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Japanese Pitch Accent Trainer
Japanese is a pitch-accent language. Unlike stress accent in English, Japanese uses high and low pitch patterns to distinguish words. Master these patterns to sound more natural.
The Four Pitch Accent Patterns
Flat (Heiban) (平板)
Starts low, rises after first mora, stays high. No drop within the word.
桜(cherry blossom)
Low ↓↑ High
Head-high (Atamadaka) (頭高)
First mora is high, then drops and stays low.
箸(chopsticks)
Low ↓↑ High
Middle-high (Nakadaka) (中高)
Starts low, rises, then drops before the end.
卵(egg)
Low ↓↑ High
Tail-high (Odaka) (尾高)
Starts low, rises after first mora, drops after the last mora (on particles).
橋(bridge)
Low ↓↑ High