In an earlier post, I have written about how the sound of a rooster is different in languages around the world. Turns out, the same is for dogs. When I was reading up on the Shikoku trail, the 1200 kilometer pilgrimage trail through Shikoku island in Japan (the other pilgrimage trail next to the Kumano Kodo) in Craig McLachlan’s “Tales of a Summer Henro”, I stumbled upon this gem. Aparently, Japanese refer to the sound of a dog as “wan wan”.
This, in contrast to “bow wow” or “woof woof” (usually Westerners) or “waf waf” (as my parents from The Netherlands would teach me). For me it was -again- an eye opener. Same animal. Same sound. Yet so different. Another proof for me, that only with an open mind, you experience so much more. During my last Kumano Kodo hike in Japan, I indeed verified it – fascinating.
Not only super insightful, also -again- a great game to play when you’re around the campfire with different nationalities 🙂
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