Uwabaki

I had never heard the word "uwabaki" until only a year or so ago. Also, I used to think "uwagutsu" (上靴, lit. "indoor/upper shoes") was "wa-gutsu" (和靴, "Japanese shoes"). An honest mistake.

The Japanese people have a bad habit of not correcting the broken Japanese of foreigners which really isn't very helpful in the long run.

Case in point, I met a German woman some years ago who I noticed was writing her name in katakana (カタカナ) in correctly. She was shocked to find out because I was the first person to point it out despite her mis-writing her name for almost a decade. She was mortified to learn this, but less so than if she had been making the mistake for 20 years rather than 10.

I guess the lesson here is, when in doubt look things up for yourself. The Internet is there for a reason.

The Snack with 100 Names

The Mainichi Elementary School Student Newspaper asks “What is this snack called?”

To me, it looks like Hōraku Manjū, a cloyingly sweet glob of sweet bean jam covered by pancake batter. One bite is usually enough to make me not want to eat, or smell, it for a year or more. My sons, however, can’t get enough of these sugar bombs.

Similar confections can be found all over Japan, but what are they called? Imagawa-yaki? Ōgata-yaki? Kaiten-yaki? According to a specialist of Japanese confectionary, there are 100 different names for the snack.

In most of Kyūshū, the are known as kaiten-yaki. In Kagoshima and Ōita, they are known by the same name I know them: Hōraku Manjū. In the Kantō area, they are called Imagawa-yaki. In Kansai, people refer to them as gozasōrō or kaiten-yaki.

Hashimaki

What do you call o-konomi-yaki on a stick?

51.5% of respondents (mustard color) say they have never seen such a thing. Sad.

33.7% (brown) call it “hashimaki”.

10% (red) call it “dondon-yaki”.

3.9% (green) call it by another name.

1.4% (navy) call it “kurukuru o-konomi-yaki”, which is a mouthful.

Gotta Do It

In 2010, the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks chose as its motto a phrase that incorporated the local Hakata dialect: 

今年はやらんといかんばい！

Kotoshi-wa yaranto ikanbai!

This year we've got to do it!

 Seems like there's something to kotodama, after all. Having won their first Pacific League title in some seven years, the Hawks are currently vying with the Lotte Marines for a berth in the Nippon Series. The phrase is a play on the motto Miyazaki Prefecture's governor and former TV personality Higashikokubaru used to rally citizens in action to pull the prefecture out of its financial doldrums.

標準語/Standard

やらないといけないよ！ 

Yaranai-to ikenai-yo!

博多弁/Hakata

やらんといかんばい！

Yaran-to ikan-bai!

宮崎弁/Miyazaki

どげんかせんといかん！

Dogen kasen-to ikan!

鹿児島弁/Kagoshima

My survey has come up a number of different versions:

いけんかせんといかん！

Ikenka sen-to ikan!

せんといかん

Sen-to ikan!

せんといかんがね

Sen-to ikangane!

This last one is what women in Kagoshima might say.

長崎/Nagasaki

やらんばいかんよ！

  Yaran-ba ikanyo!

又は、せんばいかんよ！

Or: senba ikanyo! 

北九州市/Kitakyushu

やらんといかんちゃ！

  Yaran-to ikancha!

大分/Oita

せんといかんたい！

Sen-to ikantai!

大阪/Osaka

やらんとあかんよ！

Yaran-to akande!

又は、せんなあかんで！

Or, senna akande!

京都/Kyoto

せんなあきまへんね！

Senna akimahen-ne!

神戸/Kobe

やらんといかんよ！

Yaran-to ikanyo!

By the way, the Hawks lost the Pacific League pennant, but returned to the playoffs again in 2011 and won the Nippon Series. They have since won 6 more championships over a 7-year period from 2014-2020.

Nanbo?

Wish this were bigger and clearer, but, oh well.

So, how do you say the following in Japanese?

How much?

cook (rice)

the day after tomorrow

salty

The answer depends on where you live. In Fukuoka, we say:

いくら, but some people say なんぼ

ご飯を炊く

In most parts of the country (+), Japanese say "niru" (煮る) or "niso" when they are refering to boiling or simmering vegetables and potatoes and so on. In the Kansai area, much of Shikoku, and parts of Kyûshû (▲), however, the word "taku" and "takyun" are used. "Taku" (炊く) is more commonly used when cooking rice as in the phrase gohan o taku (ご飯を炊く). "Wakasun" and "pakasun" can be found in Okinawa (●).

しあさって

しょっぱい and 辛い, but some people say しょっぱかー！ and 辛かー！ for emphasis.

T'anks!

Visiting Kyōto last month, it didn’t take long before I heard one of the more commonly known regionalisms: okini. The singsong way the people of Kyōto say, "Thank you", made me wonder if there were other ways in Japan of expressing one’s gratitude. I was surprised by what I discovered. I have put together a list of some of these local sayings.

Incidentally, the original meaning of arigatō (有り難う) conveyed the sense that the thing you were thanking a person for something that had been difficult for them to do (有るものが難しい) and you felt bad for having them do it. Dōmo (どうも) comes from dōshite-mo (どうしても), and emphasizes the feeling of gratitude or regret.

 This is still a work in project and I will try to clean this up in the coming days.

Hokkaidō

1. Hokkaidō

Hokkaidō-ben

  どうも!

    Dōmo!

(Common among friends.)

  どうもね!

    Dōmo-ne!

(Same as saying dōmo.)

有り難う

  Arigatō!

(Standard Japanese.)

なんも、なんも

  Nanmo, nanmo!

(Includes the feeling of sorry, don’t worry about it.)

Tōhoku 

2. Aomori

Tsugaru-ben

  ありがどごしてす

    Arigado goshidesu!

(This is the polite form.)

  めやぐだの～

    Meyagudanoh!

(Similar to saying meiwaku-o kakemashite sumimasen, sorry for causing you trouble.)

  どうも

    Dōmo!

(Same as Aomori.)

3. Iwate

4. Miyage

5. Akita

ぶじょほーだんし

  Bujohohdanshi!

(Originates from the word buchōhō, meaning carelessness or blunder, sorry about that.)

どんも、おぎぃなぁ

  Donmo, ogi-nā!

おぎぃ

  Ogi!

(Southern Akita prefecture, i is shortened with falling accent.)

6. Yamagata

Yonezawa-ben

  おしょうしな

    Oshōshina!

(Not commonly used among youths.)

Shōnai-ben (northwestern Yamagata)

  もっけだ

    Mokkeda!

(Can be used to mean arigatō, gomen, dōmo, and so on.)

7. Fukushima

Kantō

8. Ibaraki

Ibaragi-ben

  どーもね

    Dōmo-ne!

9. Tochigi

 すいません

  Suimasen!

(Used when receiving something.)

10. Gunma

11. Saitama

Chichibu Region

  わりぃねぇー

    Warine~!

(Saying warui-ne but including the feeling of gratitude.)

12. Chiba

13. Tōkyō

Arigatō!

14. Kanagawa

Chūbu

15. Niigata

いかったいね

  Ikattaine!

あんがとの

  Angatono!

(Means arigatō-ne.)

おーぎにはや

  Ōginihaya!

(North-central Niigata prefecture. Nearly extinct saying.)

いやいやいやいや、ど～もっス

  Iya iya iya iya, dōmossu!

    (May be a personal tick.)

16. Toyama

 あんがとう

  Angatō!

  (Seems to be falling into disuse.)

Toyama-ben

  気の毒な

    Kinodoku-na!

(Expresses regret at having troubled someone by doing something for you.)

  だいてやっちゃ

    Daiteyaccha!

(Used when someone treats you to dinner or drinks.)

17. Ishikawa

Kanazawa-ben

  あんやとごぜえみす

    Anyato gozēmisu!

  あんやと

    Anyato!

18. Fukui

19. Yamanashi

20. Nagano

Shinshū-ben

  あいとうですぁ

    Aitō desu-a!

(Intonation similar to Kansai dialect. Desu-a is a contraction of Desu-wa.)

Īda-ben

かんな

    Kanna!

(Kaniya is also said.)

  おかたしけ

    Okatashike!

(May be a corruption of katajikenai, which means to be grateful.)

  おしょーしー

    Oshōshī!

(Second and third syllables are extended. Includes the feeling of obligation and gratefulness.)

  うれしいに

    Ureshi-ni!

(Means one is happy/delighted, but conveys the same meaning as arigatô.)

  ありがとや

    Arigatoya!

(Arigato-na! is also possible.)

21. Gifu

22. Shizuoka

Enshū-ben

  ありがとね

    Arigato-ne.

23. Aichi

Nagoya-ben

  ありがと

    Arigáto!

(Accent on the ga, shortened to.)

  ありがとさん

    Arigato-san!

(A casual way to say thanks.)

Kansai

Ōkini!

Maido ōkini!

24. Mie

 おおきにいー

  Ōkinī!

   (Accent on the final syllable.)

25. Shiga

26. Kyōto

  おおきに

   Ōkini!

(More common among the elderly. Intonation is important.)

27. Ōsaka

 おおきに

   Ōkini!

 ありがとー

  Arigatoh!

(Intonation is key, rising on last syllable.)

 ありがとさん

   Arigato-san!

まいどおおきに

  Maido Ōkini!

(Used when, for example, thanking someone for their continued patronage.)

28. Hyōgo

 Yura-ben (Awaji-shima)

   おおきによ

    Ōkiniyo!

29. Nara

30. Wakayama

Chūgoku

31. Tottori

 Yonago-ben

  だんだん

    Dandan!

(Not common with younger residents of Yonago City.)

 ようこそ

  Yōkoso!

(In standard Japanese this phrase is said when expressing the gratitude felt when someone visits you.)

32. Shimane

33. Okayama

 ごめんよぉ

  Gomenyō!

   (Used by women. Accent on go.)

 わりいなぁ

  Wariinā!

すまんなぁ

  Sumannā!

(These two are used by men.)

34. Hiroshima

 ありがとね

   Arigato-ne!

(Accent placed on the ga and ne.)

 すまんのう

  Sumannō!

(Similar to sumimasen in meaning. More common among the elderly.)

35. Yamaguchi

  ありがとうあります

   Arigatō arimasu!

すまんのう

  Sumannō!

    (Meaning is closer to arigatō (thanks) than sumimasen (sorry).)

Iwaguni

  すまだったねー

   Sumadatta-nē!

    (Strong accent on the final nê.)

Shikoku

36. Tokushima

Awa-ben (Northern central Tokushima prefecture.)

  あんとー

    Antō!

(May be nothing more than baby talk.)

  おおけに

    Ōkeni!

  ありがとぐわした

    Arigato guwashita!

37. Kagawa

ど～～も

  Do~hmo.

(Be sure to let the word fall languidly from your lips.)

38. Ehime

39. Kōchi

Kyūshū

40. Fukuoka

 ありがとー

  Arigatō!

(Intonation and accent, like many of these is key. Spoken in a quick staccato, with an accent on the end.)

 だんだん

  Dandan!

    (Apparently, this saying is fairly common among elderly women, but in all my years living in Fukuoka, I’ve never heard it. Means thanks so much.)

41. Saga

すんまっせん

  Sunmassen

あんがとー

  Angatō!

あんがちょー

  Angachō!

おおきに

  Ōkini!

(Same as Kyōto. Another person from Saga told me that no one says this.)

42. Nagasaki

 Iki-ben (Islands in Nagasaki prefecture, west of Fukuoka prefecture.)

  おおきん

    Ōkin!

(Similar to ōkini.)

43. Kumamoto

 すんまっせん

  Sunmassen

    (Also means excuse me, as in sumimasen.)

しょうじょう

  Shōjō!

   (An elegant way of saying thanks.)

44. Ōita

45. Miyazaki

 あいがと

  Arigato!

   (Said with rising inflection.)

46. Kagoshima

  あいがとごわした

   Aigato gowashita!

おおきに

  Ōkini

  (Common among those born before 1955.)

あいがとさげもした

  Aigato sagemoshita!

   (Original Satsuma-ben. A polite expression)

あいがともしゃげもした

  Aigato moshagemoshita!

    (Polite form.)

Amami Ōshima (a collection of islands halfway between Kyūshū and Okinawa)

  ありがっさまありょうた

    Arigassama aryōta!

Okinawa

47. Okinawa

 にへーでーびる

   Nihēdēbiru!

Miyako-jima-ben

  タンディガータンディ

    Tandigātandi!

Good Morning

Ohayō gozaimasu basically means “You’ve woken up nice and early.” In some places in Japan, instead of saying a variation of “Ohayō”, people will ask, “Have you woken up?” (Okitaka?) or “Did you sleep well?” (Nemurimashitaka?)

.

Hokkaidō

           Hokkaidō

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

Tōhoku 

         Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures

                            おはよーがす

                            Ohayō gasu

        Aomori

                            おはよーごし

                            Ohayō goshi

                   Akita

                            おはよーがんす

                            Ohayō gansu

                            The polite way of saying ohayō is, of course, by adding gozaimasu, the polite form of aru and the way to say gozaimasu differs from region to region as you will see below.

                            はえねしか

                            Hayene shika

                            This is a somewhat polite way to say “Good morning”.

                            おぎだがー?

                            Ogidagā?

                            Meaning: “Have you woken up?”

                            おはよー

                     Ohayō

         Iwate

                            おはよがんす

                            Ohayo gansu

                   Yamagata & Fukushima

                            はやえなっす

                            Hayae nasu

                            はやえなっす

                     Hayae nassu!

         Miyagi

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō

Kantō

         General・Tōkyō

                            おはよーござんす

                            Ohayō gozansu

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Tochigi

                            おはよーござんす

                            Ohayō gozansu

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Ibaraki

                            おはよ

                            Ohayo

         Gunma

                            はやかったむし

                            Hayakattamushi

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

                  Saitama

                            おはよーござんす

                            Ohayō gozansu

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Chiba

                            はえーよ

                            Haēyo

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Kanagawa

                            おはよっす

                            Ohayossu

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Hachijō-jima (Tōkyō), an island about 300 km southwest of Tōkyō with about 7,500 people

                            やすみやろわかーい

                            Yasumi yarowakāi

                            やすみやろあかーい

                            Yasumi yaroakāi

         Saitama

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

Chūbu

         Niigata

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Toyama

                            おきやっさったかい？

                            Okiyassattakai?

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Ishikawa

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Fukui

                            おはよさん

                     Ohayo san!

         Yamanashi

                            おはよーごいす

                     Ohayō goisu

                   Nagano

                            おきたかやー

                            Okitakayā

                            This means “Have you woken up?” (起きましたか？) See Yamagata, Toyama, Tottori and Kagoshima.

                            おはよーごわす

                            Ohayō gowasu

                            おはよーござんす

                     Ohayō gozansu!

                   Gifu

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

                   Shizuoka

                            いあんばいです

                     Ianbai desu

                   Aichi

                            はいなも

                     Hainamo

Kansai

         Kinki

                            おはよーさん

                            Ohayõ san

                            San is short for sama. In a similar manner, omedetō gozaimasu becomes omedetōsan. A more polite way to say this is omedetōsan degozaimasu.

         Kyōto

                            おはよーさんどす

                            Ohayõ sandosu

                            Dosu is Kyōto dialect for desu.

                            おはよーさん

                            Ohayõ san

         Nara

                            おはよーさん

                            Ohayõ san

                   Shiga

                            はやいなー

                            Hayai nā

                            おはよーさん

                            Ohayõ san

                   Wakayama

                            はやいなー

                            Hayai nā

                            はやいのー

                            Hayainõ

         Ōsaka

                            おはよーさん

                            Ohayõ san

         Mie

                            はやいのー

                            Hayainõ

                            By removing the o- from ohayō, you get a more friendly-sounding or familiar hayō. See also Yamagata, Shiga, Tottori.

                            はやいなー

                     Hayainā

         Hyōgo

                            おはよーさん

                            Ohayõ san

Chūgoku

         Tottori      

                            はやえのー

                            Hayaenõ

                            おきっさったかい？

                            Okissattakai?

                            おはよーござんす

                     Ohayō gozansu!

                   Shimane

                            おひんなりました

                            Ohin narimashita

                            おはよ

                     Ohayo

         Okayama

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

                   Hiroshima

                            おはよーござんす

                     Ohayō gozansu!

                   Yamaguchi

                            おひんなりました

                            Ohin narimashita

Shikoku

         Tokushima

         Kagawa

                            はやいのー

                            Hayainõ

                            おはよーござんす

                     Ohayō gozansu!

         Ehime

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Kōchi

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

Kyūshū

        Fukuoka

                            おはようござーす

                            Ohayō gozāsu

                            おはよーござす

                            Ohayō gozasu

         Saga

                            おはよーござす

                            Ohayō gozasu

                            おはよーござんした

                     Ohayō gozanshita

         Nagasaki

                            おはよーござりやす

                            Ohayō gozariyasu

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Kumamoto

                            おはよーござります

                            Ohayō gozarimasu

                            おはよーござるます

                            Ohayō gozarumasu

         Ōita

                            はえなー

                            Haenā

                            おはよー

                            Ohayō 

         Miyazaki

                            はやえのー

                            Hayaenõ

                            はえのー

                            Haenõ

                            Nassu, nā, nō above are all ways of saying desu ne, or “It’s early, isn’t it?”

         Kagoshima

                            はよめがさめやした

                            Hayo me ga sameyashita

                            こんちゃらごあす

                     Konchara goasu!

         Kagoshima (Koshiki-jima)

                            おきやいもしたな

                            Okiyai moshitana

Okinawa

         Northern Okinawa

                            ふきみそーち

                            Fukimisōchi

         Southern Okinawa

                            うきみそーち

                            Ukimisōchi

         Miyako-jima

                            うきゅーうらんま

                            Ukyū uranma

         Yae-jima

                            うきょりったねーら

                            Ukyorittanēra

How d'ye do?

This search turned up very few hits. It seems people all over Japan utter the standard phrase “Hajimemashite” (初めまして) when meeting someone for the first time. That’s to be expected, I suppose. Why, even loquacious Americans can become rather stiff and uncomfortable around strangers. Dōzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Tōhoku 

           Aomori

                            はじめやんして

                            Hajime yanshite

                            (In Hachinohe. Possibly used throughout the former Morioka-han (feudal domain), present-day Aomori and Iwate.)

           Miyage

                           ど～も～

                            Dōmō

                            はじめっじゃんそか

                            Hajimejjansoka

                            (In Nishimorokata-gun, standard Japanese: はじめてでしょうか)

                            おんや、まんずまんず

                            Onya, manzumanzu

                            (In Sendai. Can also be used when you receive something.)

           Akita

                           あら、初めでだんしな

                            Ara, hajime dedanshina

                            はずめでだんす

                            Hazume dedansu

                            (~だんす, dedansu is Akita-ben for desu)

                            あったことねぇやな、はじめてだよな

                            Atta koto nē yana. Hajimete dayona

                            (Southern Akita prefecture. A casual way of saying to a friend’s friend, “We haven’t met, have we? How d’ye do?)

              Fukushima

                            ちわ～

                            Chiwā

                            (I suspect this is a contraction of konnichiwa) 

Chūbu

         Niigata

                            初だの～

                            (Not sure if this is read “Hatsu da noh” or “Haji da noh”, but it’s probably the latter.

                            どこさんさぁ

                            Dokosansā

                            (Sado-ben, spoken on Sado Island. Because it’s an island and everyone already knows everyone else rather than say, Nice to meet you, they ask where you’re from: どこの出身 -- Doko no shusshin?)

                            おみゃあさん、はじめてだなも

                            Omyāsan, hajimete danamo

                            (Nagoya-ben. Apparently only older women use this phrase nowadays)

Kansai

         Ōsaka

                            まいど

                            Maido!

                            (Seems like they say this a lot in Ōsaka.)

Shikoku

         Tokushima

                            おうたことないんちゃう

                            Ōta koto nain chau

                            (Standard Japanese: 今までに会ったことはないでしょうかーIma made atta koto ha nai deshōka?ーWe haven’t met before, have we?)

Okinawa

         Okinawa

                            はじみてぃ、やいびーんやーさい

                            Hajimichi, yaibiin yāsai

                            (A casual, and rather long way of saying hajimemashite)

Sakibusatte

Who knew that a word as quotidian as "three days from today" could be said in so many different ways? Shiasatte (明明後日) is the most common way to say it, literally “tomorrow, day after tomorrow” in Japanese. Why people just don't say, "See you on Friday", I do not know. 

   + Shiasatte, shâsatte, shigâsatte, shinoasatte, shirasatte, and so on. (Hokkaidō, Tōhoku)

   ◆ Sâsatte, sannasatte, 

   ▲ Yanoasatte, yanâsatte, yanasatte, yaneasatte, yaniasatte (Hokkaidō, Tōhoku)

   ● sakibusatte

   X Yûka, sonayûka (Okinawa)

   ▼ Asachisunâcha (Okinawa)

How To Say Ganbaru in Each Prefecture

Now that the 10-day-long Golden Week is over, it’s time to get cracking! There won’t be another national holiday until Umi no Hi on July 15th, so in addition to gambaru-ing (doing our best), we’re all going to have to be gaman-ing (persevering), too. God help us.

北海道 けっぱる

Hokkaidō Kepparu!

青森 けっぱる

Aomori Kepparu!

岩手 きばる

Iwate Kibaru!

宮城 がんばる

Miyagi Ganbaru!

秋田 けっぱる

Akita Kepparu!

山形 ぎんばる

Yamagata Ginbaru!

福島 がんばる

Fukushima Ganbaru!

茨城 がんばる

Ibaraki Ganbaru!

栃木 がんばる

Toshigi Ganbaru!

群馬 がんばる

Gunma Ganbaru!

埼玉 がんばる

Saitama Ganbaru!

千葉 がんばる

Chiba Ganbaru!

東京 がんばる

Tōkyō Ganbaru!

神奈川 べんきょーする

Kanagawa Benkyōsuru!

Really???

新潟 がんばる

Niigata Ganbaru!

富山 がんばる

Tōyama Ganbaru!

石川 りきむ

Ishikawa Rikimu!

福井 きばる

Fukui Kibaru!

山梨 がんばる

Yamanashi Ganbaru!

長野 がんばる

Nagano Ganbaru!

岐阜 がんばる

Gifu Ganbaru!

静岡 がんばる

Shizuoka Ganbaru!

愛知 がんばる

Aichi Ganbaru!

三重 せーだす

Mie Sē dasu!

滋賀 きばる

Shiga Kibaru!

京都 きばる

Kyōto Kibaru!

大阪 きばる

Ōsaka Kibaru!

兵庫 きばる

Hyōgo Kibaru!

奈良 きばる

Nara Kibaru!

和歌山 きばる

Wakayama Kibaru!

鳥取 がんばる

Tottori Ganbaru!

島根 ぎばむ

Shimane Kibamu!

岡山 がんばる

Okayama Ganbaru!

広島 きばる

Hiroshima Kibaru!

山口 がんばる

Yamaguchi Ganbaru!

徳島 がんばる

Tokushima Ganbaru!

香川 がんばる

Kagawa Ganbaru!

愛媛 しんぼーする

Ehime Shinbō suru!

高知 むくる

Kōchi Mukuru!

福岡 きばる

Fukuoka Kibaru!

佐賀 きばっ

Saga Kiba!

長崎 きばる

Nagasaki Kibaru!

熊本 がまだす

Kumamoto Gamadasu!

大分 がんばる

Ōita Ganbaru!

宮崎 きばる

Miyazaki Kibaru!

鹿児島 きばっ

Kagoshima Kiba!

沖縄 ちばいーん

Okinawa Chibaiin!

Note: This is by no means an exhaustive or authoritative list. Dialects can vary greatly even within prefectural borders, something that I have personally seen, or rather heard, in Fukuoka, where the dialect in the northern part (Kitakyūshū) is a very different animal from that in the south. Okinawa’s dialects are so vastly different from island to island that, to me at least, they look and sound like different languages.

I will continue to update this post when I come across new words or phrases. If you know of any, please add them in the comments below. Aigatō sagemoshita!

How to Say Good Morning in Each Prefecture

北海道 おはよー

Hokkaidō Ohayō!

青森 おはよーごし

Aomori Ohayō goshi!

岩手 おはよがんす

Iwate Ohayo gansu!

宮城 おはよー

Miyagi Ohayō!

秋田 おはよー

Akita Ohayō!

山形 はやえなっす

Yamagata Hayaenassu!

福島 はやえなっす

Fukushima Hayaenassu!

茨城 おはよー

Ibaraki Ohayō!

栃木 おはよー

Toshigi Ohayō!

群馬 おはよー

Gunma Ohayō!

埼玉 おはよー

Saitama Ohayō!

千葉 おはよー

Chiba Ohayō!

東京 おはよー

Tōkyō Ohayō!

神奈川 おはよー

Kanagawa Ohayō !

新潟 おはよー

Niigata Ohayō!

富山 おはよー

Tōyama Ohayō!

石川 おはよー

Ishikawa Ohayō!

福井 おはよさん

Fukui Ohayo san!

山梨 おはよーごいす

Yamanashi Ohayō goisu!

長野 おはよーござんす

Nagano Ohayō gozansu!

岐阜 おはよー

Gifu Ohayō!

静岡 いあんばいです

Shizuoka Ianbai desu!

愛知 はいなも

Aichi Hainamo!

三重 はやいなー

Mie Hayainā!

滋賀 おはよーさん

Shiga Ohayō san!

京都 おはよーさん

Kyōto Ohayō san !

大阪 おはよーさん

Ōsaka Ohayō san!

兵庫 おはよーさん

Hyōgo Ohayō san!

奈良 おはよーさん

Nara Ohayō san!

和歌山 はやいのー

Wakayama Hayainō!

鳥取 おはよーござんす

Tottori Ohayō gozansu!

島根 おはよ

Shimane Ohayo !

岡山 おはよー

Okayama Ohayō!

広島 おはよーがんす

Hiroshima Ohayō gansu!

山口 おはよーごぁんす

Yamaguchi Ohayō gwansu!

徳島 おはよーがーす

Tokushima Ohayō gāsū!

香川 おはよーござんす

Kagawa Ohayō gozansu!

愛媛 おはよー

Ehime Ohayō!

高知 おはよー

Kōchi Ohayō!

福岡 おはよーござす

Fukuoka Ohayō gozasu!

佐賀 おはよーござんした

Saga Ohayō gozanshita!

長崎 おはよー

Nagasaki Ohayō!

熊本 おはよーござるます

Kumamoto Ohayō gozarumasu!

大分 おはよー

Ōita Ohayō!

宮崎 はえのー

Miyazaki Haenō!

鹿児島 こんちゃらごあす

Kagoshima Konchara goasu!

沖縄 っうきみそーちー

Okinawa Ukimisōchii!

How to Say Congratulations (by Prefecture)

北海道 おめでとー

Hokkaidō Omedetō!

青森 おめでどーごし

Aomori Omededōgoshi!

岩手 おめでどーごし

Iwate Omededōgoshi!

宮城 おめでとー

Miyagi Omedetō!

秋田 おめでどがんす

Akita Omededogansu!

山形 おめでと

Yamagata Omedeto!

福島 おめでとー

Fukushima Omedetō!

茨城 おめでとー

Ibaraki Omedetō!

栃木 おめでとー

Toshigi Omedetō!

群馬 おめでとー

Gunma Omedetō!

埼玉 おめでとー

Saitama Omedetō!

千葉 おめでとー

Chiba Omedetō!

東京 おめでとー

Tōkyō Omedetō!

神奈川 おめでとー

Kanagawa Omedetō!

新潟 おめでとー

Niigata Omedetō!

富山 おめでとー

Tōyama Omedetō!

石川 おめでとー

Ishikawa Omedetō!

福井 おめでとごじぇんす

Fukui Omedeto gojensu!

山梨 おめしとーごいす

Yamanashi Omeshitō goisu!

長野 おめてとーござんす

Nagano Ometetō gozansu!

岐阜 おめでとー

Gifu Omedetō!

静岡 おめでとーございます

Shizuoka Omedetō gozaimasu!

愛知 おめでとー

Aichi Omedetō!

三重 おめでとー

Mie Omedetō!

滋賀 おめでとーさん

Shiga Omedetō san!

京都 おめでとーさん

Kyōto Omedetō san!

大阪 おめでとーさん

Ōsaka Omedetō san!

兵庫 おめでとーはん

Hyōgo Omedetō han!

奈良 おめでとーさん

Nara Omedetō san!

和歌山 おめれとー

Wakayama Omedetō!

鳥取 おめでとーございます

Tottori Omedetō!

島根 おめでと

Shimane Omedetō!

岡山 おめでとー

Okayama Omedetō!

広島 おめでとーがんす

Hiroshima Omedetō gansu!

山口 おめでとーあります

Yamaguchi Omedetō arimasu!

徳島 おめでとーがーす

Tokushima Omedetō gāsu!

香川 おめでとー

Kagawa Omedetō!

愛媛 おめでとー

Ehime Omedetō!

高知 おめんでとー

Kōchi Omendetō!

福岡 おめでとーごさいます

Fukuoka Omedetō gozaimasu!

佐賀 おめでとござんした

Saga Omedeto gozanshita!

長崎 めでたか

Nagasaki Medetaka!

熊本 おめっとーござるま

Kumamoto Omettō gozaruma!

大分 おめでとー

Ōita Omedetō!

宮崎 よかったの

Miyazaki Yokattano!

鹿児島 おめでとなー

Kagoshima Omedetonā!

沖縄 いーそーぐわちれ

Okinawa Iisō guwachire!

Talk to me in . . .

How do you want your lover to speak to you?

Overall

1. Standard Japanese

2. Kansai-ben

3. Hakata-ben

4. Kyoto-ben

Men

1. Hakata-ben

2. Standard Japanese

3. Kansai-ben

Women

1. Standard Japanese

2. Kansai-ben

3. Hakata-ben

Source: https://news.nicovideo.jp/watch/nw4322113 

Shuddup!

The other day, a girl in one of my classes exclaimed: “Sahshii!”, which caused another girl to make a quizzical look and ask, “What on earth does that mean?” With half of the class coming from outside Fukuoka Prefecture, this sort of thing happens from time to time: one of the girls will speak in the dialect she has grown up only to be greeted with either blank stares or derisive laughter.

“Sahshii!” means urusai (煩い, 五月蝿い, literally “May flies”), which is standard Japanese for “noisy”, “troublesome”, or “persistent”. Another common word is yakamashii (喧しい) can also mean “noisy”, as well as “up in arms” and “raising a clamor” or “strict” and “finicky, picky”. Lucky for my students, I am neither urusai or yakamashii. I wish I could say the same about them.

A note about the following: while some prefectures may use the same word or phrase, the way they say it will vary greatly due to the altered intonation.

  Hokkaidô

1. Hokkaidô

   やがましい!

   Yagamashii!

  Tôhoku

2. Aomori

   さしね!

   Sashine!

3. Iwate

   やがまし！

   Yagamashi!

4. Miyage

   すんずねぇ!

   Sunzuneh!

5. Akita

   やがまし！

   Yagamashi!

6. Yamagata

   うるせえ！

   Uruseh!

7. Fukushima

   うっしゃし！

   Usshashi!

  Kantô

8. Ibaraki

   うっせえ！

   Usseh!

9. Tochigi

   うるせー！

   Uruseeh!

10. Gunma

   うるせー！

   Uruseeh!

11. Saitama

   うるせー！

   Uruseeh!

12. Chiba

   うるせ！

   Uruseh!

13. Tôkyô

   うるさい！

   Urusai!

14. Kanagawa

   そーぞーしー！

   Sôzôshî!

  Chûbu

15. Niigata

   うるせぁー！

   Uruseah!

16. Toyama

   やかましー！

   Yakamasii!

17. Ishikawa

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

18. Fukui

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

19. Yamanashi

   やたかしー！

   Yatakashii!

20. Nagano

   うるせー！

   Uruseeh!

21. Gifu

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

22. Shizuoka

   うるせー！

   Uruseeh!

23. Aichi

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

  Kansai

24. Mie

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

25. Shiga

   うるさい！

   Urusai!

26. Kyôto

   うるさい！

   Urusai!

27. Ôsaka

   じゃかましー！

   Jakamashii!

28. Hyôgo

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

29. Nara

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

30. Wakayama

   うるさい！

   Urusai!

   Chûgoku

31. Tottori

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

32. Shimane

   やかまし！

   Yakamashi!

33. Okayama

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

34. Hiroshima

   うるさい！

   Urusai!

35. Yamaguchi

   しろしー！

   Shiroshii!

   Shikoku

36. Tokushima

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

37. Kagawa

   やかまし！

   Yakamashi!

38. Ehime

   やかましー！

   Yakamashii!

39. Kôchi

   うるさい！

   Urusai!

   Kyûshû

40. Fukuoka

   しぇからしか！

   Shekarashika!

  しゃーしー！

   Shahshii!

   しからしい！

   Shikarashii!

   しゃーしいちゃ！ (筑豊)

   Shahshiicha! (in the Chikuhô region)

41. Saga

   しぇからしか！

   Shekarashika!

   やぐらしい！

Yagurashii!

42. Nagasaki

   せからしか！

   Sekarashika!

   やぐらしか！

   Yagurashika!

   やかまっさよ！  (五島)

   Yakamassayo!  (Gotô Islands)

43. Kumamoto

   せからしか！

   Sekarashika!

44. Ôita

   せせかましー！

   Sesekamashii!

   うるせーっちゃ！

   Uruseehcha!

45. Miyazaki

   せからしい！

   Sekarashii!

   せわし！

   Sewashi!

46. Kagoshima

   やぞろし！

   Yazoroshi!

   やぜろしい！

   Yazeroshii!

  Okinawa

47. Okinawa

   かしまさん！

   Kashimasan!

Shoppai or Karai?

The two most common ways to say that something is "salty" in Japanese are karai +  and shoppai ▲. I've heard both, but in contrast to what the map indicates, my experience is that shoppai is more often used even in western Japan, with karai meaning "spicy" rather than "salty". I could be wrong, though.

In a number of isolated areas ● shiohaii is said. In the Hokuriku area on the central western coast of Japan ◆ kudui is used. 

Shiokarai, shiokaraka, and shuukarasan can be also be heard in a variety of places, throughout Japan▼, including  Nagasaki and Kumamoto on the island of Kyūshū, the western edge of Shikoku, central Japan, and Hokuriku.

Wasshoi

Hakata Gion Yamakasa (博多祇園山笠) was held last week. The festival is easily one of Japan's most exciting. Teams of men race down the narrow streets of Hakata, carrying a one-ton yama (float) on their shoulders and chanting "Oisa! Oisa! This kakegoe (掛け声, cheer) is, I believe, unique to Fukuoka City. In most other areas, participants in matsuri shout "Wasshoi! Wasshoi!" (わっしょい、わっしょい).

In Karatsu, Saga, the cheer during the Karatsu Kunchi festival is "Enya! Enya!" (エンヤー、エンヤー) or "Yoisā! Yoisā!" (ヨイサー、ヨイサー).

In Õita, they say "Mossē, Mossē!" (モッセー、モッセー) or "Yassē, Yassē!" (やっセー、やっセー).

I like you.

「好きです。付き合ってください」

I like you. Please date me. 

北海道 (Hokkaidō)

「なまら好きだべや～付き合ってください」

青森県 (Aomori)

「好きだすけ、付き合ってけろ」

岩手県 (Iwate)

「好きだ。付き合ってけろ」

宮城県 (Miyagi)

「好きだべ、付き合ってけろ」

秋田県 (Akita)

「好ぎなんだけど、付ぎ合ってけね？」

山形県 (Yamagata)

「好ぎだぁー。付ぎ合っでぐれ」

福島県 (Fukushima)

「好ぎだ。付き合ってくんち」

茨城県 (Ibaraki)

「好きなん。付き合うべ？」

埼玉県 (Saitama)

「標準語の地域なので『好きです。付き合ってください』で変わらない」

新潟県 (Niigata)

「好きらすけ、付き合ってほしいんらろも」

石川県 (Ishikawa)

「好きねん(or 好きやし、好きねんけど)、付き合ってもらえんけ」

福井県 (Fukui)

「好きやで、付き合ってほしいんやけど」

山梨県 (Yamanashi)

「好きです。付き合ってくりょう」

長野県 (Nagano)

「好きだに。付き合って」

岐阜県 (Gifu)

「好きやで付き合って」

静岡県 (Shizuoka)

「好きだもんで、付き合ってください」

愛知県 (Aichi)

「好きなんだわー。付き合ってくれん？」

愛知県 (Aichi)

「好きだぎゃあ。付き合ってちょ」

愛知県 (Aichi)

「好きやもんで、付き合ってくれーせん？」

三重県 (Mie)

「好きなん。付き合ってくれへん？」

滋賀県 (Shiga)

「好きやねん。付き合ってください」

京都府 (Kyōto)

「好きやから、付き合って？」

大阪府 (Ōsaka)

「好きやねん。付き合ってくれへん？」

兵庫県 (Hyōgo)

「好きなんやけど、付き合ってくれへん？」

奈良県 (Nara)

「好きです。付き合ってくれへん？」

和歌山県 (Wakayama)

「好きやでぇ、付き合ってよ」

鳥取県 (Tottori)

「好きだに。付き合ってくれんだーか？」

岡山県 (Okayama)

「好きじゃけん。付き合おうやあ！」

広島県 (Hiroshima)

「好きなんじゃけど、うちと付き合ってくれん？」

山口県 (Yamaguchi)

「好きじゃけー、付き合ってよ」

徳島県 (Tokushima)

「好きじゃ。付き合ってくれんか」

香川県 (Kagawa)

「好きやきん、付き合ってくれんの？」

愛媛県 (Ehime)

「好きやけん、付き合って」

高知県 (Kōchi)

「好きやき。付き合うてほしいがやけんど」

福岡県 (Fukuoka)

「好いとっちゃんね、付き合っちゃらん？」

長崎県 (Nagasaki)

「好きとさね。付き合ってくれん？」

熊本県 (Kumamoto)

「好きったい。付き合って」

大分県 (Ōita)

「好きやに。付き合っちくりん？」

鹿児島県 (Kagoshima)

「すいちょっど。付き合うがー」

How cute!

A few months ago, my in-laws traveled back to their hometown of Kagoshima to attend a Buddhist memorial service for my wife’s grandfather. When my mother-in-law showed her brother’s wife a picture of my son, the woman exclaimed, “Majoka!” This, I would later learn, was how one said kawaii (cute) in the local dialect, Kagomma-ben. I have since heard that there are a number of variations of this word in Kagoshima depending on the sex of the child or age of the person. Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I’ve put my notes.

Below is a list of different ways in which Japanese say that something is cute or adorable.

  Hokkaidô

1. Hokkaidô

めんこい

Menkoi!

  Tôhoku

2. Aomori

   Tsugaru-ben

      めごい

      Megoi!

3. Iwate

      めんこい

      Menkoi! 

         (This is pretty much standard Japanese in the Tôhoku region of Japan.) 

l4. Miyage

   Sendai-ben

      めんこい

     Menkoi!

      めんこいごだぁ～

      Menkoi godah!

5. Akita

   めんけー

   Menkê!

      (A shortened version of menkoi)

   めんちょこい

   Menchokoi!

      (Spoken, supposedly in the heart of the southern mountain region.)

6. Yamagata

   めんごい

   Mengoi!

      (In other areas, you can hear mengokoi or menkokoi.)

7. Fukushima

   めごい

   Megoi!

      (Northern part of Fukushima prefecture.)

   めんごいor めんげ～

   Mengoi! Or, Mengê!

      (Central part of the prefecture.)

   めげえ

   Megê!

      (Used predominantly by men.)

  Kantô

8. Ibaraki

9. Tochigi

10. Gunma

11. Saitama

12. Chiba

13. Tôkyô

14. Kanagawa

  Chûbu

15. Niigata

   みじょい

   Mijoi-nô!

      (Means kawaii-ne!)

   かぁぅぇいの～

   Kâuei-nô!

   Sado-ben

     いとしげー

      Itoshigê!

(This dialect is spoken on Sado-jima, an island off the coast of Niigata.)

   Kâueinô!

16. Toyama

   かわらっしーい

   Kawarasshi-i!

     (Drawing out the final i is the point.)

17. Ishikawa

18. Fukui

19. Yamanashi

20. Nagano

   Karuizawa-ben

      かわらしーがや

      Kawarashî-gaya!

         (The gaya ending is common in Karuizawa.)

21. Gifu

22. Shizuoka

23. Aichi

   Nagoya-ben

      かわえー

      Kawaê!

      かわえーなも

      Kawaê namo!

         (Means, kawaii desu ne.)

   Iida-ben

      いっちー

         (Carries the nuance of being beautiful.)

  Kansai

24. Mie

   かわええ

   Kawê!

25. Shiga

26. Kyôto

27. Ôsaka

   かえらし

   Kaerashi!

   いやー、かわいらし

   Iyâ! Kawairashi!

28. Hyôgo

   In Kôbe

      かいらし

      Kairashi!

29. Nara

30. Wakayama

  Chûgoku

31. Tottori

32. Shimane

33. Okayama

   かぅぇぇらしー

   Kau-êrashî!

34. Hiroshima

   かわいいのう

   Kawaii-nô!

      (Adding nô is key to making it sound like Hiroshima-ben.)

35. Yamaguchi

   Shikoku

36. Tokushima

37. Kagawa

38. Ehime

   Iyo-ben (in central Ehime)

      かわいい

Kawaii!

          (Standard Japanese)

      かわゆい

      Kawayui!

      かわゆ～いなぁって

      Kawayû inâtte!

         (Apparently this is said when something or someone is exceptionally cute.)

39. Kôchi

   Tosa-ben

      おぼこい

      Obokoi!

         (Cute in a childish way.)

  Kyûshû

40. Fukuoka

   Hakata-ben

      あいらしい

      Airashii!

      あいらしかぁ～

      Airashikâ!

         (More common among the older generation)

   Chikugô-ben

      えーらしか

      Êrashika!

         (Southern Fukuoka prefecture)

41. Saga

   やーらしか

   Yârashika!

      (A corruption of kawairashii)

42. Nagasaki

   Iki-ben

      かわいかねぇ

      Kawaika-nê!

   Sasebo

      やーらしか

      Yârashika!

         (Sounds like the Japanese word for lascivious and disgusting, iyarashii, so use with caution.)

   Shimabara-ben

      みぞか

      Mizoka!

43. Kumamoto

   むぞらしか

   Muzoraka!

   むぞか

   Muzoka!

44. Ôita

   えーらしい

   Êrashii!

      (A corruption of kawairashii)

45. Miyazaki

   むじい

   Mujii!

      (As in the following, ano ko wa tege mujii. (That girl’s so cute.))

   もぞらし

   Mozorashi!

46. Kagoshima

   もじょか

   Mojokâ!

      (This is the word that got this whole investigation started.)

   もぜ・むぜ

   Moze! or Muze!

   もぞらしか

   Mozorashika!

  Okinawa

47. Okinawa

   ちゅらかーぎー

   Churakāgī!

      Most Japanese are familiar with chura-san, which means a beautiful woman. Here chura means “beautiful” and kāgī means “face”. The opposite of churakāgī is yanakāgī. These words are still in wide use today in Okinawa.

Whaddaya doin'?

One of the first things I ask students at the beginning of a semester is where they are from. If they hail from a prefecture outside of Fukuoka, and particularly from one outside of the Kyūshū region, I then ask them to say something in their local dialect. Japanese can be frustratingly shy at times and unwilling to stand out so it often takes some pleading on my knees to get the kids to speak up.

Coaching them helps. I’ll say, “In Fukuoka when someone asks, ‘What are you doing?’ they often say, ‘Nan sh’yotto?’ or ‘Namba shiyottoka?’” Having lived in Fukuoka for nearly two decades, the Hakata dialect (Hakata ben) is almost second nature to me and hearing me speak it allows the students to laugh, to let their hair down a bit and volunteer a phrase or two of their own dialect.

“What are you doing?” is one of those very basic, daily, and utterly necessary phrases. It still amazes me how much variation in it can be found throughout Japan.

  Tōhoku

6. Yamagata

   なにしった？

   Nani Shitta?

  Kantō

10. Gunma

   何やってるん？

   Nani yatterun?

11. Saitama

   なにしてんのー？ Or, なん(い)してん？

   Nani shiten noh?  Or, Nan(i) shiten?

  Chūbu

15. Niigata

   何してらん？

   Nan shiteran?

16. Toyama

   なんしとんが?  Or, 何しとんがけ？

   Nan shitonga?  Or, Nan shiton gake?

17. Ishikawa

   なんしとるん？  Or, なにしとるがん?

   Nan Shitorun?  Or, Nani shitoru gan?

   なんしとん？

   Nan shiton?

18. Fukui

   なにしてんにゃー Or, なにやってんのー?

   Nani shiten nya?  Or, Nani Yatten noh?

20. Nagano

   何してるだあ～？

   Nani shiteru dah?

21. Gifu

   なにしとるの? Or, なにしとんの?

   Nani Shitoru no? Or, Nani shiton no?

22. Shizuoka

   何してんの？  Or, 何しちょん？

   Nani shiten no?  Or, Nani shichon?

23. Aichi

   なにしとんの？  Or, 何やっとんの？

   Nani shiton no? Or, Nani yatton no?

  Kansai

24. Mie

   何しーよん？

   Nani shi-yon?

26. Kyōto

   何してんの？ Or, 何してるん？

   Nani shiten no? Or, Nani shiterun?

   何しとんねん？

   Nani shiton nen?

27. Ōsaka

   何してるん？ Or, 何してん？

   Nani shiterun?  Or, Nani shiten?

   なんしよん  Or, なにしよん

   Nan shiyon? Or, Nani shiyon?

28. Hyōgo

   In Kôbe, 何しとぉ～？

   Nani shitoh?

   なにしとん？ Or, 何しよんねん?

   Nani shiton?  Or, Nan shiyon nen?

  Chūgoku

31. Tottori

   何しとるだ～？ Or, なんしょ-るぅ?

   Nan shitoru dah?  Or, Nan shyohruu?

32. Shimane

   何しちょ―？  Or, 何しよん？

   Nani shichoh? Or, Nani shiyon?

33. Okayama

   なにしとん？  Or, なんしょん？

   Nan shiton?  Or, Nan shon?

34. Hiroshima

   なんしよん？ Or, なにしとん？

   Nan shiyon? Or, Nani shiton?

   なにしとるん？ Or, 何しちょるん？

   Nani shitorun? Or, Nani shichorun?

35. Yamaguchi

   何しとるん?  Or, 何しとん?

   Nan shitorun? Or, Nan shiton?

   Shikoku

36. Tokushima

   Awa-ben, なんしょん？

   Nan shon?

37. Kagawa

   なんにしよんの？

   Nani Shiyon no?

   なんしょん？

   Nan Shon?

   なにしてるん？

   Nani Shiterun?

38. Ehime

   なんしとん?  Or, なんしよん？

   Nan shiton?  Or, Nan shiyon?

39. Kōchi

   何しゆうが？   Or, 何やりゆうが？

   Nani shiyuu ga? Or, Nani yariyuu ga?

  Kyūshū

40. Fukuoka

   なんしよ-と～??  Or, なんしよん？

   Nan Shiyoh toh?  Or, Nan shiyon?

   なんばしよっと?  Or, なんしよるー？

   Nanba shiyotto?　Or, Nan shiyoruu?

   なんばしとっと？ Or, なんばしとると？

   Nanba shitoto? Or, Nanba shitoruto?

41. Saga

   なんしよると-？ Or, なんしよーと？

   Nan shiyorutoh? Or, Nan shiyoh to?

42. Nagasaki

   なんしよっと?  Or, なんしよっとー？

   Nan shiyotto?  Or, Nan shiyottoh?

   なんばしよっと？

   Nanba shiyotto?

43. Kumamoto

   なんばしよっとー？

   Namba shiyottoh?

44. Oita

   何しよんの？

   Nani Shiyon no?

45. Miyazaki

   何しちょっと？

   Nan shichotto?

46. Kagoshima

  Okinawa

47. Okinawa

   ぬーやってるばア?  Or, ヌーソーガー？

   Nuu yatteru bah?  Or, Nuu sohgah?