Pronunciation: mora, long vowels, double consonants and pitch
Why Japanese is counted in beats, how long vowels and small っ change meaning, and the four pitch-accent patterns of Tokyo Japanese with well-known minimal pairs.
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Mora timing (拍 haku)
Japanese is mora-timed, not syllable-timed. Every kana (except small ゃゅょ) is one beat of equal length. Clap once per kana.
Clap the beats
| Word | Kana | Beats | Clap pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | とうきょう | 4 | to-o-kyo-o |
| Osaka | おおさか | 4 | o-o-sa-ka |
| Nippon | にっぽん | 4 | ni-(pause)-po-n |
| newspaper | しんぶん | 4 | shi-n-bu-n |
| teacher | せんせい | 4 | se-n-se-e |
| stamp | きって | 3 | ki-(pause)-te |
| hospital | びょういん | 4 | byo-o-i-n |
Rules
- Each kana = 1 beat. きょ (contracted) = 1 beat. きよ = 2 beats.
- ん (syllabic n) is its own beat. ほん = 2 beats, not 1.
- Small っ is a full beat of silence.
- A long vowel (extra あいうえお or ー) adds one beat.
- Every mora gets roughly the same duration and the same stress. Do NOT stress one syllable as in English. Volume stays flat; only pitch changes.
Common learner error
Pronouncing おばあさん (grandmother, 5 beats) as おばさん (aunt, 4 beats). Length is meaning.
Pitch accent basics (高低アクセント)
Japanese words have a pattern of HIGH (H) and LOW (L) pitch on each mora. The standard (Tokyo) dialect has four patterns.
The four patterns
| Pattern | Shape | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 平板 heiban (flat) | L-H-H-H… | Starts low, rises on the 2nd mora, stays high; the following particle is also high | さかな (fish) L-H-H, さかなが = L-H-H-H |
| 頭高 atamadaka (head-high) | H-L-L… | First mora high, then drops | はし (chopsticks) H-L; あめ (rain) H-L |
| 中高 nakadaka (mid-high) | L-H-L… | Rises then drops in the middle | こころ (heart) L-H-L; おかし (sweets) L-H-L |
| 尾高 odaka (tail-high) | L-H-H, particle L | High through the end of the word, but the particle that follows drops | はし (bridge) L-H, はしが = L-H-L |
Well-known minimal pairs
- あめ H-L = rain (雨) / あめ L-H = candy (飴)
- はし H-L = chopsticks (箸) / はし L-H (particle L) = bridge (橋) / はし L-H (particle H) = edge (端)
- かみ H-L = god (神) / かみ L-H = paper, hair (紙・髪)
- いま H-L = now (今) / いま L-H = living room (居間)
Practical advice
- The JLPT does not test pitch accent directly, but wrong pitch hurts listening comprehension because you will not recognise words spoken correctly.
- Learn the pitch of each new word by shadowing audio. Mark ↓ after the last high mora in your notes (あ↓め = rain).
- Rule of thumb: the first and second morae always differ in pitch. Once the pitch drops, it never rises again inside the same word.
- Most nouns of 3–4 morae and most loanwords are either flat or drop on the third-from-last mora (テ↓レビ, カ↓メラ, サ↓ラダ). Some very common loanwords are flat instead (アメリカ, コンビニ, パソコン), so always check the audio.
Long vowels (長音)
A long vowel is a vowel held for two beats.
Spelling
| Long vowel | Hiragana | Katakana | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| ā | + あ | ー | おかあさん (mother), おばあさん (grandmother), カー (car) |
| ī | + い | ー | おにいさん (older brother), おいしい (delicious), ビール (beer) |
| ū | + う | ー | くうき (air), ゆうびんきょく (post office), スーパー |
| ē | + い (usual) / + え (few words) | ー | せんせい (teacher), えいご (English), とけい (clock); おねえさん (older sister), ええ (yes) |
| ō | + う (usual) / + お (small fixed set) | ー | おとうさん (father), がっこう (school), きょう (today); おおきい (big), とおい (far), とお (ten), こおり (ice), おおい (many), とおる (pass through) |
Meaning-changing pairs
- おじさん (uncle) / おじいさん (grandfather)
- おばさん (aunt) / おばあさん (grandmother)
- ここ (here) / こうこう (high school)
- ゆき (snow) / ゆうき (courage)
- くろ (black) / くろう (hardship)
- ビル (building) / ビール (beer)
- とる (take) / とおる (pass through)
- しゅじん (husband) / しゅうじん (prisoner)
Double consonants (促音: small っ / ッ)
Small っ creates a one-beat pause before k, s, t, p (and sh, ch, ts). Hold your mouth in the position of the next consonant and wait one beat.
Examples
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Compare with |
|---|---|---|---|
| きって | kit-te | stamp | きて (come) |
| がっこう | gak-kō | school | — |
| ざっし | zas-shi | magazine | — |
| きっぷ | kip-pu | ticket | — |
| いっしょ | is-sho | together | — |
| まって | mat-te | wait (て-form) | まて (imperative), また (again) |
| おっと | ot-to | husband | おと (sound) |
| にっき | nik-ki | diary | — |
| ちょっと | chot-to | a little | — |
| いった | it-ta | went | いた (was) |
| かった | kat-ta | bought | かた (shoulder; person) |
| ロック | rok-ku | rock (music) | ロク (six) |
Where っ never appears
Small っ never appears before a vowel, n, m, r, y, or w in native words. Loanwords occasionally have ッ before other sounds: ベッド beddo, バッグ baggu.
Quick check
1 / 20Multiple choiceDifficulty 2 of 5
How many beats (morae) does とうきょう have?