Back to Mandarin tone 2 vs tone 3

Word Guide

Tier 1 Practice Page

How to pronounce 米饭 (mǐ fàn)

米饭 means "cooked rice". Use this guide to lock in the tone pattern, articulation target, and the mistake most learners still make.

Pinyin

mǐ fàn

Tone Pattern

Tone 3 + Tone 4

Pronunciation Focus

toneContrast

How to say it

Start mǐ lower than a rising tone, then let fàn fall sharply after it.

Phonetic Breakdown

m+i_f+an

Most common error

The first syllable often rises too early and sounds too much like Tone 2.

HSK Level

HSK1

Related pronunciation rules

Tone 2 vs Tone 3: what learners usually miss

A compact guide to the rising second tone, the dipping third tone, and where learners flatten or over-dip them.

Practice similar examples

学生 (xué sheng)

Keep xué clearly rising without letting it sag low at the start.

白色 (bái sè)

Make bái rise cleanly, then drop fast into sè.

电脑 (diàn nǎo)

Keep the rising-versus-low contrast clear in 电脑 (diàn nǎo) instead of leveling the contour.

Hear the same pattern in sentences

我没去。 (wǒ méi qù.)

Keep méi genuinely rising so it does not merge with the low shape of wǒ.

很贵。 (hěn guì.)

Keep the rising-versus-low contrast clear in 很贵。 (hěn guì.) instead of leveling the contour.

钱不多。 (qián bù duō.)

Keep the rising-versus-low contrast clear in 钱不多。 (qián bù duō.) instead of leveling the contour.

Free Web Assessment

Test your Mandarin pronunciation for free

Compare your pitch curve against a native target and see where your tones or initials still drift.