Pronunciation (Pitch Accent)

Master the melody of Japanese by understanding the pitch accent patterns that distinguish similar words.

What is Pitch Accent?

Unlike English, which uses stress accent (making syllables louder or longer), Japanese uses pitch accent. This means syllables (moras) are pronounced with either a high or low pitch. Correct pitch accent is essential for sounding natural and is often the only way to distinguish words that are written with the same kana.

The 4 Core Patterns

Most Japanese words follow one of these four pitch patterns. Understanding where the pitch drops is the key.

Heiban (Flat / Type 0)

The first mora is low, and all subsequent moras are high. There is no pitch drop, even when a particle is added.

日本語

にほんご

に

ほ

ん

ご

鼻

はな

は

な

水

みず

み

ず

友達

ともだち

と

も

だ

ち

Atamadaka (Head-high / Type 1)

The first mora is high, and all subsequent moras drop to a low pitch immediately.

雨

あめ

あ

め

箸

はし

は

し

本

ほん

ほ

ん

命

いのち

い

の

ち

Nakadaka (Middle-high)

The pitch starts low, rises to high, and drops back to low before the word ends.

卵

たまご

た

ま

ご

日本

にほん

に

ほ

ん

お弁当

おべんとう

お

べ

ん

と

う

休み

やすみ

や

す

み

Odaka (Tail-high)

The pitch starts low and rises to high, staying high until the end of the word. Crucially, the pitch drops when a particle follows.

花

はな

は

な

橋

はし

は

し

山

やま

や

ま

靴

くつ

く

つ

Why particles matter

The difference between Heiban (Flat) and Odaka (Tail-high) is invisible in the word itself, but becomes clear as soon as you add a particle like が, は, or を.

Heiban: 鼻 (Nose)

は

な

が

The pitch stays HIGH for the particle.

鼻がかゆい

Nose is itchy.

Odaka (Tail-high) + Particle

は

な

が

The pitch drops AFTER the particle.

花がきれい

The flower is beautiful.

General Rules

While pitch accent can be complex, there are two fundamental rules that apply to almost all Japanese words:1. The pitch always changes between the first and second mora (if the 1st is low, the 2nd is high; if the 1st is high, the 2nd is low).2. Once the pitch drops, it never rises again within the same word.