Jul 302 min read

Yakuza Japanese: Lesson 2 - Basic Grammar

Updated: Aug 3

Let's continue on with the basics on Yakuza Japanese.

Basic Pronunciations

Yakuza pronunciation is notable for its growled words, the Spanish styled "Rolling R's", and slurred words. While growling isn't necessary for speaking Yakuza Japanese, a great way to practice is to repeat lines from a movie or any part of the Ryu Ga Gotoku series without opening your mouth.

Expressive intonation is critical, as this sort of Japanese is largely unintelligible.

Rolling the R's

The rolled R's will be familiar to speakers of Spanish. It is accomplished by placing the tongue to the palette further back than the usual Japanese R (which is where the front teeth meet the palette), and using exhaled air to vibrate the tip of the tongue against the palette. Correct R pronunciation is indispensable for speaking rougher Japanese, and can be used with ordinary Japanese to add a threatening tone to any sentence.

Here are some examples. Roll the R in red ink.

この野郎（このやろう - Kono Yaro)
コラ - Kora
ホレ - Hore

Slurred Vowels

Another hallmark of Gangster Japanese is the slurring of vowels into other sounds. This is also used in more casual Japanese as well, but this is extensively used in Yakuza Japanese.

One example is the particle は getting incorporated into other words: