Japanese

Noun

平板型 ‎(hiragana へいばんがた, romaji heiban-gata)

1. (phonetics) monotone type:

   The most common pitch accent pattern in “standard” Japanese or 標準語 ‎(hyōjungo) as used in the mass-media, where no syllable is accented: the first syllable has low pitch and all subsequent syllables have higher, gradually lowering pitch.

Synonyms

• 平板式 (へいばんしき) ‎(heiban-shiki)

Usage notes

All accent patterns in Japanese may be described as either 平板式 (​heiban-shiki) or 起伏式 (​kifuku-shiki). While 起伏式 is further divided into 頭高型 (​atamadaka-gata), 中高型 (​nakadaka-gata), and 尾高型 (​odaka-gata), there are no subcategories to 平板式. When contrasting with 頭高型, 頭高型, or 尾高型, it is customary to use the word 平板型 to avoid the inconsistency of comparing 型 (​-gata) with 式 (​-shiki).

See also

• 頭高型 (あたまだかがた) ‎(atamadakagata)
• 中高型 (なかだかがた) ‎(nakadakagata)
• 尾高型 (おだかがた) ‎(odakagata)