![\"Winter](\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/GGN-Blog-Watermark-Rebrand-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAbout the Tsugaru area<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAomori Prefecture<\/a> is located in the northernmost part of Honsh\u016b at about the same latitude as New York. So it is very cold in winter with a lot of snow. It is normal to see snow accumulation of more than one meter every year, especially in the Tsugaru area.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nAomori has rich agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries and is known for producing apples, garlic, burdocks, and scallops which provide rich food resources to not only the local area but people across Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aomori prefecture is divided by the \u014cu Mountains, <\/em><\/strong>located in the center of the prefecture, into two areas: the Tsugaru area in the west and the Nanbu area in the East. In the Tsugaru area, people speak Tsugaru-ben, and in the Nanbu area, people speak Nanbu-ben. Because those areas are separated by tall mountains and they had a conflict for years, due to their historical relationship, Tsugaru-ben and Nanbu-ben have different words, sentence endings, and intonation so people often do not understand each other. One thing the two dialects have in common is that they are short compared to the Tokyo dialect.
It is said that the reason for it being shorter is that people in Aomori do not want to open their mouths for too long in such cold weather! In the next section, we will introduce Tsugaru-ben and its features so if you want to know more about it, keep reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Aomori](\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Aomori-Lights_Watermark-Rebrand.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIntroduction to Tsugaru-ben<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pronunciation <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nOne of the differences between Tsugaru-ben and Tokyo-ben is its pronunciation. For example, In Tugaru-ben, there is no distinction between “shi” and “su,” “chi” and “tsu,” and “ji” and “zu\u201d. So when pronouncing the word sushi, the pronunciation would be \u201csusu\u201d with the intonation the same as Tokyo ben\u2019s pronunciation. Another example is that in Tsugaru-ben, “ka” and “ta” lines at the middle and end of a word become “ga” and “da” lines. For example, the word takai (high or expensive) can be pronounced as \u201ctagai\u201d in Tsugaru-ben. There are more, but we will keep those for next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grammar<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are many grammatical differences<\/strong> between Tsugaru-ben and Tokyo-ben so we will introduce some that are quite noticeable here. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFirst, Tsugaru-ben does not use the subject marker particle “ga.” They also don’t use the direct object particle “wo.” Instead of the direct object “o” they sometimes use “godo” or “ba” to emphasize the object. Second, you will hear a lot of \u201cbe\u201d ending in Tsugaru-ben because in Tsugaru-ben, \u201cbe\u201d expresses will, solicitation, and inference. Especially for inference, people will add \u201con\u201d to \u201cbi\u201d and say \u201cbyon.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isn\u2019t it interesting to learn how different the dialect is from the standard, Tokyo-ben? Now, let\u2019s learn some phrases in Tsugaru-ben and see how different they are from Tokyo-ben.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phrases in Tsugaru-ben<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\u3057\u3083\u3063\u3053\u3044\u00a0\u2014 shakkoi
It means “cold.” In Tokyo-ben, it is \u3064\u3081\u305f\u3044.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u3081\u3093\u3053\u3044 \u2014 menkoi
It means \u201ccute.\u201d In Tokyo-ben, it is \u304b\u308f\u3044\u3044.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u3042\u3081\u3063\u3053 \u2014 amekko
It means \u201ccandies.\u201d in Tokyo ben, it is \u3042\u3081.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u3078\u3070 \u2014 heba
It means \u201cthen.\u201d In Tokyo-ben, it is \u3058\u3083\u3042.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u3078\u3070\u306d \u2014 hebane
It means \u201csee you soon.\u201d in Tokyo-ben, it is \u307e\u305f\u306d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forming sentences in Tsugaru-ben<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\u305b\u3070\u3060\u3070 \u307e\u3044\u306d \u3073\u3087\u3093 \u2014 sebadaba maine byon<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It means \u201cThat won\u2019t do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Tokyo-ben, it is something like: \u305d\u308c\u3058\u3083\u3042 \u3060\u3081 \u3067\u3057\u3087\u3046\u00a0\u2014 sore j\u0101 dame desh\u014d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is not good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sentence breakdown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u305b\u3070\u3060\u3070 \u2014 sebadaba\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It means \u305d\u308c\u3058\u3083\u3042 (sorej\u0101) in Tokyo-ben, meaning \u201cthat is\u201d in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u307e\u3044\u306d \u2014 maine\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It means \u3060\u3081 (dame) meaning \u201cnot ok\u201d in English, and \u3073\u3087\u3093 (byon) is the ending that implies inference.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now you see how different they are. Isn’t it fascinating that people speak very different dialects depending on where they live?<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Aomori](\"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Aomori-Fish_Watermark-Rebrand.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLearn more about the Tsugaru area <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Did reading this article make you want to visit the Tsugaru area of Aomori? In Tsugaru, there are many tourist attractions such as cherry blossoms at Hirosaki Castle and the Nebuta Festival, and it is worth visiting! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to learn about the Tsugaru area and its culture, you can read the book “Return to Tsugaru<\/a>” written by Osamu Dazai, a writer who wrote the famous book “No Longer Human.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you are interested in other Japanese dialects, we have a blog article<\/a> about Kansai-ben.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe also have a short online Kansai-ben course for you! Visit our website<\/a> for more information and to sign up.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you want to stay longer in Japan, why not study abroad with Go! Go! Nihon? Although we do not have schools in Aomori yet, you can travel across the country during the holidays! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aomori has rich agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries and is known for producing apples, garlic, burdocks, and scallops which provide rich food resources to not only the local area but people across Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aomori prefecture is divided by the \u014cu Mountains, <\/em><\/strong>located in the center of the prefecture, into two areas: the Tsugaru area in the west and the Nanbu area in the East. In the Tsugaru area, people speak Tsugaru-ben, and in the Nanbu area, people speak Nanbu-ben. Because those areas are separated by tall mountains and they had a conflict for years, due to their historical relationship, Tsugaru-ben and Nanbu-ben have different words, sentence endings, and intonation so people often do not understand each other. One thing the two dialects have in common is that they are short compared to the Tokyo dialect. Pronunciation <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the differences between Tsugaru-ben and Tokyo-ben is its pronunciation. For example, In Tugaru-ben, there is no distinction between “shi” and “su,” “chi” and “tsu,” and “ji” and “zu\u201d. So when pronouncing the word sushi, the pronunciation would be \u201csusu\u201d with the intonation the same as Tokyo ben\u2019s pronunciation. Another example is that in Tsugaru-ben, “ka” and “ta” lines at the middle and end of a word become “ga” and “da” lines. For example, the word takai (high or expensive) can be pronounced as \u201ctagai\u201d in Tsugaru-ben. There are more, but we will keep those for next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grammar<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many grammatical differences<\/strong> between Tsugaru-ben and Tokyo-ben so we will introduce some that are quite noticeable here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, Tsugaru-ben does not use the subject marker particle “ga.” They also don’t use the direct object particle “wo.” Instead of the direct object “o” they sometimes use “godo” or “ba” to emphasize the object. Second, you will hear a lot of \u201cbe\u201d ending in Tsugaru-ben because in Tsugaru-ben, \u201cbe\u201d expresses will, solicitation, and inference. Especially for inference, people will add \u201con\u201d to \u201cbi\u201d and say \u201cbyon.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Isn\u2019t it interesting to learn how different the dialect is from the standard, Tokyo-ben? Now, let\u2019s learn some phrases in Tsugaru-ben and see how different they are from Tokyo-ben.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u3057\u3083\u3063\u3053\u3044\u00a0\u2014 shakkoi \u3081\u3093\u3053\u3044 \u2014 menkoi \u3042\u3081\u3063\u3053 \u2014 amekko \u3078\u3070 \u2014 heba \u3078\u3070\u306d \u2014 hebane \u305b\u3070\u3060\u3070 \u307e\u3044\u306d \u3073\u3087\u3093 \u2014 sebadaba maine byon<\/p>\n\n\n\n It means \u201cThat won\u2019t do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Tokyo-ben, it is something like: \u305d\u308c\u3058\u3083\u3042 \u3060\u3081 \u3067\u3057\u3087\u3046\u00a0\u2014 sore j\u0101 dame desh\u014d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is not good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sentence breakdown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u305b\u3070\u3060\u3070 \u2014 sebadaba\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It means \u305d\u308c\u3058\u3083\u3042 (sorej\u0101) in Tokyo-ben, meaning \u201cthat is\u201d in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u307e\u3044\u306d \u2014 maine\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It means \u3060\u3081 (dame) meaning \u201cnot ok\u201d in English, and \u3073\u3087\u3093 (byon) is the ending that implies inference.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now you see how different they are. Isn’t it fascinating that people speak very different dialects depending on where they live?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Did reading this article make you want to visit the Tsugaru area of Aomori? In Tsugaru, there are many tourist attractions such as cherry blossoms at Hirosaki Castle and the Nebuta Festival, and it is worth visiting! <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to learn about the Tsugaru area and its culture, you can read the book “Return to Tsugaru<\/a>” written by Osamu Dazai, a writer who wrote the famous book “No Longer Human.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are interested in other Japanese dialects, we have a blog article<\/a> about Kansai-ben.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also have a short online Kansai-ben course for you! Visit our website<\/a> for more information and to sign up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to stay longer in Japan, why not study abroad with Go! Go! Nihon? Although we do not have schools in Aomori yet, you can travel across the country during the holidays! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is said that the reason for it being shorter is that people in Aomori do not want to open their mouths for too long in such cold weather! In the next section, we will introduce Tsugaru-ben and its features so if you want to know more about it, keep reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIntroduction to Tsugaru-ben<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Phrases in Tsugaru-ben<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It means “cold.” In Tokyo-ben, it is \u3064\u3081\u305f\u3044.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It means \u201ccute.\u201d In Tokyo-ben, it is \u304b\u308f\u3044\u3044.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It means \u201ccandies.\u201d in Tokyo ben, it is \u3042\u3081.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It means \u201cthen.\u201d In Tokyo-ben, it is \u3058\u3083\u3042.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It means \u201csee you soon.\u201d in Tokyo-ben, it is \u307e\u305f\u306d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nForming sentences in Tsugaru-ben<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLearn more about the Tsugaru area <\/h2>\n\n\n\n