# Japanese Pitch Accent Trainer: Learn Japanese Pitch Accent

> Learn Japanese pitch accent with live feedback: say each word plus ga, and the app checks your high/low pattern mora by mora, with one named hint per mistake. 18 two-mora words, then 12 longer words. Free, no account, nothing ever leaves your device.

*Interactive tool: enter your values at https://toollantern.win/learn-japanese-pitch-accent/ and results update instantly in your browser.*

## Frequently asked questions
### What is Japanese pitch accent?

Pitch accent is how Japanese marks words with pitch: each mora is high or low, with at most one pitch drop per word. The pattern changes the word: hashi is chopsticks (high then low), a bridge (high, dropping on the particle), or an edge (never dropping). Same sounds, three patterns, three words.

### Do I need to know Japanese to use Japanese Pitch Accent Trainer?

No. The app starts from zero: it teaches the four patterns on 18 two-mora words with kana, romaji, and English glosses. You need no Japanese at all, just a microphone and a willingness to say hashi ga three different ways.

### Why do I have to say the word plus ga?

Odaka and heiban sound identical on the word alone: both are low, then high to the end. The difference appears only when something follows. After a heiban word, ga stays high; after an odaka word, ga drops low. Saying word plus ga lets the app, and your ear, hear the difference.

### Why do I have to calibrate my voice range first?

Pitch accent is high versus low inside YOUR range. Calibration slides from your lowest to your highest comfortable note so the app knows where to place the high/low line. Without it, a high mora for one voice could be a low mora for another.

### What is the difference between odaka and heiban?

Nothing on the word alone: both are low, then high to the end. The difference is what follows. After a heiban word, a particle stays high; after an odaka word, a particle drops low. That is why every item in this app is practised as word plus ga.

### What is the difference between atamadaka and the other patterns?

Only atamadaka starts high. Every other pattern starts low: heiban stays high after the rise, nakadaka drops mid-word, odaka drops on the particle. If your first mora is high, the pattern can only be atamadaka.

### Does the app judge my accent or how high my voice is?

Neither. It judges your pitch pattern against the target: which morae are high, which are low, and where the drop lands, measured inside your own calibrated range. A low voice and a high voice are graded the same way.

### Does the app teach Tokyo or Kansai pitch accent?

Tokyo. The patterns here are standard Tokyo citation forms, the ones dictionaries list. Kansai dialect uses different patterns for the same words: in Kansai, hashi chopsticks and bridge swap patterns. The app says so on the About page.

### Does the app record my voice?

No. Voice frames are analysed on your device and discarded immediately. Nothing is recorded, uploaded or shared, and the page security policy blocks connections to every outside server. The Offline proof panel shows the live request log to prove it.

### Does it work offline?

Yes, after your first visit. The app and all the lessons are saved on your device, so it works with no network at all. There is no model to download: pitch detection is pure signal processing that ships with the app.

### How do points, levels and badges work?

Each matched pattern is +10 points, and a perfect quiz round adds +20. Levels are New Voice, Pitch Learner, Pitch Star, and Master of Japanese Pitch. Longer words unlock at 50 points. Badges cover the first match, all 18 two-mora words, all 12 longer words, a perfect round, and a 7-day streak.

### Can I delete my progress?

Yes. Open Offline proof on the home page and press Delete all my data, or open Settings and press Clear progress. Everything is stored only in your browser, on your device.

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Interactive version: https://toollantern.win/learn-japanese-pitch-accent/