One of the classic 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 this very experience on social media. Her post, expressing shock after learning that a word she used casually was a local dialect term, 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 found out that "yoshikakaru" is a Hokkaido dialect word. For reference, "yoshikakaru" means "to lean on" or "to lean against" in standard Japanese. In Hokkaido, it's used routinely in phrases like "yoshikakaru against a wall" or "yoshikakaru on a desk." Another word from the same post, "bokko," is also from the Hokkaido dialect and means "stick." Phrases like "a tree bokko is on the ground" are used very naturally in Hokkaido.

However, Natsumi Hioka had been using these Hokkaido dialect words until recently without anyone ever pointing it out. People from Hokkaido can surely relate... Her social media post drew many comments, with many from fellow Hokkaido natives saying things like, "I was shocked when I found out it was a dialect," "I probably use that too," and "I'm just learning this for the first time."

Are there other Hokkaido dialect words people use without realizing? A comment from Natsumi Hioka

Following this, Ms. Hioka continued to share more about 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 success of the "Dosanko voice actress" Natsumi Hioka, who brought this interesting topic to light!