Whether you’re Team Sub or Team Dub, you’ve likely encountered at least one Japanese dialect in anime. (標準語), or standard Japanese, is learned in schools and commonly used in media. But like other countries, Japan has regional dialects that may sound slightly different from standard Japanese or even confuse a native speaker! So buckle up as we tour the country through different dialects you can find in anime.
Our first stop is the Kansai region, home to one of the most common dialects used in anime: ( being a suffix used for dialects). In English dubs, this is often signified with a Southern accent. But even a regional dialect like could have variants depending on the prefecture or city.
Mystery-thriller takes place in Wakayama Prefecture, located south of Osaka. The author Yasuki Tanaka took inspiration from a real-life uninhabited island off the coast of Wakayama for the story’s eerie setting and made the characters speak (also known as ) to emphasize the rural atmosphere.
Other anime also use dialects to set characters apart from one another, like Shinobu Wakamiya and Arata Wataya from who are skilled card game players. Shinobu’s is distinctly different from Arata’s –but both dialects give a lot of details about the characters, with Shinobu’s refined upbringing in historic Kyoto and Arata’s heritage as Fukui Prefecture is home to many talented players.
We can head east to Aichi Prefecture where immerses viewers in and follows the characters as they introduce their Tokyo-raised classmate to Nagoya culture. But just because something is set in a particular city doesn’t mean that city’s dialect is the only one you’ll hear.
In , a sports anime set in Nagoya, we’ll meet athletes from all over Japan, like Coach Yudai from Kyoto. And since ice skater Ryoka “Mike” Miketa comes from the eastern part of Aichi known as Mikawa, she’s quick to tell people that she speaks to show off her hometown pride.
If we head north past Tokyo, we’ll find the region of the main Honshu Island known as Tohoku. Just like Kansai and other major regions, Tohoku also has a regional dialect which we can hear spoken by Chika Ogiue from . Like some people who move to major urban cities, a lot of anime characters from other parts of Japan adapt to communicate easily. But depending on the situation, a bit of the dialect may slip out when it feels more natural for the character to use it.
Dialects in anime play a major role even in sci-fi and fantasy settings. Quirky historical sci-fi series may be full of chaotic jokes and absurd scenarios, but between all the shenanigans, it’s one way to experience through the character Tatsuma Sakamoto who is based on a real historical figure from Kochi Prefecture.
Speaking of sci-fi comedies based on real life, came to be when the president of Cygames asked the production staff to make an anime set in his home prefecture of Saga, another rural area in Japan. Animation studio MAPPA followed through with an anime about zombies-turned-idols promoting Saga Prefecture. Karatsu City, which is heavily featured in the anime, even did a collaboration video with the characters for PR!
Nearby Nagasaki’s gets a turn in the spotlight in the slice-of-life comedy anime , a term from the Goto Islands used to refer to an energetic person. While the main character starts out feeling out of place, he grows to appreciate his new home and the people around him.
Up to now, most of the dialects we’ve covered can be generally understood by people who speak , with maybe a few region-specific phrases and terms needing explanation. But some dialects and languages within Japan are so difficult to understand that TV programs will provide subtitles in for people to understand.
, a historical adventure series, follows a treasure hunt that mostly takes place in Hokkaido. And the show does an impressive job at showcasing (also known as ), one of the most difficult dialects to understand in Japan, through Koito Otonoshin. But Otonoshin isn’t the only character who adds to the regional variety of characters. is often noted for its depiction of Japan’s indigenous Ainu people, as the manga’s original creator Satoru Noda consulted closely with Ainu scholars and organizations as he created the series. The Ainu language is spoken between Ainu characters with Japanese translations provided, and main character Asirpa mixes Ainu terms with her Japanese speech.
Next we’re heading all the way south to Okinawa where we’ll encounter , the local name for the Okinawan language in the southern parts of the island. In , transfer student Teruaki Nakamura struggles to understand what his crush says as she speaks and asks another classmate to act as a translator for him. As the series progresses, we get to see not only Teruaki’s relationships develop but we also get to learn about Okinawan culture.
Finally, we’re going back north for one last stop in Aomori, where the light fantasy romcom takes place. Unlike all the other anime we’ve seen on this list, this one doesn’t quite have a typical dialect. Kagiri Araido, the series creator, originally wanted to use , a dialect from western Aomori that’s notoriously difficult to understand for most Japanese speakers. In this case, Araido-sensei settled on making up a dialect that uses as a base in order to make it still feel true to the story’s rural setting without making it too hard for readers to understand.
So there you have it: a trip around Japan through the various dialects and languages around the country! Let us know if any of these surprised you or if you have other interesting examples!