do japanese anime actors use accents

by Kane Pagac MD 4 min read
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The answer depends on your definition of "common". Most anime don't include dialects or accents, so in that sense it's not "common" however it's not unusual for a show to do so. There are quite a number of shows that include characters with dialects, most often Kansai/Osaka-ben, but when they do it's almost always for a direct purpose.

The majority of Japanese spoken in anime will be the standard Tokyo dialect, which accounts for well over 50% of the total language used. Kansai-ben is the second most common and is spoken by around 25% of the characters, with less common dialects making up the rest.

Full Answer

Why do anime voice actors sound so different than normal people?

Moreover, most anime voice actors don't speak the way normal people do. Much like their American counterparts, Japanese voice talent generally over-enunciate every word, and put a lot more tone of voice into every sentence.

Did you know non-Japanese anime characters are being voices by foreign actors?

Non-Japanese anime characters are appearing more frequently in modern anime. What fans may not know, is that many are voiced by foreign actors too! With anime's growing popularity in the West, talented voice actors from all over the world have traveled to Japan, lending their skills to a variety of characters.

Does watching anime make you more comfortable with the language?

Hearing Japanese from anime constantly might make you more comfortable with the language and its structure, but taken by itself, it can really throw off your language studies. Thank you for reading Answerman! We are no longer taking question submissions.

Do you consider anime and Japanese the same language?

It might technically be the same language, but polite Japanese is essentially a separate dialect. Hearing Japanese from anime constantly might make you more comfortable with the language and its structure, but taken by itself, it can really throw off your language studies. Thank you for reading Answerman!

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Are all anime voice actors Japanese?

Speaking of anime characters, anime fans are all aware that their voices are being dubbed by voice actors, and these voice actors are called 'Seiyuu' in the Japanese language. Being a seiyuu is a nice job, given the fact that voice acting in Japan is widespread because it is the country where anime originates.

Why does Japanese sound different in anime?

Much like their American counterparts, Japanese voice talent generally over-enunciate every word, and put a lot more tone of voice into every sentence. If you picked up most of your Japanese from anime and try to speak it in the same way, you're going to sound like a radio announcer rather than a normal person.

Are there any accents in Japanese?

Accent and tone are the most variable aspect of Japanese dialects. Some have no accent at all; of those that do, it may occur in addition to a high or low word tone.

Can Japanese speak without pitch accent?

Though you may not be able to hear the difference in pitch initially, Japanese people certainly can. Being an accent, it does differ from area to area but you're probably learning standard Japanese anyway and regardless of differences between dialects, you need to be consistent within a dialect.

Why do anime girls talk so high?

Answer by William Flanagan, longtime manga and anime translator: The high-pitched tones of some of the characters are there to serve the story. They are there to emphasize the childlike qualities and innocence (or, in some cases, contrast the innocent sound with evil intent) of the characters.

Is Japanese hard to learn?

Japanese is ranked by the U.S. Foreign Services Institute as the most difficult language for native English speakers to learn. The institute uses the time it takes to learn a language to determine its difficulty 23-24 weeks for the easiest and 88 weeks for the hardest.

Is Japanese harder than Chinese?

Learning to read and write Japanese is probably harder than Chinese because most Japanese characters (kanji) have two or more pronunciations, whereas the vast majority of Chinese characters (hanzi) only have one. In Japanese you also have to contend with two syllabic scripts (hiragana and katakana).

What does Ni Hon go mean in Japanese?

The term used for Japanese as a course of study by citizens is "kokugo" (国語), which means national language. Nonetheless, Japanese is still referred to as Nihon-go by the Japanese.

Do Japanese people study pitch accent?

As it turns out, because Japanese people aren't taught about pitch accent in school, they generally end up referring to both pitch accent and intonation simply as “intonation” (イントネーション).

Is Japanese accent easy?

Because Japanese pronunciation isn't as difficult as Chinese or other languages, it's often overlooked in beginners' studies. However, the longer you wait to correct your pronunciation the harder it gets. Accent training should be done as soon as possible in order for you to get used to new sounds in Japanese.

Does accent matter in Japanese?

In practical terms, accent is probably the least important aspect of Japanese pronunciation no matter what your level of language skill.

How do you guess a Japanese pitch accent?

2:289:33Japanese Pitch-Accent in 10 Minutes / 日本語の高低アクセントを十分で ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe first syllable of the word is high and then all the remaining syllables are low including theMoreThe first syllable of the word is high and then all the remaining syllables are low including the particle that attaches. So if we go back to the example word sake.

1. Tokyo-ben

This is the number one, most common language spoken in anime. The main reason for this being it’s considered standard Japanese so it’s also the most common language spoken in Japan.

4. Hakata-ben

The island of Kyushu has gifted many great things to Japan, one being the best pork ramen in the entire world… The cutest accent being another.

A Possible Barrier For Language Learners

While it’s great that so many accents and dialects are represented in anime, often times they are diluted to the point that the native speakers refuse to acknowledge them as being said accent.

To Conclude

Whether you’re a hardcore fan of anime or a student of Japanese (or both!), the diversity of the language adds so much color it’s sometimes a little overwhelming.

What accent does Bakura have?

In the English dub, Bakura keeps his British accent in Ancient Egypt. However, in the Arabic dub, Malik Ishtar speaks with an Egyptian accent. The characters from Bakuten Shoot Beyblade come from all over the world and not a single one of them has trouble communicating with any other.

What is Raymond's accent?

In the Pokémon anime, Raymond, who's not implied to be a foreigner in any other way that his voice, speaks in a really thick American accent (and even has an American voice actor), while the actually canon American character Matisse (Lt. Surge) settles for really (REALLY) Gratuitous English .

What accent does Kaolla Su have?

The non-native Kaolla Su in Love Hina speaks Japanese with a broad Kansai Regional Accent and uses malaprops. This is lampshaded as her having been taught by Kitsune, an actual Osakan, but the real reason is it just fits her boisterous personality.

What accent does Mousse have?

Mousse, from the same Chinese village, speaks a Japanese regional accent (Touhoku) sometimes associated with country hicks. In the dub he inexplicably speaks perfect, accentless English, which would imply perfect Japanese by Translation Convention .

Does Tina have an accent?

Nonetheless, Tina has a Hakata accent but fairly horrible English . Another oddity is from the dub. When Mayu is chewing out Tina in English, she acquires a British accent, to indicate to the viewer that she's using actual English. When she's speaking normally (meaning, in Japanese) the accent is absent.

Do voice actors speak Japanese?

This boils down to the fact that most voice actors are native Japanese, and probably prefer to avoid accents that are too "out there" even in the rare situation where they know a second language well enough. There's also the important fact that the aforementioned Hollywood convention is not shared by all countries.

Do foreign characters speak with accents?

Advertisement: Foreign characters in anime generally don't speak with accents except very rarely emphasizing different syllables and pronouncing vowels in words that are usually dropped, which is no stranger than the usual local dialect conventions.

What is anime dialogue?

Anime dialogue, meanwhile, is predominantly the sort of dialogue you'd hear among kids at recess. While some shows do, of course, take place in an adult setting and/or have measured, polite, realistic characters, most of anime's iconic characters and lines come from teenagers and/or warriors of some kind.

Is Japanese a formal language?

And formal Japanese is very different than looser language. Verbs are conjugated differently, extra words and fragments of words are added just for decorum, and the language takes on an indirectness ...

Do Japanese voice actors over-enunciate?

Much like their American counterparts, Japanese voice talent generally over-enunciate every word, and put a lot more tone of voice into every sentence. If you picked up most of your Japanese from anime and try to speak it in the same way, you're going to sound like a radio announcer rather than a normal person.

Is translating subtitles harder?

Translating and timing out subtitles is orders of magnitude harder. (In fact, this is why most of the time nobody bothers to subtitle voice actor commentary tracks. That, and the fact that most of them are just inane chatter.) Japanese as it appears in anime and Japanese as it appears in real life are quite different.

10 Albert Volanadel, Voiced By Jeff Manning (Free!-Dive To The Future-)

Albert Volanadel was recently introduced in the third season of Free!-Dive to the Future-, with fans eager to see more of him in the upcoming fourth season and movie. The free-spirited Swedish swimmer can never sit still, always finding an opportunity to sneak away from his coach. Jeff Manning provides Albert's voice in the Japanese version.

9 Ralph, Voiced By Peter von Gomm (Free!-Dive To The Future-)

Albert's serious coach, Ralph, does what he can to keep him on track, but that doesn't always work out. Ralph may be strict, but he understands what it takes for his student to win. He means well, even if he's harsh at times.

8 Klara, Voiced By Jenya Davidyuk (Girls Und Panzer The Movie)

Girls und Panzer fans will remember Klara, the calm and collected Russian transfer student. She appeared in the anime movie, coming from Pravda Girls High School. Klara is talented in Sensha-do and an excellent strategist addition to Katyusha's team.

7 Raising Heart, Voiced By Donna Burke (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha)

Nanoha Takamachi's weapon of choice is Raising Heart, a powerful, multi-faceted tool that helps Nanoha in her battles. Raising Heart has gone through multiple upgrades throughout the series but remains one of Nanoha's go-to most treasured items.

6 T.K., Voiced By Michael Rivas (Angel Beats!)

T.K. from Angel Beats! is a character shrouded in mystery. He has an endless library of nonsensical phrases but can still be understood by those around him. T.K. has a strong background in dancing, and he can always be found moving his feet to a beat.

5 Shingo Tsukino, Voiced By Seira Ryu (Sailor Moon)

The 2014 remake of Sailor Moon introduced a new cast of voice actors except for Kotono Mitsuishi, reprising her role as Usagi. Usagi's bratty younger brother, Shingo, specifically was voiced by one new voice actor. Her name is Liu Jingluo, also known as Seira Ryu.

4 Shuko Shiomi, Voiced By Lu Ting (The Idolmaster: Cinderella Girls)

Fans of the rhythm game and anime franchise, The Idolmaster, will recognize Shuko Shiomi. Shuko debuts in the anime's spin-off series, Cinderella Girls; her laidback but occasional mischievous personality making her a fan favorite.

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Tokyo-Ben

Kansai-ben

  • Quite possibly the coolest. No. Definitely the coolest sounding dialects in Japan. Many of the louder or rougher characters will have an Osaka accent. The Kyoto dialect also appears but it’s nowhere near as popular as Osaka’s! Historically, the Kansai region was looked down on by Tokyo and the people were ridiculed for their accents. However, today with Osaka being considered th…
See more on insidertraveljapan.com

Hokkaido-Ben

  • One of the lesser common dialects in anime is Hokkaido-ben. It’s often difficult for a foreigner to know for sure what they’re hearing isHokkaido-ben as it’s a mixture of a few other dialects combined. The major difference with this dialect though is the influence from both the coastal Tohoku dialect and the native Ainu language. Hokkaido-ben is usually used by characters based …
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Hakata-ben

  • The island of Kyushu has gifted many great things to Japan, one being the best pork ramen in the entire world… The cutest accent being another. Although very rarely used in most anime, it’s used extensively in Ghost Hound/Shinreigari and it does appear in others too occasionally. I’m sure there are more shows that use it as much as Ghost Hound but I’m yet to find them! If I ever do, I’l…
See more on insidertraveljapan.com

A Possible Barrier For Language Learners

  • While it’s great that so many accents and dialects are represented in anime, often times they are diluted to the point that the native speakers refuse to acknowledge them as being said accent. It’s not uncommon for the voice actor to be from a different region to the character they’re playing so it can sound fairly unauthentic, like an American try...
See more on insidertraveljapan.com

to Conclude

  • Whether you’re a hardcore fan of anime or a student of Japanese (or both!), the diversity of the language adds so much color it’s sometimes a little overwhelming. But from the sweet, soft sound of Hakata-ben to the often harsh, bullish characters spitting Kansai-ben… Anime just wouldn’t be the same without them.
See more on insidertraveljapan.com