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
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
"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
"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
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."