KKyoto

What is the Kyoto accent?

  • August 29, 2023

I’m a beginner-level student of Japanese (Duolingo), and rembered from various manga that people in the Kyoto region speak with an accent. I couldn’t find any phonetic examples when I searched Google, the Osaka accent has been easier to pin point. So to the native Japanese ear, what gives it away that someone is from Kyoto?

by icannotread1234

29 comments

  3. Despite what locals might tell you it’s basically Kansai-ben, like saying ookini instead of arigato or honma instead of honto, conjugating verbs with ~haru, etc… I think the pronunciation might be a little softer compared to Osaka and Kobe, but it feels very similar in terms of pitch and vocabulary

    The biggest difference is in the way people express and word things, Kyoto people, especially from the inner city, are masters of ~~passive-agressiveness~~ tatemae.

  5. I think as a beginner, you should not worry about it. Concentrate on the standard. You’ll recognize the accent as you travel.

  6. The dialect has been more homogenized over the past decades and you won’t hear much of a difference between Osaka, Hyogo, Shiga and Kyoto people, especially the younger generations.
    But still there are a few phrases that you can pick up that are more of a Kyoto thing, like adding -san to nouns, e.g. Ame-san (candy). In Osaka people say Ame-chan (「飴ちゃんいるか？」)
    -haru is another one. So instead of yatteharu you’d say yattaharu, or ikaharu instead of ikiharu. Kiihin (Konai) instead of keehen or koohen. Hokasu means to throw away, and I’m told it’s a Kyoto dialect. Yobareru means “to be invited” but in Kyoto it means “to be treated to a meal”, sara means “new”.

  8. It’s not an accent so much as a dialect. “Accents” in Japanese might mean different pitch patterns, but all of Kansai has basically the same pitch patterns as far as I know. But there are many variations on the dialect, even within a prefecture. Kyoto is somewhat distinct as people there are more likely to say できひん vs. できへん (standard できない) and しいひん vs. せえへん (standard しない). They also use the ～はる honorific more than other Kansai dialects (does not exist in standard Japanese). Lastly, there is a dialect spoken exclusively by the geiko san/maiko san (i.e. geisha), which is very uniquely Kyoto, but it’s not used by normal people. Still, some phrases like おいでやす are known by all Japanese, even if no one really says this in real life. I also thin that Kyoto people use おおきに (thank you) more than other Kansai people.

  9. I agree with the idea that there is no need to go there before you learn to speak the basic stuff which takes time since Japanese is a hard language, and still if you wish to find out, there are a few hints to search for.

    The main one is the ending of questions and verbs, for ex. when finishing a sentence with the question “so Desuka?” (really?), in Kyoto they finish with “nanya” instead (“so nanya?”) which sounds cuter then other dialects, so if it sounds cute, it might be Kyoto ben (dialect).

    Another ex. is endings like nasai- “Oyasumi nasai” (good night/sleep!) will be “oyasumi yasu”, or negative ending such as “nai” (not) ex. “tabe nai” (don’t eat) will be “tabe hen”.

    There are also words used in shops around the city. ex. instead of “irasshaimase” (welcome!), you will hear “oidemasu”. and “ohkini” is used to replace “arigatou” (thank you).

    There are more examples but the above are used a lot so it can be easily spotted.

    BTW, why do you want to find out Kyoto ppl? Are you hunting them? If so, good luck!

  10. I think it is more the passive aggressiveness rather than the accent that gives it away.

  14. Kyoto dialect is more or less the same as Kansai dialect these days.

    Just don’t say yes if you’re offered ochazuke at someone’s Kyoto home…

  16. Come and live in Kyoto. You’ll soon be speaking like people in Kyoto. Then go to Tokyo and get picked on for the way you speak. Search 京言葉 – too – there’s a nice conversation in the wiki.

  18. Instead of saying “coffee” they say “cwoffee.”

    And instead of “dog” they say “dwog.”

    They’re also famous for saying “Pahk the cah in Kiyomizudera Yahd.”

  19. Kyoto dialect may not have a tight accent. They are more sophisticated and soft-feeling than Osaka, Kobe dialect etc. What is characteristic of them is rather the temperament of Kyoto citizens. In Japan, Kyoto memes like “Kyoto people are passively aggressive” are popular. (Of course these are only prejudice.)

  20. If they compliment your watch, it means you talk too much.

    If they talk about how well you play music, it means you’re disturbing the neighborhood.

    If they offer you ochazuke, they’re telling you to get the hell out of their house.

  21. Despite what other people say, there IS a difference in pitch and intonation between Osaka and Kyoto people. Of course, what is most noticeable are the different words/endings, but the pitch also slightly differs. It has been more homogenized recently, but if you talk to people over 40 years old, you’ll usually be able to recognize if someone is from Osaka or Kyoto only by their intonations.
    I don’t know if you understand Japanese, but here is a video that explains a little bit the differences. It might be hard to recognize when only one sentence is given, but when someone is speaking it is easier to notice. It’s complex to explain, but the Kyoto pitch is usually higher, softer and more feminine.

    https://youtu.be/1PSN9PIjSIA?si=1OZsg-TdAwjhkb16

    Here is an example of Kyoto dialect. While she is explaining the Kyoto dialect’s unique words, listen to her pitch and intonations. You might be able to feel a difference. It’s hard to pin point what is different, but you can definitely hear it.

    https://youtu.be/QjNZL9QyMx4?si=OBYvhypCW7S76ah2

  22. And if someone invites you to their house in Kyoto it means “never ever come here.”

  23. Maybe it’s just me (or the ancient owner of the tofu shop nearby) but I feel like the “Oh” sounds get softened to more of an “Ah” sound.

    Simply because I hear it so much, “Ooh-ki-ni” sounds like “Ahh-ki-ni.”

    I feel that in general it’s a more relaxed sounding accent than Osaka.

  25. A lot of it is already covered, so I’ll just add a couple of Kyoto-Ben standards that you would hear from a Maiko or a Geiko, but not from your everyday Taro: instead of 〜ですね it’s 〜どすえ and the 〜てください formation becomes 〜やす.

  26. I live in Kyoto. Kansai-ben in full is not very common except by young guys trying to use it as slang. Here and there you’ll find some words that have some dialectical differences, but for the most part people will think you’re disrespectful and kinda… trashy? If you always talk in Kansai-ben. Especially if you’re talking to older folks or at a nice restaurant or something.

    Still sounds pretty cool to me. I have a black friend with a big Afro and anytime we go around (he’s N1) he only speaks in Kansai-ben. People love it and will ask to touch his Afro and shit all day long. But he’s an exception. I would not do it. If you wanna learn it, learn it through experience after moving to Kyoto or Kobe or whatever. Not worth learning at home.

  27. Not sure why so many answers are saying there’s not much difference between it and Kansai dialect, but there’s a very noticeable difference in the intonation, speed, stress as well as word choice. It does require at least level 859 in duolingo to start to notice it though.

  29. I’ve been living in Kyoto for 5 years now. And I don’t know when I started picking it up. All my Japanese colleagues and friends say I speak better Kyoto ben than some Japanese. So it’s all about time.

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