The Tochigi dialect (Japanese: 栃木弁 Tochigi-ben) is a Japanese dialect spoken in Tochigi prefecture. It is classified along with the Ibaraki dialect as an East Kanto dialect, but due to possessing various shared phonological and grammatical features with the neighbouring Fukushima dialect to the north, many scholars consider it instead as part of the wider Tohoku dialect. It has notable differences within the prefecture depending on region, and in some parts of the southwest of the prefecture (including the cities of Ashikaga and Sano) a separate dialect, the Ashikaga dialect, is spoken.
Tochigi dialect | |
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栃木弁 | |
Native to | Japan |
Region | Tochigi (excluding Ashikaga) |
Japonic
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | – |
Glottolog | toch1258 |
The following are some of the most distinct phonetic characteristics of the dialect.
Sound | Examples | ||
---|---|---|---|
Sound in standard Japanese | Tochigi dialect form | Standard Japanese | Tochigi dialect |
k | g | aki (あき autumn ) | agi (あぎ) |
t | d | katana (かたな sword) | kadana (かだな) |
The following are some of the most distinct grammatical characteristics of the dialect.