方言
ほうげん · hougen · JLPT N2 · noun
dialect
🗺️ 方 (region) + 言 (speech) = the speech of one region
方 means direction or locality, and 言 means word or speech. Together they name the local way of speaking in one area, while the written kanji stay the same across regions.
方 — pictograph of a plow or two boats joined side by side
方 originated as a pictograph, traditionally interpreted as a plow handle or two boats lashed together. From the idea of paired boats it extended to mean 'side by side,' then 'square,' 'direction,' and 'region.' It was later borrowed for the abstract sense of 'method' or 'way.'