The
Kansai dialect of Japanese (関西弁,
Kansai-ben) is
spoken in --
surprise, surprise -- the
Kansai area of western Japan, especially the
big cities of
Osaka,
Kyoto,
Nara and
Kobe. The Kansai dialect is further
broken down
into a number of subdialects, the best known of which are the
Osaka dialect (大阪弁,
Ôsaka-ben) and so-called
Kyoto language
(京言葉,
Kyô-kotoba). However, there are a large number of features
common to (almost?) all area dialects, so that's what this node will
concentrate on. Bear in mind that none of this means that Kansai people
will
only use the forms listed here: most are quite adept at speaking
standard
Japanese (標準語,
hyôjungo), especially with big scary
foreigners.
But feed them enough
sake and/or get them worked up
over something, and
they'll start to slip back soon enough...
Particles and conjugations
Standard Kansai Meaning
iru oru To be1 (kotchi kitoru, "Come here")
da, dewa2 ya Copula (sugoi ya!, "Great!")
dewa nai2 yanen Emphatic copula (ahoyanen!, "What an idiot!")
-su ka -kka3 Polite question (môkarimakka?, "Making money?")
-su ne -nna3 Polite answer (bochibochi denna, "I'm fine")
-nai -hen Negated form of verb (eg. wakarahen, "I don't understand")
1: In the rest of Japan,
oru is a humble form used exclusively to refer to
oneself, but in Kansai it can also be used (less politely) to refer to others.
2: In most other dialects, these become
ja and
jan(ai) in colloquial speech.
3: Used mostly in
Osaka. Incidentally, these two example phrases are the
canonical Osakan greeting and its reply, although I've never heard
anybody use them unless teaching somebody Oosaka-ben...
Vocabulary
Standard Kansai Meaning
arigato ookini Thank you
chigau chau "It differs"; No; You're wrong
dame akan No way; Don't do it; Impossible
omoshiroi omoroi Interesting
hontô-ni homma-ni Really
baka aho Idiot
The above is of course not an
exhaustive listing, there are large regional
variations and slang phrases go in and out of fashion rapidly.
ObGTKY: I'm not a native speaker of Japanese, and the Japanese I speak
I've learned in Tokyo. However, one of my best friends is from Kobe and
I'm currently dating a girl from Wakayama with the cutest
gangster accent, so I have been exposed to more than
my fair share of Kansai-ben...