Editing Japanese pitch accent (section)

{{short description|Japanese language feature}}

{{Multiple issues|section=|
{{more footnotes needed|date=February 2008}}
{{expand Japanese|topic=|otherarticle=日本語の方言のアクセント|date=August 2018}}
{{Very long|date=January 2025}}
}}

[[File:Japan pitch accent map.png|thumb|320px|Japanese pitch-accent types
{{legend|#CD8080|Keihan type (downstep plus tone)}}
{{legend|#94CF97|Tokyo type (variable downstep)}}
{{legend|#C8BFE7|''N-kei'' (1-3 pattern) type (fixed downstep)}}
{{legend|#FFFF80|No accent}}
{{legend|#E6BE80|intermediate (Tokyo–Keihan)}}
{{legend|#C8CD8C|intermediate (Tokyo–none)}}]]

'''Japanese [[pitch accent]]'''  is a feature of the [[Japanese language]] that distinguishes words by [[Pitch-accent language|accenting]] particular [[Mora (linguistics)|morae]] in most [[Japanese dialects]]. The nature and location of the accent for a given word may vary between dialects. For instance, the word for "river" is {{IPA|[ka.waꜜ]}} in the Tokyo dialect, with the accent on the second mora, but in the [[Kansai dialect]] it is {{IPA|[kaꜜ.wa]}}. A final {{IPA|[i]}} or {{IPA|[ɯ]}} is often devoiced to {{IPA|[i̥]}} or {{IPA|[ɯ̥]}} after a downstep and an unvoiced consonant.

The Japanese term is {{nihongo||高低アクセント|kōtei akusento|{{lit|high-and-low accent}}}},<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%AB%98%E4%BD%8E%E3%81%82%E3%81%8F%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A8-3210594|script-title=ja:高低アクセント|lang=ja|script-website=ja:コトバンク}}</ref> and it refers to pitch accent in languages such as Japanese and [[Swedish language|Swedish]]. It contrasts with {{nihongo||強弱アクセント|kyōjaku akusento|{{lit|strong-and-weak accent}}}},<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BC%B7%E5%BC%B1%E3%81%82%E3%81%8F%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A8-3209871|script-title=ja:強弱アクセント|lang=ja|script-website=ja:コトバンク}}</ref> which refers to [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]]. An alternative term is {{nihongo||高さアクセント|takasa akusento|{{lit|height accent}}}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%AB%98%E3%81%95%E3%81%82%E3%81%8F%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A8-3213648|script-title=ja:高さアクセント|lang=ja|script-website=ja:コトバンク}}</ref> which contrasts with {{nihongo||強さアクセント|tsuyosa akusento|{{lit|strength accent}}}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%BC%B7%E3%81%95%E3%81%82%E3%81%8F%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A8-572720|script-title=ja:強さアクセント|lang=ja|script-website=ja:コトバンク}}</ref>

[[File:Ja-botchan 1-1 1-2.ogg|thumb|220x124px|right|Reading of the first two paragraphs of the chapter 1 of ''[[Botchan]]'' in the Tokyo accent]]
[[File:Ja-ksb-botchan 1-1 1-2.ogg|thumb|220x124px|right|Reading of the same part of ''Botchan'' in the Kansai accent]]