1
High level
Keep a steady upper pitch. Tone 1 also has a high falling variant for some speakers and styles.
si1詩poem
Cantonese sounds. Useful words. Your next conversation.
Cantonese tones and Jyutping numbers.
Learn the six Jyutping tone numbers with simple pitch diagrams, understand short p, t and k endings, and check your reading with small exercises.
Jyutping puts an ordinary digit after each syllable: si1, si2, si3, si4, si5, si6. A tone is part of the word, not punctuation. The six examples below keep the letters the same so you can focus on the changing tone number and meaning.
The lines show useful teaching patterns, not an exact pitch trace. Use your own comfortable voice range; listen to complete words because pitch and timing vary across speakers and sentences.
2
High rising
Rise toward the upper part of your range. Keep it distinct from the lower rise of tone 5.
si2史history
3
Mid level
Keep a steady middle pitch, below tone 1.
si3試to try
4
Low falling
Move down into a low pitch. Natural realizations can be quite low and relatively level.
si4時time
5
Low rising
Rise from a low starting point, ending lower than the teaching pattern for tone 2.
si5市market
6
Low level
Keep a low, fairly steady pitch, below tone 3.
si6事matter; affair
What about the “nine tones”?
Syllables ending in p, t or k are called checked syllables. Traditional descriptions count three checked categories separately; Jyutping uses the same tone numbers 1, 3 and 6 for their usual high, middle and low pitches.
濕 · sap1wet · high雪 · syut3snow · middle食 · sik6to eat · low
Write these with 1, 3 and 6 in Jyutping, rather than switching to 7, 8 and 9. Expressive words and changed-tone readings can be exceptions to the usual checked-tone pattern.
Close the syllable at the final consonant. Adding a vowel after it changes what you are trying to say.
A reading can depend on the word
Some words have changed-tone readings. For example, 話 can be waa6, while 廣東話 is commonly read gwong2 dung1 waa2.
Learn the reading for the actual word or phrase you mean. A character-by-character list cannot always predict the spoken result.
Our spelling exercises ask for the reading shown in that exercise. They check written recall, not microphone audio or spoken pronunciation.
See readings in everyday phrases →Check what the notation means
Three quick questions
Choose an answer, then open the explanation.
Reference checks: Linguistic Society of Hong Kong · Jyutping scheme, Jyutping questions and Jyutping sound reference. Explanations, study activities and diagrams here are original i2Bopomo learning material.
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Learn Cantonese
Cantonese practicePractice Jyutping readings for useful Cantonese words. Enter letters and tone numbers, use a hint when needed, and check your answers as you learn.
Jyutping sound chartExplore Jyutping initials and common finals with Cantonese word examples. Search the reference, open spelling notes and print a study sheet.
Everyday Cantonese phrasesStudy useful Cantonese greetings and everyday phrases with Jyutping readings, meanings and context. Hide the readings to practise recall or print your study cards.