Tsugaru dialect


The Tsugaru dialect is a Japanese dialect spoken in western Aomori Prefecture.
The Tsugaru dialect is reputed to be so divergent from standard Japanese for those who are not native speakers, that even people living in the same prefecture may have trouble understanding it. In 1988, fans of the Tsugaru dialect proclaimed October 23 to be Tsugaru Dialect Day. October 23 is the anniversary of the death of Takagi Kyozo, a famous poet who wrote in the Tsugaru dialect.
In Tsuruta, there is an annual summer Tsugaru-ben competition in which teams of foreigners create short skits or performances, usually humorous, using the dialect. In June 2009, a short segment featuring the competition was broadcast nationally on NHK.

Examples

The words are sometimes very different from those of standard Japanese.
EnglishStandard JapaneseTsugaru dialect
I
youあなた
cuteかわいい めごい
friend友達 けやぐ
countryside田舎 じゃご
butけれど だばって
same同じ ふとず
veryとても たげ/がっぱ
cold冷たい しゃっこい
warm暖かい ぬげ
noisyうるさい さしね
irritatingイライラする かちゃくちゃね
money(お)金 じぇんこ
foreheadひたい, (お)でこ なずぎ
home
cooked rice/mealごはん まま
to freeze 凍らせる しみらがす
to freeze 凍る しみる
to eat 食べる, 食う