TonePerfect vs OJAD
OJAD — the Online Japanese Accent Dictionary, from the University of Tokyo — is the authoritative free resource for Japanese pitch accent. Look up a word and see its accent pattern; paste a sentence into Suzuki-kun and it draws the pitch curve for the whole phrase, including conjugated verbs and devoiced moras. It is the reference. It does not listen to you.
At a glance
| Feature | OJAD | TonePerfect |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Pitch-accent reference and visualisation | Pronunciation training, in eight languages |
| Languages | 1 — Japanese | 8 — Mandarin, English, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean |
| Price | Free | Free · Premium from $4.99/mo |
| Free tier | Everything | 10 AI assessments per day, free |
| Speech feedback | None — it does not record you | A score for every sound in every word you say |
| Pitch accent | Shows the expected pitch curve | Yes — pitch accent scored per word, on top of every mora |
| Error diagnosis | n/a — reference only | Ranks your sounds weakest-first and drills the worst ones |
| Targeted drills | None — lookup tool | Minimal pairs and spaced repetition, aimed at your weakest sounds |
Prices are US figures checked in August 2026 and move with promotions — check the stores or the app’s own site for current numbers.
What OJAD does better
- ✓Free, and authoritative — a university research tool, not a marketing product
- ✓Suzuki-kun draws the pitch curve of a whole sentence, not just isolated words
- ✓Verb and adjective suffix accents, which is where dictionaries usually give up
- ✓Devoiced moras marked, and synthesised audio you can play back
Where TonePerfect goes deeper
- ✓OJAD shows the target; it never hears your attempt
- ✓We score every mora, and score your pitch-accent pattern against the expected one
- ✓Your weakest sounds are ranked across sessions, so pitch errors are tracked rather than looked up once
- ✓Works on your phone, in a practice loop, rather than as a lookup in a browser tab
Bottom line
Use OJAD to find out what a sentence is supposed to sound like — nothing else gives you sentence-level pitch, verb-suffix accent and devoicing for free, from a university research group. Then say it into TonePerfect, which scores each mora and scores the accent pattern you actually produced against the pattern the word is supposed to have. Reference, then measurement.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need OJAD if I have TonePerfect?
Yes, and they work well together. OJAD answers "what is the accent pattern of this word or sentence"; that is a reference question. We answer "did you produce it", which is a measurement question. Neither replaces the other.
Does TonePerfect really score pitch accent?
It scores each mora for the segment and separately compares the accent pattern you produced with the pattern the word carries. It is not a substitute for reading about pitch accent, but it does tell you whether the pattern came out.
Hear the difference yourself
Take the free 2-minute test — every sound you say gets its own score.
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Keep exploring
Train, don't just read
Practice your pronunciation in the app
A guide can explain the tones, but you can't fix your pronunciation by reading. The TonePerfect app lets you actually say the words and scores every syllable — initial, final, and tone — in real time, so you hear your mistakes and correct them on the spot.
- Instant AI feedback on every syllable
- Practice any word, sentence, or HSK list
- Hands-on tone training you can't get from reading
Free to start · 4.6★ · 30,000+ learners