Eight words
Click a cell, then count the falls.
or use the + on each cell
In a sentence
How the word sounds in a sentence. Tap the line to hear it all, tap the highlighted word to hear just that part.
Per-mora curves and drop counts
A drop is an H→L transition; a compound normally has one. The vertical axis is relative height inside the word.
いままでima-made1 drop(s)
until now · LHHL
にほんごnihon-go1 drop(s)
Japanese · HHHL
とうきょうえきtoukyou-eki1 drop(s)
Tokyo station · LHHHHL
だいがくせいdaigaku-sei2 drop(s)
university student · LHHLHL
おとこのこotoko-no-ko1 drop(s)
boy · LHHHL
しごとばshigoto-ba1 drop(s)
workplace · LHHL
やまみちyama-michi1 drop(s)
mountain path · LHHL
あまぐama-gu1 drop(s)
rain gear · LHL
7 of 8 words show a single drop; 1 shows two drops (だいがくせい) — play that card: that is what 'two words' sounds like.
| Compound | Romaji | Morae | H-L | Drops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| いままで | ima-made | 4 | LHHL | 1 |
| にほんご | nihon-go | 4 | HHHL | 1 |
| とうきょうえき | toukyou-eki | 6 | LHHHHL | 1 |
| だいがくせい | daigaku-sei | 6 | LHHLHL | 2 |
| おとこのこ | otoko-no-ko | 5 | LHHHL | 1 |
| しごとば | shigoto-ba | 4 | LHHL | 1 |
| やまみち | yama-michi | 4 | LHHL | 1 |
| あまぐ | ama-gu | 3 | LHL | 1 |
How to practise
- Say both parts clearly, then join them into one fall.
- とうきょうえき: the fall comes after きょ; do not drop again on えき.
- The control card: だいがくせい shows two drops and sounds like two words.
- Test: read it in one breath and move your hand down only once.
Where these numbers come from
F0 per mora = voiced span split into N parts; H/L against the word mean; drops = H→L transitions. This criterion needs no external accent-type annotation — it only counts the falls in the curve.
Two boundaries: (1) the 'read separately' comparison was not built — a comma creates a long pause and the equal-mora split lands on the pause, so those counts are not trustworthy; (2) 7 of 8 words show a single drop and one (だいがくせい) shows two: it is kept deliberately as the counter-example, not deleted as a failure.