I am currently studying 日本語 and I am trying to understand the pronunciation difference between 桃 (peach) and 腿 (thigh). Both can be written as もも in kana and sound practically the same to me when my tutor pronounces them to me, but she tells me that there is a difference in terms of the pronunciation, though I can't figure out what it is and thus how to say them properly.
So what is the difference in pronunciation? Is it stress? Accent? And how do I pronounce them so that a 日本人 can tell which one of them it is that I mean?
Answer
The difference is in the pitch accent.
桃 (peach)：「もも{LH}」 (Low-High)
腿 (thigh)：「もも{HL}」 (High-Low)
That is a huge difference to us native speakers because it changes the meanings of the words completely.
If there is a musical instrument around you, try doing the following.
Hit 'do-mi' as you say 「桃」 and hit 'mi-do' as you try to say 「腿」.
Other examples from simple everyday words:
Low-High 「〇〇{LH}」: 「飴{あめ}」= hard candy,「橋{はし}」= bridge,「居間{いま}」= living room
High-Low 「〇〇{HL}」:「雨{あめ}」= rain,「箸{はし}」= chopsticks,「今{いま}」= now
(Finally, even at the risk of confusing some, I might mention for the advanced learners that the (feminine) given name 「桃/もも/モモ」 is pronounced the same way as 「腿」 --- 「もも{HL}」, that is. This is an exception but it is a fact, so I had to say it.
Same thing with 「雪{ゆき}」. To mean "snow", it is pronounced 「ゆき{LH}」, but for a personal name, it is 「ゆき{HL}」.)
Note: All pronunciations above are naturally based on Standard Japanese.
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