TonePerfect for Japanese
Free Japanese accent test
How strong is your accent in Japanese? Record five words and get a per-sound score in under a minute. The test is the same engine the app uses; it ranks your sounds against each other so you know what to fix first.
What an accent test measures
An accent is the sum of the sounds you substitute from your first language. The test listens to each sound in the five words, scores how close it is to a native model, and lists the ones that drift furthest. It is not a certificate and it does not grade grammar or vocabulary, only the sounds.
How it works
- 1
Record 5 words
Tap the mic and read each word aloud. It runs in your browser — no download, no account.
- 2
Get scored mora by mora
A speech-assessment engine scores every word you say, mora by mora, in seconds.
- 3
See what to drill first
Your sounds come back ranked, lowest first. Take the weakest into the app and drill them with real words until the ranking moves.
How the scores work: every mora in the word is scored out of 100, you see all of them, and they are ranked weakest-first so you know what to drill. What we don’t do is turn them into a JLPT level, or tell you which sound you produced instead of the target — the engine returns scores, not a transcript.
The sounds that decide your accent
The r-flap: ら・り・る・れ・ろ
Tap the tongue once, quickly, against the ridge behind the upper teeth — between an English l and r, close to the quick d in American "water". Never roll it, never curl the tongue back.
つ (tsu)
A quick t that melts straight into "su" — the "ts" of "cats" at the START of a beat. Don't drop the t and don't say "su".
ふ (fu)
Blow air softly between almost-closed lips, like gently blowing out a candle. NOT an English f — the teeth never touch the lip.
Long vowels: おう・おお・ええ・いい
A long vowel is the same vowel held for one extra full beat — がっこう is ga-k-ko-o, four beats. Keep the vowel pure while you hold it; don't let お drift toward "ou".
Small っ (the held beat)
A held, silent beat: get your mouth ready for the NEXT consonant and hold it closed for one full beat — がっこう has a real beat of silence in the middle. For す/し it is a held hiss instead.
ん (the standalone n)
A full beat of nasal hum on its own. Before b, p or m it sounds like "m"; before k or g like "ng"; elsewhere like "n". Whatever the color, give it its whole beat.
Scores rank your own sounds against each other so you know what to drill first. They are not an accuracy certificate and not an exam grade.
Questions
How long does the test take?+
About a minute. Five words, one recording each, scored in seconds.
What exactly does my score mean?+
Each word is scored by a speech-assessment engine, mora by mora. Your results rank your sounds from weakest to strongest so you know what to drill first. It's a ranking, not a verdict — we don't map it to an accuracy percentage or a JLPT level.
Do I need to install anything?+
No. The test runs in your browser — just allow microphone access when asked. Use a quiet room and speak at normal volume; a phone mic is fine.
What happens after the test?+
You see your five scores and which sounds scored lowest. If you want to actually fix them, the app drills those exact sounds with real Japanese words and tracks whether your scores move. Free to try.
Practice Japanese every day
The app drills the sounds this test flags, with thousands of words and instant feedback on every take.