons please. Cantonese slang also?

[@onikin]

It's good you explain some tones can be combined. The traditional way to count Chinese tones goes up to 9 in Cantonese. But it is rare to explain that you only need to clearly separate a few of them to be understood.

[@giangminhnhat]

It makes more sense to me with your explanation. Thank you. 多謝

[@jessthorpe7371]

This is the most incredible youtube video on cantonese tones out there. Thank you very much!

[@akemii719]

Thank you! I always wanted to learn Cantonese.

[@psychedelicacynical]

wow even as a Chinese speaker, this is is crazy haha six tones!!

[@YorgosL1]

A language that more complicated and older than mandarin

[@convocare]

really informative video!! i'm learning to speak cantonese for a school project and this is one of the simplest and clearest explanations of the 6 tones that i've seen. thanks!!

[@aland-khaw4034]

As a Thai speaker I found this quite easy!

[@allang7963]

How did I end up here?! Great methodology on teaching the tones by the way. Keep up the great work!

[@sayurih.1332]

Thank you for this video! It helped me a lot in understanding the tones :) I've been taking mandarin for two years, but it's very different.

[@Joaquin_Z]

Flat tones: 2:30 Tone 1: si1 3:43 Tone 3: si3 5:48 Tone 6: si6

[@zephyr84]

I'm half cantonese and I always mix tone 4 and 6 up :(

[@pia_mater]

How are you half cantonese? I guess you mean to say you're half honkongnese, right?

[@zephyr84]

My mom is of Cantonese origin while my dad is of Teochew origin, both of which are different regions in China itself. While that makes me fully (Han) Chinese ethnically, both languages are so different I sometimes think of them as belonging to significantly different cultures.

[@quyenluong3705]

+zephyr84 me too!

[@luciahuong2581]

I'm Vietnamese and confused about 4 and 6 :(

[@juliette7151]

Wig Snatcher you know that Hong Kong isn’t the only cantonese speaking city right

[@iwavns]

Thanks for the video. I speak a bit of Cantonese, but can't read it, and don't really know the differences between the 6 tones. Your video has taught me how to be more Cantonese...

[@b1sII6]

Thanks for the video. Just one comment: tone 4 (2-1) is close to the first half of Mandarin tone 3 (2-1-3 or 2-1-4) and tone 5 (1-3) is close to the second half of Mandarin tone 3. These "half-tones" in fact exist in Mandarin as a part of tone sandhi.

[@CantoneseLessons]

謝謝！繼續努力！

[@basschatfield]

Thank you for creating this :)

[@purplepurposee]

Ayyy this was great cant wait too fully learn the whole language

[@matthewwoo6684]

Super clear and easy to follow, thanks!!

[@cpdwg_charles]

Thanks for the instructions!

[@brain3864513]

Just found your channel and I want to say thank you!

[@CptGuapo]

Oh, man... This is so damn tricky... I thought Mandarin was hard to learn, but I have to take my hat off to Cantonese...

[@GInternational]

It's OK to mix tone 2 and tone 5 up. You can pronounce 3 and 6 the same way. Not ideal but you'll be understood. Don't mess up the other tones. 4 is probably the hardest to learn so practise.

[@littlewishy6432]

A good way to remember tones (at least for me) is knowing which tones they would correspond to in Mandarin. The following correspondences are not always guaranteed, but are usually the case. Canto 1, the high tone, corresponds to the 1st tone in Mandarin (ā) Canto 2 and 5, both of which are rising, correspond to the 3rd tone in Mandarin (ǎ) Canto 3 and 6, both of which are lower flat tones, correspond to the 4th tone in Mandarin (à) Canto 4, the low falling tone, corresponds to the 2nd tone in Mandarin (á) Examples: 家 gaa1 = jiā 水 seoi2 = shuǐ 快 faai3 = kuài 時 si4 = shí 語 jyu5 = yǔ 下 haa6 = xià

[@yvonnechan6063]

Thank you so much! This is really helpful! :)

[@twentysixlinx327]

Good job The first chart doesn't help because you sing the scale in the opposite direction. Still, this is the overall best explanation of tones online or on KZbin.

[@harryginnyalways]

wow, i never realised how complicated cantonese is… i speak some because of my family, but now that i'm learning mandarin, mando must be so easy compared to cantonese!

[@ilovejapan234]

cantonese sounds horribly complicated, but tones doesnt necessarily make something easier/harder :P

[@Garfield_Minecraft]

1:44 seeeeeee? yes i see now

[@boyisun]

Why is the fourth tone drawn differently in 6:22 and 0:06 ?

[@tabbymrp]

Mainlander here, 3,4,5,6 are all so hard 😢

[@Lin_The_Cat_]

Gosh tone 4 is the hardest for me. Starting at such a low pitch already and then having to go lower is super hard on my throat lol.

[@susanralph274]

i would also learn how to write thank you.

[@v4nill0ve]

this is so helpful!! thank you :)

[@tensijellyaddict5182]

pointers for me; tone 3 and 6 are interchangeable tone 2 and 5 are interchangeable tone 1 is a flat line tone 4 is an abrupt end

[@littlewishy6432]

Funny you categorized it this way, since those tones correspond to those of Mandarin. Canto 3 and 6 usually correspond to Mando 4 (à). 醋 cou3 = cù. 下 haa6 = xià. Canto 2 and 5 usually correspond to Mando 3 (ǎ). 水 seoi2 = shuǐ. 語 jyu5 = yǔ. Canto 1 usually corresponds to Mando 1 (ā). 家 gaa1 = jiā. 中 zung1 = zhōng. Canto 4 usually corresponds to Mando 2 (á). 鹽 jim4 = yán. 錢 cin4 = qián.

[@Walkabout]

Great video. a bit confusing because the illustration of tone 4 in the last graphic is wrong - it's flat instead of going down like in the first graphic.

[@littlewishy6432]

That's incorrect. Tone 4 is indeed a falling tone, probably a little difficult to notice for native speakers because of how low it starts.

[@lamlekhanhhao]

Thank you so so much

[@andreymurygin4300]

Thx a lot, very helpful!

[@SpringySpring04]

I'm a Japanese learner, I know almost nothing about Chinese or any of its dialects, but knowing that there's all these different tones that are much more complicated than the much simpler High or Low pattern in Japanese イントネーション ("intonēshon" or "intonation" for Japanese pitch accent) makes the idea of learning any dialect of Chinese seem ever more unrealistic for me, lol. I still find it very interesting nonetheless!

[@KentrenYeh]

Thank you very much!!!!

[@thichleorank]

Thanks for teaching. What is the name of the song at the end this video ? Plz tell me 😅

[@leifeng9123]

I found it very interesting that for Tone 4, the characters that you listed are all 2nd tone in mandarin. Is this a coincidence or could one use this idea to convert tones?

[@CantoneseLessons]

I have researched this topic before and my answer is, No you cannot strictly follow that rule, however if you already speak mandarin and you cannot remember the tone for a cantonese character while talking to someone, your chances of guessing right by pronouncing all characters with tone2 in mandarin, with tone4 in cantonese, is actually pretty good. However, there are many exceptions, such as 決(kyut3 vs jue2) in 決定 and 別(bit6 vs bie2). Luckily, those are basic characters whose pronunciation you should know by heart. On the other hand, if you already speak cantonese and you did not know how to pronounce a Cantonese 4th tone character in Mandarin, you would probably be 99% correct if you used the 2nd tone in Mandarin, but it's not as good the other way around(Mandarin to Cantonese).

[@karenwang8030]

A counterexample for that: 钱 qian as the 2nd tone in mandarin, in Cantonese is also the 2nd tone :)

[@vanessawarren683]

Thanks!

[@willschinese]

The 4th tone is similar to Mandarins 3rd tone when it's paired with other tones like the 我 in 我们

[@rabin2305]

Thanks this was helpful

[@Obscurity202]

The tones are different in the chart at the start compared to the one at the end.

[@Mbq-sh6bj]

2:09 3:09 3:41 4:19 5:00 5:43

[@wildwildwest1286]

I've seen on other videos that the third tone would be just a normal flat tone,in other words just say the word like you normally would in English.I hope that is correct because for me that simplifies matters greatly.I think I understand the tones concept,but picking it out as people speak Cantonese is a different story.

[@jimmyhaotran123]

I am absolutely sure that 史 and 市 are exact the same, I am a native Cantonese speaker by the way, appreciating your effort in uploading this complicated tone system of Cantonese anyway

[@CantoneseLessons]

Good Point. When we speak, I agree that we pretty much pronounce those 2 words interchangeably, however if you look them up in the dictionary, there is a difference and 市 is a slightly lower rising tone than 史. This is the reason why I think it is perfectly fine for beginners to mix tone 2 and 5 up when they start because they will still be understood because of the very small difference.

[@jimmyhaotran123]

good to hear you care about every small comments, to think about it more seriously, i find you are pretty right.. but to really to small to be noticed, and because you are saying the word combined with another word to give any meaning, the tiny small diffference will not matter at all :D thanks for reply.

[@pannigirl]

***** I know exactly where you're coming from and used to think the same way, that tones 2 and 5 were the same. However, I have since admitted I was wrong and now make absolutely clear to differentiate the two tones because honestly, native speakers can tell the difference. I've listened very closely to how native speakers speak, and have asked a few friends who all agree that 史 and 市 are different. It took some time to convince me but I now make sure to fully differentiate between the two tones because that's the only way to sound like a native.

[@pannigirl]

Rusty Chinese I'm not quite sure I believe this. I've never heard a native speaker pronounce 史 and 市 the same. 市 is always pronounced with a lower pitch. I used to think they were the same, but have since conceded that there is a distinction. Then again, I heard in Macau people sometimes don't differentiate between the two tones...but Macau (if what I mentioned is actually true) is the exception not the rule.

[@quyenluong3705]

+pannigirl i agree with you. i don't think 史 and 市 are pronounced the same way. I thought tones 2 and 5 are very different....

[@JacobYuanHang]

If you click 3:43 and 5:48 I hear absolutely no difference 😢

[@angstvision7108]

In practice, it's the combination of words and the entrance/exit of a sentence. You'll rarely say a word alone unless pronouns, like "I" or "you" etc. Si Gan (time) the important word is Gan, which has a high flat

[@shadowpastathetf2kidwithau706]

My autistic ass: ITS MARKED IN NUMBERS!? [KATA-KATA KASAR]

[@pudgepudge1548]

The book I studying says there is 7 (High Falling) which appears to be showing on the graph at the start. Does that tone no longer exist?

[@Borishal]

Totally wow! Many thanks. I came hear because my Mandarin teacher said she could hear no tones in Cantonese. Hmmm.

[@gansaangho9745]

非常感谢Rusty老师，你的视频真不错啊！

[@kooo6250]

Thank you .

[@LimChiQian]

I know chinese but cantonese is a bit more confusing

[@origameegamingandtutorials2429]

I only now cantonese engljsh A WORD of tamil a bit of malay and mandarin chinese

[@maxkim7937]

I feel like we got our Chinese loan words from old Cantonese in Korea. A lot of them just sound like a simpler tone less versions of the words in this video. Is there a historical connection to them?

[@АнтонМосковский-с1ы]

понятно и доходчиво, спасибки!)

[@susanralph274]

Good job! there are ones teaching this very wrong indeed as if it is like "listen' leesten....STAY ALIVE

[@LimChiQian]

4th is soooooo easy

[@dante350]

Bro in the first chart, tone 4 is dipping. But at the end tone 4 is flat and lower than 6 wtf

[@BangStories]

Could you put subtitles in spanish please?. Here spanishspeaker havent a channel to learn cantonese. :c

[@pia_mater]

He's basically explaining the Cantonese tones and how they sound

[@pia_mater]

Skip to 2:05

[@ghostland8646]

@@pia_mater ratio

[@melopc]

em... tones 2, 5 and 3 6 sound completely different to me. I'm a native speaker though.

[@learnrothongua8218]

+Darkwisp The tones 3, 5 are difficult to me! I'm learning Cantonese.

[@learnrothongua8218]

+Learn Rothongua Also tones 1 2 and 4 are super easy

[@sseongrish]

THAT's so coooool. How can you distinguish them? They sounds same to me.

[@isshumawatte]

Wenzhounese speaker here, only tone 4 and tone 6 sound the same to me, if I pronounce them the same, would it be understood by native speakers?

[@KREPITATION_band]

When mandarin isn’t hard enough lmao

[@921DARKKNIGHT]

Wow best so far :)

[@韩益平]

好喜欢亲的声音。

[@AldSotha]

+韩益平 gimme pushy pushy ^_^

[@BlockandCube]

Is it just me or did the outro music have pretty much the same chord progression as 对面的女孩看过来?

[@takyungsoon6989]

BlockandCube it is very similar, a lot of Chinese songs use these few chords lol

[@brilliant888]

In fact, the Cantonese tones can be classified into two groups: Yin (tone 1-3) and Yang (tone 4-6) group. It shows that the language is balanced by Yin Yang.

[@teehee4096]

I mean anything can be balanced by yin yang when you're looking for it.

[@dorothyjordan4355]

It would be much easier for people to learn to pronounce all tones in Cantonese if there were videos showing a person's mouth by slowly pronouncing all the tones of various syllables. This is because focus on the open mouth would show the movement of the tongue while each tone is pronounced which would make learning easier for those who are interested in learning, since the apprentice could imitate the movement of the tongue. I believe that if I know how the tongue moves in the mouth I will eventually learn how to pronounce the tones, otherwise I will have to give up learning this wonderful language.

[@angelinalow7731]

3:44 5:48 this is just markers for me to go to

[@GD_NorrlandDude06]

I want to learn Cantonese

[@CantoneseLessons]

Thank you for your question. I think that if you can tell the difference between tone 2 and 4, then your ears are trained. For tone 4, it's kind of like a small sigh when people get depressed. When you sigh, you start off at a low tone and you finish with silence(no more breathe to expel), if that makes sense. Tone 2 and 5 are rising tones. Listen to how I pronounce them in the video as well as the examples that follow. I'm sure you'll get it. :)

[@educationalaccount5963]

2:52 4:11 6:12

[@robingrg8110]

y suddenly the tone 4 is different at 6:51 ?

[@dream_candy2173]

Thank you for this video. It's very useful. Cantonese sounds so strange compared to Mandarin..it feels so weird to speak Canto. @_@

[@lunabb]

LOL why picked the word Si...that's making people think about poo poo =O=

[@strollas]

lmao

[@JameBlack]

No it doesn't, in Slavic languages "i"doesn't make any sense

[@doge-hime7615]

Holodno Bez Tebe ???

[@nickbest604]

多謝

[@sarahgomezish]

Thanks very much but i'm stuck at number 5

[@choemdp]

1_4_6 tone im not really know where is the difference of those tone

[@ozzyhoang3499]

Thiet khong do?

[@tortuga4200]

1:54