Orakemou? Sakuragi? Pippu? Hokkaido's hard-to-read place names that seem easy to read but aren't. Hokkaido Lab ~A Hokkaido travel guide to enjoy gourmet food, nature, and culture~

Orakemō? Sakuragi? Pippu? Hokkaido's difficult-to-read place names that seem easy to read but are actually hard to pronounce.

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: Last updated: September 10, 2018

Difficult-to-read place names in Hokkaido
I have the impression that place names in Hokkaido often contain voiced consonants (e.g., ba) or semi-voiced consonants (e.g., pa). The pronunciations of the kanji characters are also a bit unusual.
This is because over 80% of place names in Hokkaido are based on the Ainu language, and kanji characters were assigned to the sounds of Ainu place names.

For example, the name "Sapporo," which you all know, originates from the Ainu word "Sapporopetsu."
Each syllable has meaning: sah = dry, poro = big, pet = river ⇒ "a big dry river," and so on.
It's interesting to imagine what the area around Sapporo looked like hundreds of years ago, perhaps with large rivers that were often dried up, before the city was built!

From among the many place names in Hokkaido, this time we'll focus on the names of cities, towns, villages, and train stations in Hokkaido that exist as of May 2018, and introduce some of Hokkaido's difficult-to-pronounce place names.

<Table of Contents>
1. Name of city/town/village
1-1. Ashoro Town
1-2. Okoppe Town
1-3.Otoijifu Village
1-4. Kutchan Town
1-5. Kunneppu Town
1-6. Suttsu Town
1-7. Chichibetsu Town
1-8. Pippu Town
2. Station name
2-1. Yasutima
2-2.Oshamanbe
2-3. Late-maturing varieties
2-4. Kitaichimi
2-5. Rubeshibe
3. Difficult-to-read place names you'll want to read aloud
3-1.Taraku-mo/Shin-Taraku-mo
3-2. Sakura, Satsugen, Satsuteki
3-3. Bankei/Benkei
3-4. Neppu, Kifu, Shimukappu, Niikappu
4. Conclusion

1. Name of city/town/village

In 2018, Hokkaido had 179 municipalities. The light blue pins on the map represent municipality names, and the green pins represent train station names.

1-1. Ashoro Town

Correct answer: Ashoro butterfly
Lake Onneto (also known as Goshikinuma), is famous for its appearance which changes depending on the time and location of viewing. It's located roughly northeast of Obihiro.
The word originates from the Ainu word "esoropet." While it's hard to see the connection in writing, if you repeat "esoro," it sounds similar to "ashoro."

1-2. Okoppe Town

Correct answer: Okoppecho
Okoppe, located north of Monbetsu, famous for its drift ice, is known for its milk! The town's main industry is dairy farming, and it is home to factories such as Snow Brand Megmilk and North Plain, famous for its fresh caramel.
The word originates from the Ainu word "Oukoppe." That's straightforward.

1-3.Otoijifu Village

Correct answer: Otoineppumura
Located in the inland area of the Teshio Mountains, just before Wakkanai, Otoineppu Village was established during the Meiji era to develop infrastructure north of Asahikawa.
The word originates from the Ainu word "otoinepu" (with "pu" added as an embellishment). This is also a straightforward phonetic transcription.

1-4. Kutchan Town

Correct answer: Kutchancho
Kutchan Town is home to Niseko, the quintessential ski resort in Hokkaido. It's also characterized by its abundance of cafes and bars, likely due to the influx of international skiers.
There are several theories about the origin of the place name (although all of them are of Ainu origin).

1-5. Kunneppu Town

Correct answer: Kunneppucho
Now that you've been through Otoineppu, you should be able to read it!
The town's top recommendation is a brand of melon called Kunneppu Melon. Melons hang from the streetlights along the town's main roads, and there are even public restrooms with a melon motif. They're really into melons.
The Ainu word that it originates from is "Kunnep." Hmm!

1-6. Suttsu Town

Correct answer: suttsuchou
I never would have imagined that Suttsu Town would have a small "っ" in its name. It sounds very similar to Rusutsu, but they are not neighboring towns.
The Ainu word from which it originates is "suttsu".

1-7. Chichibetsu Town

Correct answer: Chip-betsucho
It's not "Chichibu," it's "Chippu." This town, located in the western inland area of Asahikawa, is promoting "Green Neapolitan" pasta, which uses locally produced broccoli.
The Ainu word originates from "Chikushibetsu".

1-8. Pippu Town

Correct answer: Pippucho
Since we have Chip, let's go with Pippu! Pippu! What a cute name. It's a town northeast of Asahikawa and is the only municipality in Japan whose name starts with the letter P. If the person before me said Mississippi in a place name word game, I'd like to try countering with Pippu (though I probably wouldn't).
There are several theories about its etymology, including "pip" and "piop."

2. Station name

For areas smaller than city or town names, the place names are derived from train station names. The station names highlighted in green are those we will be introducing today.

2-1. Yasutima

Correct answer: Antaroma
Reading "足" (ashi) as "taro" is quite a technical choice!

2-2.Oshamanbe

Correct answer: Oshamanbe
It's a well-known place name, so many people might be able to read it, but if you're seeing it for the first time, few people would read it as "Oshamanbe" without hesitation.

2-3. Late-maturing varieties

Correct answer: not too late
If they were to assign kanji characters to the sounds, I thought that "尾曾生内" would be less likely to be mispronounced.

2-4. Kitaichimi

Correct answer: Kitaichiyan
Until recently, Kitaichi was known as Kitai-chan. She's kind of cute♪

2-5. Rubeshibe

Correct answer: rubeshibe
"Shibu" (蘂). This refers to the stamens and pistils of a flower. It's a character with a grass radical, three hearts, and a tree below it.

3. Difficult-to-read place names you'll want to read aloud

I've compiled a list of place names that, like "I, My, Me," are fun to read aloud with a good rhythm.

3-1.Taraku-mo/Shin-Taraku-mo

Correct answer, fun, even more fun.

3-2. Sakura, Satsugen, Satsuteki

Correct answer: sakkuru, sattsuru, satteki

3-3. Bankei/Benkei

Correct answer: Panke Penke

3-4. Neppu, Kifu, Shimukappu, Niikappu

Correct answer: Neppu, Mareppu, Shimukappu, Niikappu

4. Conclusion

So, what did you think? Hokkaido has so many difficult-to-read place names that it becomes impossible to keep track of them all, even down to the level of local place names and large districts.
If you look at maps from the perspective of "difficult to read," you'll find yourself becoming increasingly interested in places beyond the major tourist spots.
Many place names and their symbols disappear due to municipal mergers and railway line closures, so please take this opportunity to open a map and take a look around.

Please also check out these related articles.