How Jyutping writes a syllable
Every Cantonese syllable in Jyutping is written as:
initial + final + tone number
- nei5 = initial n + final ei + tone 5
- gong2 = initial g + final ong + tone 2
- fan3 = initial f + final an + tone 3
Tone numbers are always written at the end of the syllable — 1 through 6 only. There are no tones 7, 8, or 9 in this course's notation (more on that below).
The six tones
Hong Kong Cantonese has six contrastive tones. Three sit in a higher pitch range (tones 1–3), three in a lower range (4–6). The classic minimal set is the character 詩-family on the syllable si:
A simpler way to picture them: three level tones — 1, 3, and 6 (high, mid, low). Two rising tones — 2 and 5 (one starts higher, one starts lower). And one falling tone — 4, a low fall. That's the whole map.
Why tones matter — minimal pairs
Tone changes the meaning completely. The same spelling si produces six different words:
Tone 1
詩
si1
poem
Tone 2
史
si2
history
Tone 3
試
si3
to try
Tone 4
時
si4
time
Tone 5
市
si5
market
Tone 6
是
si6
is (formal/literary)
A famous real-world set on the syllable fan:
Tone 1
分
fan1
to divide / a minute
Tone 2
粉
fan2
powder / noodles
Tone 3
瞓
fan3
to sleep
Tone 4
焚
fan4
to burn
Tone 5
憤
fan5
angry
Tone 6
份
fan6
a share / a copy
What about tones 7, 8, 9? (Short answer: don't worry)
Traditional Cantonese linguistics counts nine tones. Syllables ending in a stop consonant -p, -t, -k (called "checked" or 入聲 syllables) are short and clipped, and they get their own tone numbers: 7, 8, 9.
Here's the relief: tone 7 is just tone 1 said short, tone 8 is tone 3 short, and tone 9 is tone 6 short. Modern Jyutping already writes them with digits 1, 3, and 6 — e.g. 八 baat3 (eight) ends in -t and carries tone 3.
So in this course (and in Jyutping generally) you'll only ever see digits 1–6. When a syllable ends in -p, -t, or -k, just say it shorter and crisper — the tone number already tells you the pitch.
| Cantonese | Jyutping | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 八 | baat3 | eight | Checked (-t) — short tone 3 |
| 十 | sap6 | ten | Checked (-p) — short tone 6 |
| 百 | baak3 | hundred | Checked (-k) — short tone 3 |
| 一 | jat1 | one | Checked (-t) — short tone 1 |
How to actually practice tones
Tones are learned by ear, not by reading. What works:
- **Shadow the audio.** Tap the 🔊 button on a word, listen, then say it back immediately — five times. Compare si1 → si6 up and down the set.
- **Practice in pairs, not six at once.** First contrast just si1 (flat high) vs si4 (falls low); then si3 vs si6 (flat mid vs flat low); then si2 vs si5 (the two risers).
- **Anchor on flat first.** If you can hold si1, si3, si6 steady at three heights, the risers and the faller fall into place.
- **Don't expect perfection in week one.** Comprehension improves faster than production — keep listening and it catches up.
佢
Pronunciation keoi5
he / she / they (tone 5, low rise)
Gender-neutral — no he/she split.
我
Pronunciation ngo5
I / me (tone 5)
唔
Pronunciation m4
not (tone 4, low fall)
係
Pronunciation hai6
to be (tone 6, low flat)
喺
Pronunciation hai2
to be at (tone 2, mid rise)
Different tone from 係 — meaning differs too.
Mini practice
In Jyutping, where does the tone number go?
At the end of each syllable: nei5 hou2, gong2 dim2. Numbers 1–6 only.
Which tone is high and flat — and which is low and flat?
Tone 1 is high flat (詩 si1), tone 6 is low flat (是 si6), tone 3 sits in between (試 si3).
詩 (si1) vs 時 (si4) — what's the difference?
si1 stays high and level; si4 starts low and dips further. They are different words — "poem" vs "time".
Why does this course never use tone digits 7/8/9?
Checked syllables (-p/-t/-k) get those numbers in the old nine-tone count, but in Jyutping they're already written as 1/3/6 — just shorter. 八 baat3 is tone 3, clipped.
係 hai6 and 喺 hai2 — which one means "to be at a place"?
喺 hai2 (tone 2). 係 hai6 (tone 6) means "to be" as in identity — 我係學生 "I'm a student".
