Mandarin does not have many syllables: the words for "mother," "hemp," "horse," "scold," and a word put at the end of sentences to make it a question are all pronounced "ma:"
m æ n d ə ɹ ɹ ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY d ʌ z n ɑ t WORD_BOUNDARY h æ v WORD_BOUNDARY m ɛ n i WORD_BOUNDARY s ɪ l ə b ə l z WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY w ɜː d z WORD_BOUNDARY f ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY m ʌ ð ə ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY h ɛ m p WORD_BOUNDARY h ɔ ɹ s WORD_BOUNDARY s k oʊ l d WORD_BOUNDARY æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY w ɜː d WORD_BOUNDARY p ʊ t WORD_BOUNDARY æ t WORD_BOUNDARY ð ɪ WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY s ɛ n t ə n s ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY t ə WORD_BOUNDARY m eɪ k WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY k w ɛ s t̠ʃ ə n WORD_BOUNDARY ɑ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ l WORD_BOUNDARY p ɹ ə n aʊ n s t WORD_BOUNDARY m ɑ WORD_BOUNDARY