平板式

Japanese

Etymology

Kanji in this term
平	板	式
へい Grade: 3	ばん Grade: 3	しき Grade: 3
on'yomi

Compound of 平板 (heiban, “flat; monotone”) +‎ 式 (shiki, “style”)

Noun

平(へい)板(ばん)式(しき) • (heiban-shiki) 

1. (phonetics) monotone style:

   The pitch accent pattern in Japanese where no syllable is accented: the first syllable has low pitch and all subsequent syllables have higher, gradually lowering pitch.

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, 中高型, 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).

Synonyms

• 平板型(へいばんがた) (heiban-gata)

Antonyms

• 起伏式(きふくしき) (kifuku-shiki)