Pitch
Pitch
Pitch can make a difference in word meanings in Japanese. For example, in Tokyo Japanese, the two-syllable word ame means rain if the first syllable is in high pitch and the second syllable is in low pitch, but it means candy if the first syllable is in low pitch and the second syllable is in high pitch.

1. shiro (HL) (white)   shiro (LH) (castle)
2. ame (HL) (rain)   ame (LH) (candy)
3. hashi (HL) (chopsticks)    hashi (LH) (bridge)
4. kami (HL) (god)   kami (LH) (paper)
5. kaki (HL) (oyster)   kaki (LH) (persimmon)
 
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