Do you ever buy onigiri at convenience stores? When you buy an onigiri at a convenience store in Hokkaido, the clerk will always ask you, "Would you like me to heat up your onigiri?" I was born and raised in Hokkaido.

Being born and raised in Hokkaido, I have never thought it strange at all, and until recently, I thought it was a natural thing to do. However, my father, who is from outside of Hokkaido, never asked me, "Would you like me to heat up an onigiri? I was surprised to hear such a question until I came to Hokkaido! That was the first time I learned about it.

There is even a local program in Hokkaido titled "Onigiri onimashimasu ka" (Do you want to warm up your rice ball?), so it is a popular phrase in Hokkaido! Nowadays, fried rice and sekihan (red rice) onigiri are also available, which taste better when eaten warm, so it may no longer be a culture unique to Hokkaido.

In this issue, we will be asking, "Would you like your rice ball warmed up?" and other phrases used in Hokkaido.
What kind of image do you have when you hear the Hokkaido dialect?

I guess you may think of the strong "〜べや" tone of voice. Menkoi" and "Namara" may also be famous.

However, as a resident of Hokkaido, I think these phrases are not used as often as one might expect. Because of differences by generation and region, many young people, especially those living in urban areas such as Sapporo, do not use Hokkaido dialect that seems to be Hokkaido dialect.

Therefore, if you see an article or a program that says "Speaking of Hokkaido dialect, here it is! you may often find yourself saying, "No, no...I don't use it.
So we will introduce some of the words used in Hokkaido, especially those used by young people in urban areas!

This is a famous phrase! It is used with verbs such as "oshisasatta" and "kokusasatta.

It is often translated as "〜しすすろ," but from the Hokkaidō perspective, it is a bit different!
That is certainly true, but a more detailed translation is closer to the nuance of "I never intended to do it, but due to a combination of external factors, etc., I accidentally did 00.

For example, when you are typing a text on LINE to your friend on the train, your finger accidentally touches the send button due to a sudden jolt...! In such a case, we say "pressed".

This phrase is easy to use when you want to assert that it was an external factor that made you do it!
This phrase has two meanings.

One is used to say goodbye. It means "good-bye" or "see you later." It is easy to use "shikkake-ne-" in situations where you are saying good-bye.
However, if a friend is moving far away, for example, and you will not see each other for a long time, you may not use this phrase unless you are sure you will see each other again soon.

The other is used as a conjunction, meaning "if you do so. I did, didn't I?" It is also used when asking for confirmation, as in.
"Leaning over" tends to be called "yoshikakeru" by Hokkai-do people. I used to use it without realizing it was a Hokkaido dialect until my father pointed it out to me....

The usage is the same as "yorikakeru". You don't usually use "shi" as a sendigana for the feeling of "yorikakeru", do you?
When I split the bill with my friends, I ask them, "Do you have any chokkisshi?" when you want to split a bill with a friend. This is used to mean "just right" or "exactly right!

When you pay the bill and you get exactly what you paid for from your wallet, you say, "It was just right! when you pay your bill with your wallet.

This phrase is also known as "byte honorifics," but it is said to be a wrong honorific.
Did you know that the phrase actually originated in Hokkaido?

The phrase, "Is everything all right?" is a phrase used to confirm something that has happened in the past. But "Is your order done? If you use the past tense for something that happened in the present or just before, it is a misuse of the past tense.

In Hokkaido, however, the past tense is often used because of the image of "past tense = polite and soft. For example, the greeting "Good evening" is often said as "Oban-datta".

It may seem strange until you get used to it, but there are cases where words in the past tense are used as honorific expressions!
It means corn!

In Hokkaido, we call it "tokibi" or "tokimi". The stall in Sapporo's Odori Park selling grilled corn flavored with soy sauce is called "Tokibi Wagon".

The other day, after I finished saying "Tokibi looks delicious" in front of a friend from outside of Hokkaido, he said, "I made a mistake! I meant to say "corn!" I regretted it.
How do you say the imperative form of "do"? Grammatically, "shiro" is correct, but in Hokkaido we say "sure" or "shire.

The imperative forms of verbs all end in "〜れ". In my junior high school Japanese class, I was told that "that conjugation is a Hokkaido dialect," and that was the first time I learned it.

It sounds a little harsh, but it is not meant to be angry!


How was it? I introduced some words used in Hokkaido.
Please ask your friends and family who are from Hokkaido.

*Thumbnails and images are for reference only.