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How many tones does Cantonese use?
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Chinese languages
Oracle bone inscriptions from the village of Xiaotun, Henan province, China; Shang dynasty, 14th or 12th century bce.
Standard Cantonese is characterized by a complex tonal system used to distinguish word meanings. While the language is often described as having at least six tones, the specific distribution depends on the syllable structure.12
- Syllables ending in vowels or nasals: These syllables utilize six distinct tones: mid level, low level, high falling, low falling, high rising, and low rising.2
- Syllables ending in stops (-p, -t, -k): These syllables are restricted to three tones: high, mid, and low.2
In total, these tones allow Cantonese to maintain a much higher number of distinct syllables compared to Modern Standard Chinese, which utilizes only four tones. Additionally, two specific tones are employed to modify the meaning of certain words.12