One of the common experiences for people from Hokkaido is discovering that a word they thought was standard Japanese is actually part of the Hokkaido dialect. Natsumi Hioka, a voice actress from Hokkaido, posted about such an incident on social media. Her post, expressing surprise at learning a word she used casually was a dialect, has become a hot topic.

よしかかるって北海道弁なんですか？
34年間知らずに使ってましたけど？
なんで今まで私の周りの人だれも指摘してくれなかったんですか？
まだ知らずに使ってる北海道弁があったなんて驚きなんですけど、、、
ぼっこが方言って知ったときと同じくらいの衝撃なんですけど、、、

— 日岡なつみ (@HIOKANATSUMI) February 16, 2026

According to her post, she recently learned that "yoshikakaru" is a Hokkaido dialect term. For reference, "yoshikakaru" means "to lean on" or "to lean against" in standard Japanese. In Hokkaido, it's used daily in phrases like "yoshikakaru against a wall" or "yoshikakaru on a desk." Another word in the same post, "bokko," is also a Hokkaido dialect word for "stick." Phrases like "a tree 'bokko' fell" are used very naturally in Hokkaido.

However, Natsumi Hioka says that until recently, no one had ever pointed out that she was using these Hokkaido dialect words. This is something people from Hokkaido can deeply relate to... Her social media post received many comments, with many from Hokkaido natives saying things like, "I was shocked when I found out it was a dialect," "I think I use it too," and "I just learned this for the first time."

Are There More Hokkaido Dialect Words We Use Without Realizing? A Comment from Natsumi Hioka

Since then, Natsumi Hioka has continued to share topics related to the Hokkaido dialect.

👇気付くのに時間かかった北海道弁
サビオ
(人に対して)どけて
手袋はく
くっちゃべる
とうきび

👇全国で使うべきおすすめ北海道弁
いずい
なした？
ちょす
押ささる、書かさる、食べらさる

みんなの好きな北海道弁も教えて😀

— 日岡なつみ (@HIOKANATSUMI) February 17, 2026

We received a comment from Natsumi Hioka herself regarding the response to her post.

Natsumi Hioka, a voice actress from Hokkaido

We look forward to the future endeavors of the "Dosanko voice actress" Natsumi Hioka, who brought this topic to light!