なまり

な

ま

り

○

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

accent; regional accent

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a distinctive way of speaking, especially a regional or non-standard accent. Often used when someone's speech reveals their origin.

彼かれの話はなし方かたには少すこし東とう北ほくのなまりがある。
His speech has a slight Tohoku accent.

なまりが強つよくて、何なにを言いっているのかわからなかった。

The accent was so strong I couldn't understand what he was saying.

noun

dialect; provincialism

Refers to a regional dialect or local variety of language, including vocabulary and grammar differences, not just pronunciation.

この言こと葉ばは関かん西さいのなまりです。
This word is part of the Kansai dialect.
地じ元もとのなまりで話はなすと、観かん光こう客きゃくには通つうじないことがある。
If you speak in the local dialect, tourists sometimes can't understand.

noun

corrupted form; mispronunciation

Used for a word form that has changed from the standard, often through mispronunciation or historical sound shifts. Can carry a slightly negative nuance of being 'incorrect'.

「こわい」が「こええ」になるのは、なまりの一いっ種しゅだ。
The change from 'kowai' to 'koee' is a kind of corrupted form.
この単たん語ごは昔むかしのなまりがそのまま残のこっている。
This word preserves an old corrupted form.

Written forms

なまりUsage34%
Usually written in kana; the kanji spelling 訛り is also common but less frequent in everyday writing.
訛なまりUsage48%
Standard kanji spelling; used in formal or written contexts.
訛なまりUsage18%
Abbreviated kanji form; rarely used independently.

Kanji

訛accent, dialect

Similar words

方ほう言げん
方言 is the standard, neutral term for 'dialect', while なまり often emphasizes accent or non-standard speech and can be slightly more colloquial.
訛なまる
訛る is the verb form meaning 'to speak with an accent' or 'to become corrupted (of a word)'.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 訛る (なまる, 'to speak with an accent; to become corrupted'). The noun form なまり nominalizes this verb.