Japanese Dialects: A Linguistic Journey Through Japan

35

Japan is the only country claiming Japanese as its official language, with over 123 million native speakers. However, they don’t all exclusively speak standard Japanese—several Japanese dialects give a glimpse into local culture and history. You may know how to say “hi” in standard Japanese, but do you know how to say it in Osaka?

Whether you’re visiting Japan or want to understand an unusual dialect in your favorite Japanese show, this guide provides an overview of seven unique dialects for you to explore. Get ready for a linguistic journey from the northern island all the way down to the southernmost reaches of Japan!

What’s the difference between a dialect and an accent?

A dialect is a variant of a language that includes some differences in vocabulary, pronunciation,  and grammar while still being understandable as the language it comes from. An accent refers only to differences in pronunciation. 

Two different English dialects are American English and British English. The presence or absence of a “u” in “color” versus “colour” and referring to waste as “garbage” or “rubbish” are two examples of the difference in dialect. Meanwhile, both dialects include dozens of accents depending on region.

When discussing Japanese language dialects, these three specific terms can help you distinguish them:

• hōgen (方言): Literally meaning “dialect” in Japanese, this refers to dialects that are categorized by their phonology, grammar, and vocabulary. For example, Tōhoku hōgen refers to the dialect(s) spoken in the Tōhoku region of Japan, which spans six prefectures.
• namari (なまり): The differences in accent and intonation as compared to standard Japanese.
• ben (弁): The suffix added to the end of a city or region name to indicate that place’s specific dialect. For example, Nagoya-ben refers to the unique dialect spoken in the city of Nagoya.

Generally speaking, most grammar rules are consistent across Japanese dialects. For example, even if a word is conjugated differently, the Japanese word order stays the same. Conversely, many dialects have their own versions of common Japanese greetings.

How many Japanese dialects are there?

Depending on how “dialect” is defined, there are anywhere between 16 and more than 40 Japanese dialects. The difference is based on whether a single dialect includes slight variations within a region or if each variation should be considered its own dialect.

The Japanese archipelago has 47 prefectures across four main islands, listed here from north to south:

• Hokkaidō (北海道)
• Honshū (本州) 
• Shikoku (四国)
• Kyūshū (九州)

The Japanese pronunciation and dialect considered the standard for modern Japanese is the one spoken in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. It’s referred to as hyōjungo (標準語) and it’s the dialect taught nationwide and to new learners of Japanese.

7 most well-known Japanese dialects 

There are slight linguistic differences in Japanese by prefecture—and even specific to some cities—but this chart lists seven of the most well-known Japanese dialects.

Kansai-ben

The Kansai-ben dialect is spoken by a large area on the western side of the main island of Japan, stretching over six prefectures. It’s instantly recognizable for most native Japanese speakers due to its prevalence in pop culture. In cartoons, the characters speaking Kansai dialect in Japanese often play a comedy role, as the dialect and accent has come to be associated with a laid-back and carefree personality.

The two most famous variants of Kansai-ben are those found in Kyoto and Osaka, which have slightly different accents. As the culturally-rich, old Japanese capital, Kyoto is considered to have the more even, softer inflection of the two.

This dialect in Japanese includes one main difference from other dialects:

• In Kansai-ben, the negative conjugation -nai changes to -hen.
  • Wakarahen.（分からへん。）= Wakaranai.（分からない。）= I don’t understand.

Nagoya-ben

The dialect spoken in Nagoya, the capital of Aichi prefecture, is Nagoya-ben. However, the east region of the prefecture speaks a different dialect called Mikawa-ben (三河弁). Notable grammatical characteristics of Nagoya-ben include: 

• The word for “please” changes from kudasai (ください) to chō (ちょう).
  • Kiitechō!（聞いてちょう！）= Kiitekudasai（聞いてください！）= Please, listen!
• The present progressive verb conjugation -teiru changes to -toru and the negative conjugation -nai to -sen.
  • Tsukaretoru mon de, ikasen.（疲れとるもんで、行かせん。）= Tsukareteiru kara, ikanai.（今疲れているから、行かない。）= I’m tired, so I’m not going.

Hakata-ben

Sometimes referred to as Fukuoka-ben (福岡弁), Hakata-ben is primarily spoken in Fukuoka prefecture on the western main island, Kyūshū. It shares several characteristics with other dialects spoken in Kyūshū, but its accent is unique.

• Hakata-ben is popular for its accent, which is widely considered to be a “cute” Japanese accent. 
• The sentence-ending particle yo (よ) notably changes to tai (たい) or bai (ばい).

Hiroshima-ben

Hiroshima-ben is spoken in the prefecture of Hiroshima, but it’s used throughout the southwest region of Japan on the edge of the main island of Honshū. Due to depictions in pop culture, the Hiroshima dialect can be perceived as rough and mafia-like.

• Some particles are dropped entirely, such as the particle for movement, ni (に), and the one for expressing thoughts, to (と).
  • Tabe iku.（食べ行く。）= Tabe ni iku.（食べに行く。）= I’m going out to eat.
  • Itashii omou.（いたしいおもう。）= Muzukashii to omou.（難しいと思う。）= I think it’s difficult.

Sendai-ben

Sendai is the capital of Miyagi prefecture, and its dialect includes many aspects of the dialects spoken in the Tōhoku region on the north end of Honshū. It’s rarely heard outside of the region due to a negative stereotype that suggests Sendai-ben lacks refinement and is associated with rural areas far away from cities.  

• The accent used with Sendai-ben turns distinct phonemes in standard Japanese into similar sounds and often blend together into one long sound. For example, the words for lion (shishi, 獅子) and sushi would both sound like “soo-soo.”

Hokkaidō-ben

Hokkaidō-ben is more similar to standard Japanese than other dialects. The large northern island of Hokkaidō was only annexed in 1869. It was historically populated by the indigenous Ainu people, and the native Ainu language is now spoken by only a handful of people. Several dialects melded together to become what is now known as Hokkaidō-ben, but some regional linguistic traits remain.

• Winter temperatures in Hokkaidō are consistently below freezing with around 15 meters of snowfall annually. When the word “cold” just isn’t enough, you can use the verb shibareru (しばれる)!
  • Kotoshi no oshōgatsu wa namara shibareru ne!（今年のお正月はなまらしばれるね！）= New Year’s this year is positively arctic!

Uchinā Yamatuguchi

The unique dialect of Uchinā Yamatuguchi is spoken in Okinawa prefecture, which is composed of several small islands trailing off the south of Kyūshū. Like Hokkaidō, Okinawa was annexed relatively recently in 1879. The indigenous Ryukyuan language was discouraged in favor of Japanese, similar to the history between the US and the state of Hawaii. While the Ryukyuan and Japanese languages are distinct from one another, traces of the native language can be found mixed in with the Okinawan Japanese spoken on the islands. 

• The name Uchinā Yamatuguchi is a combination of the original name of Okinawa (Uchinā), Yamato (an old name for Japan), and guchi (口) which is one word for “language.”
• Certain phonemes are used in Okinawan Japanese that are not in the standard dialect, such as “fe” (ふぇ), “tu” (とぅ), and “gua” (ぐぁ).

Master your Japanese dialect and accent with Rosetta Stone

If you choose to visit Japan, it’s worth checking out dialects spoken in the region you’re visiting. Even if you speak standard Japanese yourself, understanding others means becoming familiar with what makes a place linguistically special! 

To get a foundation in Japanese dialects and accents, immersing yourself in the language is essential. Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method provides you with audio recorded by native speakers and the TruAccent speech recognition engine to strengthen your comprehension and pronunciation every step of the way.