Quote:
Originally Posted by masaegu
In English, "steak" and "stake" are pronounced the same regardless of the context, but not 箸 and 橋 or 型 and 肩 or 勝った and 買った, etc. in Japanese. To illustrate the point, I am using musical notes below.
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But... You need to be very careful with this as it is different depending on the region. Some areas pronounce them exactly the same, some are opposite, etc.
My husband is from Fukui - where some of the intonations are the complete opposite. A few of the tones are just... different (do do or mi mi instead). My husband himself attended a school for announcers and seiyuu so is a perfect 標準語, but family is definitely not.
If you`re studying outside of Japan, it is good to stick to standard Japanese. But if you`ll be studying in Japan, and not in Tokyo, then it is better to listen to the locals... Or you could end up with some confusion.