アクセント

あくせんと
noun
accent; emphasis, highlight
communication
1. accent, stress, intonation
The pitch or stress pattern in spoken language. In Japanese linguistics, this refers specifically to pitch accent.
アクセント(ちが)
The accent is different.
The accent differs between Kansai and Kanto.
Japanese uses pitch accent, so the system is different from English stress accent.
2. accent, highlight, focal point
A feature that adds contrast, emphasis, or visual interest to something, such as in fashion, interior design, or cooking.
(あか)スカーフアクセントになっている。
The red scarf serves as an accent.
I hung a painting on the white wall to add an accent to the room.
Squeezing lemon over a simple dish adds an accent to the flavor.

Usage

Sense 1 is used in linguistics and language learning. Japanese has a pitch accent system (高低(こうてい)アクセント), not a stress accent system like English. Sense 2 is common in fashion, design, and cooking contexts where something adds contrast or a focal point.

Common collocations