Regional Dialects: ‘Band-aid’

In a Japanese language course you will most likely only learn about the standard Japanese language, but Japan is actually rich in regional dialects, which differ in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary.

Comparing differences between various dialects can be an interesting experience!
For example, the simple word ‘band-aid’ has as many as six (most popular) variations: the standard bansōkō and the regional sabio, kattoban, bandoeido, kizuban, ribateepu.

バンドエイド - Bandoeido is the English loan word used mainly in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and their surroundings.

サビオ - The band-aid is called sabio in Hokkaido, Hiroshima and Wakayama.

カットバン, キズバン - The band-aid can be called kattoban or kizuban in the North and South of Japan.

リバテープ - The band-aid is called ribateepu in the South of Japan, including Okinawa or Kumamoto.

Written by AL