Easy Mandarin tongue twisters for beginners
Here are some easy Mandarin tongue twisters for beginners that are great for practicing pronunciation and tones:
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四是四 – Sì shì sì
四是四，十是十，十四是十四，四十是四十，四十四是四十四。
(Four is four, ten is ten, fourteen is fourteen, forty is forty, forty-four is forty-four.)
This is a classic beginner tongue twister that practices the “s” and “sh” sounds along with different tones. -
妈妈骑马 – Māma qí mǎ
妈妈骑马。马慢，妈妈骂马。
(Mother rides a horse. The horse is slow, and the mother scolds the horse.)
It helps with the “m” consonant and tone distinctions. -
红凤凰，粉凤凰 – Hóng fèng huáng, fěn fèng huáng
红凤凰，粉凤凰，粉红凤凰。
(Red phoenix, pink phoenix, pink-red phoenix.)
Great for practicing vowels like “eng,” “ong,” and “uang.” -
吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮，不吃葡萄倒吐葡萄皮 – Chī pú táo bù tǔ pú táo pí, bù chī pú táo dào tǔ pú táo pí
(Eat grapes without spitting out the grape skin; eat no grapes, but spit out the skin of the grapes.)
It practices consonants “ch,” “p,” “b” and all four tones. -
扁担长，板凳宽 – Biǎndan zhǎng, bǎndèng kuān
扁担长，板凳宽，扁担比板凳长，板凳比扁担宽……
(The shoulder pole is long, the bench is wide, the pole is longer than the bench, the bench is wider than the pole…)
It’s longer but excellent for practicing flow and rhythm.
These tongue twisters come with pinyin and translations to help beginners understand and practice tones and pronunciation effectively. They are fun and useful for improving Mandarin speaking skills.