Do you like manga? Are you interested in language? If so, why not come join our free interactive session on Japanese used in manga on 27th July!

We’ll be talking about the linguistic features of manga, such as the varied and ubiquitous onomatopoeia that appear in manga and how a character’s region, gender, age and more, influences their speaking style.

Taking inspiration from the “Seto and Utsumi” film screening on the same day, we will also invite participants to explore the world of Kansai dialect as spoken in the film and its source manga. The Kansai dialect of Western Japan is very different from standard Japanese and is famous as the dialect of Japanese comedians and straight-talking, sardonic manga characters. This is a chance to learn about an aspect of Japanese that you won’t find in a traditional text-book and to get a glimpse of the regional diversity of the Japanese language.

As global interest in manga boomed, the genre has served as a window into Japanese life and culture. This presentation will help people to better appreciate manga through deeper understanding of the words used in manga and their cultural meanings. They say that manga is 50% images and 50% words, and we want to give everyone, from absolute beginners to fluent speakers, a chance to dive deeper into the language used by manga artists and what it means.

This is a relaxed, fun event and we welcome those with no Japanese ability all the way up to people fluent in the language: all you need to bring is an interest in Japan. For manga fanatics who are interested in the Japanese used in the medium, this is a definite must-attend. And if you are planning a trip to Western Japan in the future, why not brush up on your knowledge of the unique speaking style, values and sense of humour of the region?

We look forward to seeing you at our event!

Advanced booking is required: booking will open soon (booking website TBC)

We will be running the same session twice:

Session 1: 14.10-14.50 (40 min)
Session 2: 16.20-17.00 (40 min)