Pronunciation Guide
Third tone sandhi: why 你好 sounds like ní hǎo
When two third tones appear together, the first one usually surfaces like a rising tone. This is why 你好 is pronounced more like ní hǎo in real speech.
Short answer
Third-tone sandhi changes the first of two adjacent third tones into a rising contour, so 你好 is pronounced closer to ní hǎo.
Why learners miss it
Learners often memorize dictionary tones one syllable at a time, then pronounce both third tones fully instead of treating the phrase as one unit.
Self-test
Record 你好, 水果, and 你很好, then check whether the first third tone rises into the second one.
How to shape the sound
- Keep the second syllable as the true low third-tone target.
- Let the first syllable rise into the next one instead of dipping heavily.
- Practice pairs as one unit so the sandhi happens automatically.
Common mistakes
- Pronouncing both syllables as full citation Tone 3.
- Turning the first syllable into a full Tone 2 with too much height.
- Breaking the phrase with a pause that destroys the sandhi pattern.
Practice with example words
雨伞 (yǔ sǎn)
umbrella. Keep yǔ rounded and forward, then let the first third tone rise into the next syllable.
你好 (nǐ hǎo)
hello. Treat the first syllable as a light rise so the phrase flows naturally into hǎo.
水果 (shuǐ guǒ)
fruit. Let shuǐ rise into guǒ instead of dipping fully on both syllables.
不要 (bú yào)
don't want. Practice 不要 (bú yào) as one phrase so the third-tone sandhi happens smoothly in connected speech.
Practice with example sentences
FAQ
Is the first syllable really Tone 2?
In teaching terms, it behaves like a rising tone, but the key point is that it changes because of the following third tone.
Do I need to think about sandhi every time?
At first yes, but with repetition the pattern becomes automatic in common expressions.
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