Nanbu dialect

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Nanbu dialect
南部弁
Extent of the Nanbu dialect, including the sometimes separately treated Shimokita dialect (medium blue) and Kazuno dialect (light blue).
Native to	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Language family	Japonic Japanese Eastern Japanese Tōhoku Northern Nanbu dialect
Dialects	◇ Kamikita (Aomori) ◇ Sanpachi (Aomori) ◇ Northern (Iwate) ◇ Central (Iwate) ◇ Coastal (Iwate) ◆ Shimokita* ◆ Kazuno*
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	namb1295

The Nanbu (or Nambu) dialect (Japanese: 南部弁 nanbu-ben) is a Japanese dialect spoken in an area corresponding to the former domains of Morioka and Hachinohe in northern Tohoku, governed by the Nanbu clan during the Edo period. It is classified as a Northern Tohoku dialect of the wider Tohoku dialect group.

The Nanbu dialect is spoken across an expansive area covering the eastern half of Aomori Prefecture, the northern and central parts of Iwate Prefecture and the northwestern corner of Akita Prefecture. There is considerable regional variation, owed to factors such as varying degrees of contact with other areas per region, usually dictated by natural barriers and proximity to busy ports. On account of its widespread area, definitions of the ‘Nanbu dialect’ can vary depending on prefecture and speaker, with narrower definitions referring only to the local variety as opposed to the dialect as a whole.