Hyōjungo · Standard Japanese
The Tokyo-area variety that forms the basis of Standard Japanese (Hyōjungo). Carried nationwide by broadcasting, education, and government use.
Hokkaido-ben
The variety spoken across Hokkaido. A relatively young dialect shaped by 19th-century settlement, mostly close to Standard Japanese but with Tōhoku and coastal influences.
Shareable facts
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Frequently asked questions
What language is Hokkaido-ben?
Hokkaido-ben is a dialect of the Japanese language.
Where is Hokkaido-ben spoken?
Hokkaido-ben is primarily spoken in Japan.
Which region is Hokkaido-ben associated with?
Hokkaido-ben is part of the East Asia region on DialectAtlas.
What are the other dialects of Japanese?
Japanese also includes Tokyo Japanese, Kansai-ben, Kyoto-ben, Hakata-ben, Tōhoku-ben, Hiroshima-ben, Nagoya-ben. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Japanese dialects
See on the atlas →Kansai dialect · Kinki dialect · Osaka-ben
The major dialect group of the Kansai region, with Osaka as its modern centre. Strongly distinct from Tokyo Japanese in pitch accent, copula forms, and idiom. Kyoto-ben is treated separately here.
Kyō-kotoba · Kyoto dialect
The Kyoto variety of Kansai Japanese. Historically the prestige speech of the imperial court, marked by softer cadence, distinct honorific forms, and a long literary heritage.
Fukuoka dialect
The dialect of Fukuoka and the Hakata district on northern Kyushu. Recognisable for sentence-final particles like "to" and "tai".
Tōhoku dialect · Zūzū-ben
The dialects of north-eastern Honshu around Sendai. Distinguished by reduced vowel contrasts and merged sibilants — historically caricatured as "zūzū-ben".
Geibi dialect
The Chūgoku-region dialect of Hiroshima and surrounding Geibi area. Known to many Japanese viewers through Hiroshima-set film and television.
Owari dialect
The dialect of Nagoya and the Owari plain. Sits between the Tokyo and Kansai regions and shares features with both, while keeping a distinct vowel inventory.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →113 km away
A language isolate of the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido and historically Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Critically endangered with only a handful of native speakers; subject of an active revitalisation effort.
535 km away
The dialects of north-eastern Honshu around Sendai. Distinguished by reduced vowel contrasts and merged sibilants — historically caricatured as "zūzū-ben".
768 km away
The Russian of the Russian Far East around Vladivostok and Khabarovsk. The youngest major regional variety, formed through 19th- and 20th-century settlement; close to standard Russian with regional vocabulary tied to Pacific life.
773 km away
A Tungusic language of the lower Amur basin, spoken in Russia's Khabarovsk Krai and adjacent China. Around a thousand speakers, all elderly.
834 km away
The Tokyo-area variety that forms the basis of Standard Japanese (Hyōjungo). Carried nationwide by broadcasting, education, and government use.
882 km away
A language isolate of Sakhalin and the lower Amur basin in Russia. Critically endangered; one of the few Paleo-Siberian languages with no demonstrated relatives.