Low to high (2 moras) nouns in Standard Japanese always follow the rule.
There isn’t a simple pattern that works for every noun, so it’s best to memorize the pitch accent of frequently used words one by one.
Here are some of the most common nouns sorted by category.
1️⃣ [Low to high] becomes [all high] or [high to low]
What are 平板 (Heiban) and 尾高 (Odaka)?
Heiban (平板): There is no pitch drop in the word, so the following particle (e.g., が) stays high.
Odaka (尾高): The pitch drops right after the word ends, so the following particle (e.g., が) becomes low.
LH(Heiban) → HH
人 [ひと] person
水 [みず] water
国 [くに] country
Standard : LH
Kansai : HH
鼻 [はな] | nose |
上 [うえ] | above |
下 [した] | below |
場所 [ばしょ] | place |
道 [みち] | road |
LH(Odaka) → HL
家 [いえ] house
花 [はな] flower
部屋 [へや] room
Standard : LH
Kansai : HL
年 [とし] | year |
町 [まち] | town |
店 [みせ] | shop |
昼 [ひる] | daytime |
こと [こと] | thing |
もの [もの] | thing, item |
山 [やま] | mountain |
2️⃣ Low to high
LHH → HHH
明日 [あした] tomorrow
仕事 [しごと] work
名前 [なまえ] name
Standard : LHH
Kansai : HHH
時間 [じかん] | time |
電話 [でんわ] | phone |
映画 [えいが] | movie |
子ども [こども] | child |
体 [からだ] | body |
英語 [えいご] | english |
LHHH → HHHH
友だち [ともだち] friend
最近 [さいきん] recently
勉強 [べんきょう] study
Standard : LHHH
Kansai : HHHH
学生 [がくせい] | student |
質問 [しつもん] | question |
内容 [ないよう] | content |
アメリカ [あめりか] | America |
LHH → LLH
学校 [がっこう] school
会社 [かいしゃ] company
お金 [おかね] money
Standard : LHH
Kansai : LLH
旅行 [りょこう] | travel |
予定 [よてい] | plan |
電車 [でんしゃ] | train |
バイト [ばいと] | part-time job |
大人 [おとな] | adult |
自分 [じぶん] | myself, yourself |
LHH → HLL
男 [おとこ] man
女 [おんな] woman
言葉 [ことば] word, language
Standard : LHH
Kansai : HLL
みっつ [みっつ] | three |
相手 [あいて] | the other person |
LHH → LHL (rare)
はしご [はしご] ladder
後ろ [うしろ] behind
ふたつ [ふたつ] two
Standard : LHH
Kansai : LHL
みんな [みんな] | everyone |
3️⃣
HL → LH
今日 [きょう] today
今 [いま] now
前 [まえ] front
Standard : HL
Kansai : LH
中 [なか] | inside |
外 [そと] | outside |
声 [こえ] | voice |
朝 [あさ] | morning |
夜 [よる] | night |
雨 [あめ] | rain |
HL → HL (no change)
本 [ほん] book
駅 [えき] station
前 [まえ] before
Standard, Kansai : HL
バカ [ばか] | stupid |
都市 [とし] | city |
週 [しゅう] | week |
意味 [いみ] | meaning |
HLL → HLL (no change)
ご飯 [ごはん] rice, meal
家族 [かぞく] family
京都 [きょうと] Kyoto
Standard, Kansai : HLL
天気 [てんき] | weather |
世界 [せかい] | world |
歯医者 [はいしゃ] | dentist |
態度 [たいど] | attitude |
ナイス [ないす] | nice |
機能 [きのう] | function |
HLL → LHL
会議 [かいぎ] meeting
Standard : HLL
Kansai : LHL
4️⃣
LHL → HLL
昨日 [きのう] yesterday
Standard : LHL
Kansai : HLL
LHL → LHL
ひとつ [ひとつ] one
卵 [たまご] egg
Standard, Kansai : LHL
LHHL → HHHL
考え [かんがえ]
Standard : LHHL
Kansai : HHHL
LHHL → HLLL
先生 [せんせい] teacher
Standard : LHHL
Kansai : HLLL
5️⃣ Noun + particle
①
For most nouns, the pitch of the following particle is the same as the pitch of the noun’s final mora.
名前は [なまえ は] name
: HHH H
場所で [ばしょ で] place
: HH H
駅で [えき で] station
: HL L
会議が [かいぎ が] meeting
: LHL L
先生の [せんせい の] teacher
: HLLL L
②
If a particle comes after high at the end words, the pitch becomes low and flat, and the particle is high.
お金 [おかね] money
: LLH
お金が [おかね が]
: LLL H
会社 [かいしゃ] company
: LLH
会社に [かいしゃ に]
: LLL H