How to Say "Accent" in Japanese

アクセント

akusento[a̠kɯ̟̊sẽ̞nto̞]

The English word 'accent' is translated into Japanese as アクセント (akusento).

The term refers to a distinctive pronunciation associated with a region, social group, etc.

Meaning: distinctive pronunciation associated with a region, social group, etc. (noun)

How do you pronounce it?

akusento

Japanese has 'pitch accent', where the meaning of a word changes based on whether the pitch goes up or down. For example, hashi can mean 'chopsticks', 'bridge' or 'edge' depending solely on the アクセント.
The word 'accent' in Japanese is often used in the context of 'accent design' or 'accent color' in fashion and art, not just in speech.
While アクセント refers to pronunciation, Japanese also uses 方言 (hōgen) specifically for regional dialects. A person might have a standard アクセント but still use 方言 vocabulary.

アクセントで彼がドイツ人だとわかる。
I can tell by his accent that he is German.
This sentence is useful for showing how an accent can identify someone's nationality.
Tatoeba #234504 by bunbuku, translation #71881 by CK
君のドイツ語のアクセントが大好きだよ。
I love your German accent.
This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for a specific accent.
Tatoeba #8815558 by small_snow, translation #4059226 by Hybrid
この単語のアクセントは、２番目の音節にあります。
The accent of this word is on the second syllable.
This sentence is useful for describing the placement of an accent within a word.
Tatoeba #10949764 by bunbuku, translation #59345 by darinmex
彼は関西弁のなまりがある。
He speaks with a Kansai dialect accent.
彼女の訛りがかわいい。
Her accent is cute.
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Hiyori and Ren are talking about a new coworker.

陽葵 Himari

新しい同僚は、どこかアクセントが独特だね。
Atarashii dōryō wa, dokoka akusento ga dokutoku dane.
The new colleague has a unique accent, doesn't he?
蓮 Ren

そうだね。どこの出身なんだろう。
Sō dane. Doko no shusshin nandarō.
True. I wonder where he is from.
陽葵 Himari

九州のアクセントに似ている気がするよ。
Kyūshū no akusento ni nite iru ki ga suru yo.
I feel like it sounds similar to a Kyushu accent.
蓮 Ren

なるほど、だからそう聞こえるんだね。
Naruhodo, dakara sō kikoerun dane.
I see, that's why it sounds that way.

Sources

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