The seven Hokkien tones
Every Hokkien syllable carries one of seven tones, written with the traditional tone numbers. In the traditional count there are eight, but tone 6 merged with tone 2, so only seven distinct tones remain. The numbers skip 6 on purpose: they are the historical tone classes, and keeping them makes dictionaries and textbooks line up.
- Tone 1, yin level (44): high flat. Example: kun 君, lord.
- Tone 2, rising (53): high falling. Example: kún 滾, to roll.
- Tone 3, yin departing (11): low flat, near the bottom. Example: kùn 棍, stick.
- Tone 4, yin entering (32): mid falling and short, ending in a stop. Example: kut 骨, bone.
- Tone 5, yang level (24): rising from low. Example: kûn 群, group.
- Tone 7, yang departing (33): mid flat. Example: kūn 郡, county.
- Tone 8, yang entering (4): high and short, ending in a stop. Example: ku̍t 滑, slippery.
The Chao numbers (44, 53, 11, 32, 24, 33, 4) are the standard textbook values for Taipei speech, tracing each tone from start to finish on a 1 to 5 scale. Real speakers vary, and other Hokkien dialects differ more. The app accepts a close fit, not an exact one.
Tone sandhi: tones change in phrases
In connected Hokkien speech, only the last syllable in a phrase keeps its citation tone. Every earlier syllable changes, following the Taipei sandhi rules:
- Tone 1 becomes tone 7 (high flat becomes mid flat).
- Tone 2 becomes tone 1 (high falling becomes high flat).
- Tone 3 becomes tone 2 (low flat becomes high falling).
- Tone 5 becomes tone 3 in Taipei speech (rising becomes low flat). In Tainan speech it becomes tone 7 instead.
- Tone 7 becomes tone 3 (mid flat becomes low flat).
- The checked tones swap for -p, -t, -k finals: tone 4 becomes tone 8, tone 8 becomes tone 4. For -h finals, tone 4 becomes tone 2 and tone 8 becomes tone 3.
The two-syllable words in this app are graded the way they are really said: first syllable in its sandhi tone, last syllable in its citation tone. Each word's lesson names its change. The single syllables are graded in citation form, the way you would say them alone or at the end of a phrase.
Calibrate your voice range first
Before practising, press Set my voice range and slide slowly from your lowest to your highest comfortable note, saying a steady "ahhh" while you slide. The app measures your range from that slide and grades every utterance against it: 1.0 means the top of your range, 0.0 the bottom. This matters because Hokkien tones differ by LEVEL as well as shape: tone 1 and tone 7 are both flat, one high, one mid, and only your calibrated range tells them apart. You can recalibrate any time in Settings, and your range is stored only on your device.
The 21 syllables: three minimal sets
Seven tones per set, one base syllable carrying all seven. The kun, si, and tang sets are the classic minimal sets: the same sounds, different tones, different words.
- kun set: kun lord, kún to roll, kùn stick, kut bone, kûn group, kūn county, ku̍t slippery.
- si set: si poetry, sí to die, sì four, sih bright, sî time, sī to be, si̍t to eat.
- tang set: tang east, tâng copper, táng to direct, tàng to freeze, tāng to move, tak to touch, ta̍k every.
Practise each set in turn and the tones separate fast. The spelling is POJ (Pe̍h-ōe-jī), the standard romanisation for Hokkien: no mark for tone 1, an acute accent for tone 2, a grave accent for tone 3, a circumflex for tone 5, a macron for tone 7, and no mark plus a stop consonant for the checked tones 4 and 8.
The 12 two-syllable words with real sandhi
Knowing single tones is only half the skill. In real words the first syllable changes, and the app grades the words the way they are really said.
- Taipei sandhi, tone 5 becomes tone 3: Tâi-pak Taipei (5-4 said 3-4), Tâi-lâm Tainan (5-5 said 3-5), Tâi-oân Taiwan (5-5 said 3-5), Hân-kok Korea (5-4 said 3-4).
- Tone 1 becomes tone 7: Tiong-kok China (1-4 said 7-4), Eng-kok England (1-4 said 7-4), sian-siⁿ teacher (1-1 said 7-1).
- Tone 2 becomes tone 1: Bí-kok America (2-4 said 1-4).
- Checked tones swap: Ji̍t-pún Japan (8-2 said 4-2), Hoat-kok France (4-4 said 8-4), Tek-kok Germany (4-4 said 8-4), ha̍k-hāu school (8-7 said 4-7).
Tone pairs unlock at 50 points, after you have the single tones down. Leave a tiny gap between the syllables so the check can hear both: the app splits your utterance at the gap and checks each half against its own target.
How the live check works
Your browser samples the microphone and measures your pitch with autocorrelation, a standard signal-processing method that finds how often your voice waveform repeats. No model is downloaded and no audio is sent anywhere. Your pitch contour is compared to the seven target shapes by root-mean-square error, measured against your calibrated range. A match needs a close fit and a clear margin over the next-best tone, so a contour sitting between two tones is honestly reported as unclear rather than guessed. Pitch alone leaves tone 1 and tone 8 close, both high, so a near-tie between exactly those two is settled by duration: short favours tone 8, held favours tone 1, in between is reported unclear. Press Hear the target to hear any tone as a gliding tone, placed inside your own range, before you say it. Checked tones play short.
The confusable pairs
Three pairs trip learners up most. Tone 1 vs tone 7: both flat, one high, one mid. The difference is level alone, which is why calibration matters. Tone 1 vs tone 8: both high, but tone 8 is short and cut off. The difference is length: hold tone 1 for a full beat, clip tone 8 short. Tone 4 vs tone 7: tone 4 falls a little from the middle and stops; tone 7 stays flat in the middle. When your contour sits between two tones, the app says so honestly instead of guessing, and names the difference to aim for.
Taipei tones, and what the app does not grade
The tones taught here are Taipei citation tones with Taipei sandhi. Other Hokkien dialects differ: Tainan tone 5 becomes tone 7 in sandhi, not tone 3, and tone 2 falls less steeply. This app grades single syllables in citation form and two-syllable words with sandhi on the first syllable. It does not grade full sentences, and it does not check grammar, vocabulary, or meaning. Background noise, a quiet voice, or a creaky voice can confuse the pitch tracker: if a native speaker says your tones sound right, trust them over the app.
Quiz, points, levels and badges
Quiz mode asks for 8 items in a random order: +10 points per match, +20 bonus for a perfect round. Levels run New Voice, Tone Learner, Tone Star, and Master of Hokkien Tones. Badges cover the first matched tone, practising all 21 syllables, practising all 12 tone pairs, a perfect quiz round, and practising on seven days in a row. Confetti and chimes celebrate wins, and both can be turned off in Settings. Practice stays the core: the games are there to pull you back for one more tone.
Your voice never leaves your device
Voice frames are analysed on your device and discarded. The page security policy blocks connections to every outside server. There is no account, no analytics, no recording, and no cookie. The built-in Offline proof panel shows a live log of every network request the page makes, lets you simulate a fully offline session, shows exactly what is stored on your device, and deletes it all with one button. The app works offline after your first visit. Pitch tracking approximates tones, and regional variation exists: the target tones describe Taipei citation forms with Taipei sandhi. Native-speaker review is being sought in parallel, not as a gate.
Start practising Hokkien tones
Learning tones too? Try the Mandarin Tone Trainer, the Cantonese Tone Trainer, the Vietnamese Tone Trainer, the Thai Tone Trainer, and the Yoruba Tone Trainer, the same live pitch feedback for five tone languages. For Japanese pitch, Japanese Pitch Accent Trainer coaches high/low patterns mora by mora. For sign language, Fingerspell teaches the ASL alphabet.
This is a home practice tool, not a teacher, therapist or safety device. Everything runs on your device: no video, audio or images are sent anywhere. Feedback is automatic and can be wrong. For real instruction, learn from a qualified Hokkien teacher or a native-speaker community, linked on the Resources page.