One of the common experiences for people from Hokkaido is discovering that a word they thought was standard Japanese is actually part of the Hokkaido dialect. Natsumi Hioka, a voice actor from Hokkaido, posted about such an incident on social media. Her post about her surprise at learning a word she used casually was a dialect has become a hot topic.
よしかかるって北海道弁なんですか？
34年間知らずに使ってましたけど？
なんで今まで私の周りの人だれも指摘してくれなかったんですか？
まだ知らずに使ってる北海道弁があったなんて驚きなんですけど、、、
ぼっこが方言って知ったときと同じくらいの衝撃なんですけど、、、— 日岡なつみ (@HIOKANATSUMI) February 16, 2026
According to her post, she recently learned that “yoshikakaru” is a Hokkaido dialect word. For reference, “yoshikakaru” means “to lean on” or “to lean against” in standard Japanese. In Hokkaido, it’s commonly used in phrases like “yoshikakaru against a wall” or “yoshikakaru on a desk.” Another word in the same post, “bokko,” is also a Hokkaido dialect word for “stick.” It’s used very naturally in Hokkaido, in sentences like “There’s a wooden bokko on the ground.”
However, Natsumi Hioka said that until recently, no one had ever pointed out that she was using these Hokkaido dialect words. This is something people from Hokkaido can deeply relate to… The social media post received many comments, with many from people also from Hokkaido saying things like, “I was shocked when I found out it was a dialect,” “I think I use that too,” and “I just learned this for the first time.”
Are There More Hokkaido Dialect Words Used Unknowingly? A Comment from Natsumi Hioka
Since then, Natsumi Hioka has continued to share topics related to the Hokkaido dialect.
👇気付くのに時間かかった北海道弁
サビオ
(人に対して)どけて
手袋はく
くっちゃべる
とうきび👇全国で使うべきおすすめ北海道弁
いずい
なした？
ちょす
押ささる、書かさる、食べらさるみんなの好きな北海道弁も教えて😀
— 日岡なつみ (@HIOKANATSUMI) February 17, 2026
We received a comment from Natsumi Hioka herself regarding the response to her post.
Natsumi Hioka, a voice actor from Hokkaido
I’m so surprised that a casual tweet got this much attention! I love my home, Hokkaido, so I hope to get more work related to Hokkaido in the future and become known to many as a ‘Dosanko voice actor’! I think I’ll keep using “yoshikakaru” a lot (lol)! (Natsumi Hioka)
We look forward to the future endeavors of the “Dosanko voice actor” Natsumi Hioka, who brought this topic to light!