What is a "Kyotokko"? Kyoto's word for its own — and kyo-suzume
In old Kyoto, a kyo-suzume and a kyo-warabe were not quite the same. The capital kept several words for the people who lived there.
"Kyotokko" is a word for someone born and raised in Kyoto.
The old capital also had older words, kyo-suzume and kyo-warabe. Here is where they came from, and how locals name their speech.
What "Kyotokko" means
"Kyotokko" is a long-standing name for someone born and raised in Kyoto and still living there, often carrying the manners and speech of the old capital.
Kyotokkokyotokko
It means someone born and raised in Kyoto, or living there — often tied to the distinctive manners and speech of a place that was long the capital.
Source:ウィキペディア「京言葉」
Kyo-suzume
"Kyo-suzume" is an old word for a Kyotoite well versed in town affairs and gossip, attested in Edo-period literature such as an early-1700s joruri play.
Kyo-suzume
"Kyo-suzume" ("Kyoto sparrow") is an old word for a Kyotoite well versed in town affairs and fond of gossip; it appears in works such as a 1705 joruri play.
Source:コトバンク「京雀」
Kyo-warabe
"Kyo-warabe" was an old term for the sharp-tongued young people who lived in the capital, appearing in literature from the Heian period onward.
Kyo-warabe
"Kyo-warabe" named the sharp-tongued young people of the capital. It appears in literature from the Heian to Edo periods, and as early as the mid-11th-century Shin-sarugakuki.
Source:コトバンク「京童」
Why "kyo-kotoba," not a dialect
Because Kyoto was the capital, the provincial-sounding label "Kyoto-ben" never quite fit; locals call their speech "kyo-kotoba," with a quiet pride in the old capital.
Kyo-kotoba
Kyotoites call their speech "kyo-kotoba," not "Kyoto-ben." Blending court speech and townsfolk speech, it reflects a quiet pride in the old capital.
Source:ウィキペディア「京言葉」
FAQ
What sort of person is a "kyo-suzume"?
A Kyotoite well versed in the town's affairs and talk. It is an old expression seen in Edo-period literature, and not necessarily an insult.
Why say "kyo-kotoba" instead of "Kyoto dialect"?
In Kyoto, long the capital, a regional "-ben" label feels out of place, so the custom is to say "kyo-kotoba."