The Hmong language shares a number of basic structural characteristics with several other languages of Asia, including Chinese. Most Hmong words only consist of one syllable. In Hmong, a particular tone is associated with each syllable and the syllable must be pronounced with this tone. For example, in Hmong the word Ma has different meanings depending upon whether a high, mid or low tone is used when saying the word. Lack of Inflections.
Hmong words possess only one form.
Number, case, tense etc. Nouns in Hmong are divided into a sizable number of different classes, similar to genders in some European languages, but based on categories other than sex. In most cases, a Hmong noun is preceded by a classifying word that makes clear its class membership. Sometimes a Hmong noun has different meanings depending upon the classifier used. A characteristic that Hmong shares with Chinese is its utilization of multiple verbs in sentences.