Question 1

Where can I practice Japanese pitch accent online?

Accepted Answer

Japanese from Japan offers a free interactive pitch accent trainer. Learn to identify the four pitch patterns (heiban, atamadaka, nakadaka, odaka) through listening exercises and visual pitch diagrams.

Question 2

What is pitch accent in Japanese?

Accepted Answer

Japanese pitch accent refers to the pattern of high and low pitches used when pronouncing words. Unlike stress accent in English, Japanese uses relative pitch levels to distinguish meanings.

Question 3

How many pitch accent patterns are there?

Accepted Answer

Standard Japanese (Tokyo dialect) has four main pitch accent patterns: heiban (flat), atamadaka (head-high), nakadaka (middle-high), and odaka (tail-high).

Question 4

How can I improve my Japanese pronunciation?

Accepted Answer

Practice pitch accent patterns with an interactive trainer. Learning to hear and produce correct pitch patterns will make your Japanese sound more natural to native speakers.

アクセント

The Four Pitch Accent Patterns

Flat (Heiban) (平板)

Head-high (Atamadaka) (頭高)

Middle-high (Nakadaka) (中高)

Tail-high (Odaka) (尾高)

A pitch accent dictionary

Practice speaking with a tutor