# 1 Context

不幸 is listed in most (Japanese to English) dictionaries as Nakadaka with a
stress on こ. The version of NHK I have also lists an acceptable pitch for it
as Atamadaka (but NHK doesn't explain which pitch is appropriate in which
contexts).

I've discovered that OJAD thinks that when の is attached to this word, the
Atamadaka pitch is the correct one to use:

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZPykT.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZPykT.png)

To make matters complicated, Dogen has stated that words which have an accent
on their final syllable (not mora, syllable) can sometimes get "de-accented"
when の is placed in front of them.

# 2 Pitch Possibilities

So it seems that 不幸の could be any of the following:

  1. **不幸の: ふこうの{LHLL}** Dictionary pitch with の appended.
  2. **不幸の: ふこうの{HLLL}** What OJAD thinks; NHK suggests but doesn't confirm this might be OK.
  3. **不幸の: ふこうの{LHHH}** De-accenting the last syllable since の is appended.

Here's the clip that prompted this question: <https://youtu.be/XJfWD5wE_eo>
I'm still a Japanese newbie, but it sounds like (1) (or maybe (2)?) is what is
being used here.

Which one to use? Are all of these acceptable?
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-30T03:37:34.833
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2022-09-30T07:58:12.970
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question
pitch-accent
Pitch accent of 不幸 vs. 不幸の
It’s [ふこう]{LHL}, whether it’s followed by の or not. I have never heard anyone
pronounce it as [ふこう]{HLL} or [ふこう]{LHH} unless it’s part of compound nouns
like 不幸中 ([ふこうちゅう]{LHHHHH}) in the fixed phrase 不幸中の幸い.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-09-30T07:31:08.437
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2022-09-30T07:58:12.970
2022-09-30T07:58:12.970
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43676
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answer