The Chinese neutral tone (called "qīngshēng" in Pinyin) has no fixed pitch. It’s light, short, and weak, and always attaches to the previous syllable. You can master it easily with the following rules—most daily words follow these!
Rule 1: Auxiliaries→ Neutral Tone
Common words: 的 (de), 地 (de), 得 (de), 了 (le), 着 (zhe), 过 (guo), 吗 (ma), 呢 (ne), 吧 (ba)
Examples:
我的书 (wǒ de shū) – my book
吃了 (chī le) – ate (finished eating)
你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma) – how are you?
走吧 (zǒu ba) – let’s go
Rule 2: Repeated Nouns/Verbs (Doubled Words) → Second Word is Neutral
When you repeat a noun (like names) or verb (like actions), the second one is soft.
Nouns (people/things): 妈妈 (mā ma) – mom, 爸爸 (bà ba) – dad, 星星 (xīng xing) – star
Verbs (actions): 看看 (kàn kan) – look, 说说 (shuō shuo) – talk, 走走 (zǒu zou) – walk
Rule 3: Noun Endings → Neutral Tone
Many nouns have a "suffix" that’s always soft.
Common endings: 子 (zi), 头 (tou), 们 (men), 家 (jia)
Examples:
桌子 (zhuō zi) – table
石头 (shí tou) – stone
我们 (wǒ men) – we/us
老人家（lǎo rén jia）––elderly person
Rule 4: Direction Words → Neutral Tone
Words that show place (like "above" or "inside") are soft when used after a noun.
Examples: 上面 (shàng mian) – above, 里面 (lǐ mian) – inside, 左边（zuǒ bian）– left, 右边（yòu bian）– right
Rule 5: Fixed Two-Word Words → Second Word is Neutral
Some common two-word words have a fixed soft second syllable (just remember them!).
Examples: 明白 (míng bai) – understand, 喜欢 (xǐ huan) – like, 热闹 (rè nao) – lively, 清楚 (qīng chu) – clear，朋友 (péng you) – friend
Quick Tips to Avoid Mistakes
No tone mark for neutral tone! Write Pinyin like "ma" (not "mā" or "mǎ").
A few words change meaning with/without neutral tone:
大意 (dà yì, full tone) – main idea
大意 (dà yi, neutral tone) – careless
东西 （dōng xī，full tone) – direction
东西 (dōng xi, neutral tone) – item
(more)Rule 1: Auxiliaries→ Neutral Tone
Common words: 的 (de), 地 (de), 得 (de), 了 (le), 着 (zhe), 过 (guo), 吗 (ma), 呢 (ne), 吧 (ba)
Examples:
我的书 (wǒ de shū) – my book
吃了 (chī le) – ate (finished eating)
你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma) – how are you?
走吧 (zǒu ba) – let’s go
Rule 2: Repeated Nouns/Verbs (Doubled Words) → Second Word is Neutral
When you repeat a noun (like names) or verb (like actions), the second one is soft.
Nouns (people/things): 妈妈 (mā ma) – mom, 爸爸 (bà ba) – dad, 星星 (xīng xing) – star
Verbs (actions): 看看 (kàn kan) – look, 说说 (shuō shuo) – talk, 走走 (zǒu zou) – walk
Rule 3: Noun Endings → Neutral Tone
Many nouns have a "suffix" that’s always soft.
Common endings: 子 (zi), 头 (tou), 们 (men), 家 (jia)
Examples:
桌子 (zhuō zi) – table
石头 (shí tou) – stone
我们 (wǒ men) – we/us
老人家（lǎo rén jia）––elderly person
Rule 4: Direction Words → Neutral Tone
Words that show place (like "above" or "inside") are soft when used after a noun.
Examples: 上面 (shàng mian) – above, 里面 (lǐ mian) – inside, 左边（zuǒ bian）– left, 右边（yòu bian）– right
Rule 5: Fixed Two-Word Words → Second Word is Neutral
Some common two-word words have a fixed soft second syllable (just remember them!).
Examples: 明白 (míng bai) – understand, 喜欢 (xǐ huan) – like, 热闹 (rè nao) – lively, 清楚 (qīng chu) – clear，朋友 (péng you) – friend
Quick Tips to Avoid Mistakes
No tone mark for neutral tone! Write Pinyin like "ma" (not "mā" or "mǎ").
A few words change meaning with/without neutral tone:
大意 (dà yì, full tone) – main idea
大意 (dà yi, neutral tone) – careless
东西 （dōng xī，full tone) – direction
东西 (dōng xi, neutral tone) – item