Hey guys,

I'm wondering if anyone has ever come across a reference for yakuza vocab, you know the kinda stuff you might hear in drama with yakuza. I can usually follow drama pretty easily but trying to watch 任侠ヘルパー and it feels like I'm a total beginner all over again, I love it! Anyway, if anyone has pointers I would really appreciate!

Some quick googling gave me this, maybe it's helpful:

http://www.usamimi.info/~kintuba/zingi/zingidic.html

It's not yakuza,related specifically, but this site helped me figure out "tough guy" speech in Japanese (the "Scrapper" section) when I started out:
http://anime-manga.jp/CharacterExpressions/
If you can follow along with drama and read well, the yakuza dictionary already linked might be more helpful though.

Both of those are fantastic, thanks so much guys!

It's not explicity vocab, but since you like yakuza dramas I'd like to mention 破門. It's a very good one from earlier this year. Here's a quick teaser trailer:

Main character sounds pretty cool because of the way he talks. Also, just start studying 大阪弁. It's a good basis to get you headed in the right direction. Other than that I have no actual material to help you.

TheVinster Wrote:Also, just start studying 大阪弁. It's a good basis to get you headed in the right direction.

大阪弁 is always the right direction.

drdunlap Wrote:

TheVinster Wrote:Also, just start studying 大阪弁. It's a good basis to get you headed in the right direction.

大阪弁 is always the right direction.

Hell yes it is. If I can live and work in Osaka in the near future I'll be the happiest man alive. People from Tokyo think it's dirty, but frankly I don't understand those people in Tokyo anyway.

Clear evidence: https://youtu.be/6WGH_NZVpns

Also, Osaka girls are just better. Let's be honest.

Their ノリ is certainly いい (or should I say, ええ).

I naturally speak Osaka-ben when I speak Japanese. If you make it a little dirty it apparently starts sounding "scary" or "Yakuza"... but I'm not sure what that's all about.

I think the main thing making "yakuza talk" hard to understand is the fact that (especially in movies and what-not) they're trying to sound tough. They slur a lot and talk super rough...

I've met a few yakuza guys and no one ever talked like that but stereotypes are all the rage these days!

EDIT: 大阪UP

drdunlap Wrote:Their ノリ is certainly いい (or should I say, ええ).

I naturally speak Osaka-ben when I speak Japanese. If you make it a little dirty it apparently starts sounding "scary" or "Yakuza"... but I'm not sure what that's all about.

I think the main thing making "yakuza talk" hard to understand is the fact that (especially in movies and what-not) they're trying to sound tough. They slur a lot and talk super rough...

I've met a few yakuza guys and no one ever talked like that but stereotypes are all the rage these days!

EDIT: 大阪UP

I mainly meant that people from Tokyo think Osaka is a dirty place (not necessarily the language). As someone coming from America... pretty much no place in Japan is dirty in my opinion.

Dunlap you have a thread detailing your study method extensively but, when all is said and done, is perfecting your 大阪弁 the same as studying Japanese in general? Speak with people from Osaka, watch comedians who always speak in the dialect, etc. I believe you have had a ton of exposure in Japan but maybe you learned it before going. Too lazy to find/read your thread for this particular answer (sorry).

I've never actually studied 大阪弁. I was able to read novels before I went to Japan but I spoke and wrote in 標準語 (or so they still call it in Kansai) until I'd been living in Kansai for a bit. That was all natural influence from being there and being surrounded by people with very thick accents. I just happened to be in the right(?) place at the right(?) time, I imagine.

I suppose it helps that I like Osakan people and the super expressive language they use. No Tokyo robots, please.

I checked out the drama, I love kitamura kazuki, its why I chose this name when first starting out haha! And I do wish there was a cool way to learn Osaka ben but I guess going there to experience it is like 90% of the learning process. That YouTube was hilarious with the differences between Tokyo and Osaka. BTW, drdunlops thread is amazing, I've gone back a few times - just search Arcane Secrets :-) thanks drdunlop!