Sage-Tips

Can Japanese understand other dialects?

Can all Japanese people understand each other’s languages and accents? – Quora. The answer is no. Kagoshima prefecture is the far south-west of Japan and the people there speak 鹿児島弁（かごしまべん）Kagoshima dialect. It’s very difficult to understand even we have the same nationalities.

What dialect is standard Japanese?

Tokyo dialect
Tokyo dialect (Tōkyō hōgen, Tōkyō-ben, Tōkyō-go (東京方言, 東京弁, 東京語)) is a variety of Japanese language spoken in modern Tokyo. It is usually considered to be Standard Japanese, but there are some Tokyo-specific jargon and accent which are different in a number of areas and social classes.

What Japanese dialect is taught in schools?

Standard Japanese
Standard Japanese Today, it is the form taught in schools, used on television and official communication. Due to this modernization, speakers of regional dialects experienced a sense of inferiority.

Do all Japanese speak standard Japanese?

The process of standardization began following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, when the new government sought to build a strong and centralized nation state. The dialect spoken in the Yamanote district of Tokyo was chosen as a model. In all parts of the nation now, young people often speak standard Japanese.

Does Japan have regional accents?

The spread of Standard Japanese means the regional varieties are now valued as “nostalgic”, “heart-warming” and markers of “precious local identity”, and many speakers of regional dialects have gradually overcome their sense of inferiority regarding their natural way of speaking.

Are there different dialects in Japan?

Yes, Japan have many different dialects (方言). Most notably, Western Japanese speak in different accent than standard Japanese (Tokyo dialect). They have different words/grammar too. The western dialects are known collectively as Kansai-ben (関西弁).

What is the difference between standard and regional Japanese?

Standard Japanese is most likely where you started your study of the language as this is the language that is used in schools, government, business, and on the news. It is the language that everyone understands. On the other hand, you may have heard different regional dialects on tv, in music, or maybe even walking down the street.

How can you tell if a language is Japanese?

From a linguistic point of view, Japanese dialects, like those in any other language, can be recognized by the changes in certain parts of speech. Firstly, there is vocabulary. You’ll find that certain words vary greatly between regions. For example, kawaii (cute) becomes aishiraka in Hakata dialect.

What is the Osaka dialect?

Osaka dialect is famous for its unique usage of Japanese coupulae. Da becomes ya, which can sometimes make the speaker sound a little riled up, and yo becomes wa. In standard Japanese, the latter is usually considered a more feminine sentence-ender, but Osaka is the exception to the rule!