Standard Japanese and regional varieties
Recognise a few labelled Kansai expressions and use standard polite Japanese with people from different regions.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
Japanese regional varieties
Recognise regional expressions and compare them with standard Japanese.
Adventure journal
Japanese regional varieties
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An introduction to Kansai varieties
Kansai includes several regional ways of speaking, not one uniform dialect. Read examples and practise with explanations for each answer.
Read and practiseKansai ใใใใซ and standard thanks
In some Kansai speech, ใใใใซ expresses thanks and corresponds to standard ใใใใจใ. Read examples and practise with explanations for each answer.
Read and practiseKansai negative ใธใ and standard Japanese
Recognise informal Kansai verb negatives and compare them with standard Japanese. Read examples and practise with explained answers.
Read and practiseKansai ใ and standard Japanese ใ
Compare the Kansai copula ใ with standard ใ after nouns and ใช-adjectives, using examples and practice.
Read and practiseHearing Kansai pitch: bridge, chopsticks and edge
Compare Osaka and Tokyo pitch patterns for ใฏใ, distinguish word accent from intonation, and practise with a transcript.
Read and practiseRecognising Japanese dialect in media
Learn to notice Kansai words and contextual clues in films and subtitles without treating characters as regional stereotypes.
Read and practiseRegional greetings and standard Japanese
Compare Kansai greetings and thanks with standard Japanese and meet a greeting from the Okinawan language.
Read and practiseRecognising Osaka speech features
Recognise Osaka-associated expressions such as ใชใใ, ใปใใ and ใใใ, and compare them with standard Japanese.
Read and practiseRecognising Kyoto speech features
Recognise Kyoto-associated forms such as ใใใใซ, ใใธใ and ใใฏใ and connect them with standard Japanese meanings.
Read and practiseRecognising Kobe speech features
Recognise Kobe-associated ใใจใ and ใใจใ forms, and distinguish an action in progress from a resulting state in context.
Read and practiseIntroducing Hakata speech
Recognise three expressions associated with Hakata speech and compare their meanings with standard Japanese in context.
Read and practiseAn introduction to Hiroshima speech
Recognise Hiroshima-associated ใใ, ใใใใ and ใถใก, and connect each expression with its standard Japanese context.
Read and practiseAn introduction to Tลhoku varieties
Explore Japanese speech in Tลhoku through regional agreement and conjecture, and compare them with standard Japanese.
Read and practiseAn introduction to Hokkaido speech
Recognise Hokkaido-associated words such as ใชใพใ, ใใใฃใ and ใใใ, and compare their meanings with standard Japanese.
Read and practiseOkinawan Japanese and Ryukyuan languages
Explore the difference between Okinawan Japanese and Ryukyuan languages, and recognise an Okinawan greeting in context.
Read and practiseComparing regional negative forms
Compare standard Japanese negatives with Kansai ใธใ and western ใ forms, and practise recognising their meanings.
Read and practisePoliteness in regional speech
Explore how politeness and regional speech interact in Japanese, using Kansai ใใใใซ and standard expressions of thanks.
Read and practiseListening for Kansai in a station dialogue
Follow an attributed station dialogue and recognise Kansai negatives alongside their standard Japanese equivalents.
Read and practiseSwitching between regional and standard Japanese
Learn to recognise Osaka-associated expressions and choose clear standard Japanese equivalents for different audiences and situations.
Read and practiseComparing regional pitch patterns
Compare Tokyo and Osaka pitch patterns, listen for mora and particles, and interpret the contrast between bridge and chopsticks.
Read and practiseInterpreting dialect stereotypes in fiction
Read regional speech in Japanese fiction, compare Osaka-associated forms with standard Japanese, and question character stereotypes.
Read and practiseLanguage variation and regional identity
Explore how regional expressions can signal local identity, and learn to interpret Osaka-associated ใชใใ in its standard Japanese context.
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