“Konnichi Howzit!”: Jozi Gent Takes His Hilarious Accent to Japan

• A South African man living in Japan has left viewers in stitches after showing how his Joburg accent blends with Japanese words in a hilarious video
• Content creator Ruben from Pretoria shows off some of his fusion phrases like "Sugoi bru" and "Onagaishimas bru" that highlight his unique linguistic situation
• Netizens flooded the comment section with laughter and shared experiences, with many praising his brilliant cultural mashup and others relating to similar accent situations

A South African man has amused netizens after sharing how his Jozi accent impacts his Japanese speaking skills. Content creator @rubenuitenweerde posted a light-hearted video in mid-March showing the funny reality of mixing South African speech patterns with Japanese words.

In the viral clip, the Pretoria-born content creator shows how he speaks Japanese with a distinctly South African flair, creating a unique blend that perfectly captures the experience of being a foreigner adapting to a new language.

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"Being South African in Japan is crazy because it makes you realise you can speak Japanese with a Jozie bout accent," Ruben explained.

He shared funny mixed-up phrases like Sugoi bru (amazing, bru) and introduced himself in Japanese with a thick Afrikaner accent. The content creator also throws in another phrase, onagaishimas bru, which is a polite request ending with the South African slang. He ended the clip with a greeting:

"Konnichi howzit!" This is a brilliant blend of the Japanese "konnichiwa" (hello) and the South African "howzit" greeting.

Watch the Facebook reel below.

The science of accents

While Ruben's video is funny, it touches on the interesting science behind accents. Research shows that accents begin to develop in our brains as young as six months old when babies start mapping familiar sounds. By age 12, most people's accents become fairly fixed, though they can still be changed with a lot of effort.

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When learning a new language as an adult, our native accent usually affects our pronunciation because our brains are already set up to make certain sounds in particular ways. This is why people often speak second languages with an accent from their first language.

Different languages use different sounds, rhythm patterns, and voice tones. Japanese, for example, has a distinct rhythm and sound system that is very different from South African English or Afrikaans. When these language systems come together, the result can be both difficult and, as Ruben shows, quite funny.

SA loves the cultural mashup

South Africans were entertained by Ruben's creativity, with many sharing their appreciation in the comments:

@kaykay007la showed patriotic pride:

"I'm also South African, 🇿🇦 HAZARRRRR! 😂❤️👏"

@tar_iq_moh_ repeated his favourite phrase:

"Komichi, howz it💀"

@asap_is_dead shared a family example:

"No, because my sister hits me with a 'dankie-mas'!"

@nachodamnhomie approved:

"KonnichiHowzit is amazing!"

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@farieda_fredericks12 complimented his style:

"Lol, it sounds brilliant though 😂"

@tytywoody related to the experience:

"Me doing the same in Korea😌🤌"

More cross-cultural adventures

• Briefly News recently reported on a French groom's attempt to master traditional Tswana wedding dance moves that left wedding guests in absolute awe.
• A young South African woman successfully landed a coveted job in Germany and revealed her secret application technique.
• A South African expat's brutally honest video about UK living conditions quickly went viral after she exposed the differences of living abroad.

Source: Briefly News