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Kansai-ben (関西弁, "Kansai dialect") is a distinct group of related Japanese dialects found in the Kansai region of Japan. They are typified by the speech of Osaka, which is referred to specifically as Osaka-ben. It is characterized as being both more melodic and more "harsh" by speakers of the standard language.
Technically, Kansai-ben is not a single dialect, but a group of related dialects of the region. Each major city represents a particular dialect, such as Kyoto-ben, Kobe-ben, Nara-ben, Wakayama-ben, etc., with over one thousand years of history. Since Osaka is the largest city of the region, and since its speakers have gained the most media exposure in the last century, non-Kansai-ben Japanese speakers tend to associate the dialect of Osaka with the entire Kansai region. Thus anyone habitually saying akan or honma to a Tokyoite is probably going to be labelled as an Osaka-ben speaker and probably an Osaka-jin whether they are from Osaka or not. This may grate on the nerves of a few speakers of non-Osakan Kansai dialects, but no particular effort is underway to correct the misassumption.
Since Kansai-ben is the most widely known nonstandard dialect of Japanese, it has become a favorite with Japanese authors, manga and anime artists, and the like, as the choice for representing a somewhat "different" character from the norm. The use of Kansai-ben is closely associated with manzai and comedy in general throughout most of non-Kansai Japan. This is due both to the prevalence of comedians from Osaka in Japanese media as compared to people from other cities and regions (which is in turn due at least in part to the Yoshimoto Kogyo agency, based in Osaka), and to the willingness of Osaka comedians to use their own dialect while on stage. Because of this association, speakers of Kansai-ben are often viewed as being more humorous or more witty than the average Tokyoite. Tokyo people even occasionally imitate Kansai-ben to provoke laughter or inject humor into a situation.
Historically, nearly every village in the Kansai area had a style of speech which differed somewhat from its neighbors; it was once possible for well-travelled people to identify the particular area from which a speaker came. Due to the increasing influence of the Tokyo and Kanto dialects over the last four hundred years, the intraregional differences have been declining across all of Kansai. Nevertheless, citizens of each major city and prefecture still take some pride in their particular dialectical variations, and this has preserved a number of differences between each area in the region.
The primary dialects of Kansai-ben can be roughly divided into cities. There is Osaka-ben, the most famous and well known. Following it are Kyoto-ben, known for its indirectness and politeness, and Kobe-ben known for its -tō/-ton verb conjugation. Others include Nara-ben, Wakayama-ben, Shiga-ben, Mie-ben, and Hyogo-ben.
General differences from Standard Japanese
Many words in Kansai-ben are produced by contractions of the Classical Japanese equivalent. They sometimes seem to be contractions of the Standard Japanese equivalent, simply because it is unusual to contract words this way in Standard Japanese. Thus chigau "to be different, wrong" becomes chau, yoku "well" becomes you, and omoshiroi "interesting, funny" becomes omoroi, to name a few more common examples. These contractions follow the similar inflection rules as their standard forms, so that chau is politely said chaimasu in the same way as chigau is inflected to chigaimasu. Common contractions in Standard Japanese are replaced by specific Kansai-ben variations. The korya and sorya contractions of kore wa and sore wa heard in relaxed speech in Tokyo are instead kora and sora throughout the Kansai region.
Adjectives
The stem of adjective forms in Kansai-ben is generally the same as in Standard Japanese, excepting regional vocabulary differences. The -i ending can be dropped and the last vowel of the adjective's stem can be stretched out for a second mora, sometimes with a tonal change for emphasis. By this process omoshiroi "interesting, funny" becomes omoshirō, and atsui "hot" becomes atsū. This usage of the adjective's stem, often as an exclamation, is common throughout the entire history of the Japanese language; it is seen in old literature in Classical Japanese, as well as many dialects of modern Japanese including the spoken Standard Japanese.
Furthermore, the same process that reduced the Classical Japanese terminal and attributive endings (-shi and -ki, respectively) to -i, also has reduced the adverbial (連用形, ren'yōkei) ending -ku to simply -u, yielding such forms as hayau for hayaku ("quickly"). Dropping of the consonant from the final mora in all forms of adjective endings has been a frequent occurrence in Japanese over the centuries (and is the origin of such forms as arigatō and omedetō), but Kantō speech preserved -ku while reducing -shi and -ki to -i, thus accounting for the discrepancy in the standard language.
Copula
The Standard Japanese copula da is replaced by the Kansai-ben copula ya. The inflected forms maintain this difference, giving yaro for darō, yatta for datta. It should be noted that ya is only used informally, and desu or dasu is used for the polite (keigo) copula. Dasu is used in Kansai-ben, not in Standard Japanese, and is sometimes shortened to da, confusingly the same as the Standard Japanese non-keigo copula.
Politeness
Historically, extensive use of keigo was a feature of Kansai-ben, while Kanto-ben, from which Standard Japanese developed, formerly lacked it. Keigo in Standard Japanese was originally borrowed from Kansai-ben. However keigo is no longer considered a feature of the dialect since the Standard Japanese also has it. Even today keigo is used more often in Kansai-ben speech than in the other dialects except for the Standard Japanese, to which people switch in formal situations.
Phonological and morphological differences
Long vowels in inflections of Standard Japanese are typically shortened in Kansai-ben. This is particularly noticeable in the volitional conjugation of verbs. For instance, ikō "let's go" is shorter in Kansai-ben as iko; shō, the contracted form of shiyō "let's do" in Standard Japanese, is simply sho in Kansai-ben. The common phrase of agreement, sō da "that's it", is said so ya in Kansai-ben.
Oddly, in direct opposition to the shortening of long vowels in inflections, Kansai-ben shows a recurring tendency to lengthen vowels at the end of monomoraic nouns. Common examples are kii for ki "tree", and too for to "door".
A frequent occurrence in Kansai-ben is the use of h in place of s in suffices and inflections. Some palatalization of s is apparent in most Kansai speakers, but it seems to have progressed further in morphological suffices than in core vocabulary. This process has produced the Kansai -han for Standard -san, -mahen for -masen, and -mahyo for -mashō, among other examples. In casual speech, the negative verb ending, which is -nai in Standard Japanese, is often expressed with -hen, as in ikahen "not going", which is ikanai in Standard Japanese.
The geminated consonants found in Standard Japanese verbal inflections are usually replaced with long vowels in Kansai-ben. Thus, for the verb iu "to say", its past tense in Standard Japanese itta "said" becomes yūta in Kansai-ben. This particular verb is a dead giveaway of a native Kansai-ben speaker, as most will unconsciously say yūte instead of itte even when well practiced at speaking in Standard Japanese. Other examples of geminate replacement are waratta "laughed" becoming warōta, and moratta "received" becoming morōta or even mōta.
The -te shimau verb gerund + auxiliary form (to finish something, or to do something in unintentional / unfortunate circumstances) found in Standard Japanese exists in Kansai-ben, but is contracted to -temau rather than the -chau of Tokyo speech. Thus shichau becomes shitemau. Furthermore, as the verb shimau is affected by the same sound changes as in other verbs ending in -au, the past tense of this form is rendered as -temōta rather than -chatta: wasurechatta ("I forgot ") in Tokyo speech is wasuretemōta in Kansai-ben.
Sentence final particles
The sentence final particles (終助詞, shūjoshi) used in Kansai-ben differ widely from those used in Standard Japanese. The most prominent to a Tokyo-ben speaker is the use of wa by men. In Standard Japanese this is a softening or soft exclamatory particle which is used exclusively in feminine speech. In Kansai-ben however it functions in almost the exact same manner as yo does in Standard Japanese, and is as such used equally by both men and women in many different levels of conversation.
Another difference in sentence final particles which strikes the ear of the Tokyo-ben speaker is the nen particle. This is much the same as the Standard Japanese no da or n'da (noda > noya > neya >nen).
The emphatic particles zo and ze heard so often in the mouths of Tokyo men are nowhere to be heard in the Kansai region. Instead, the particle de is used, especially in the phrase akan de, equivalent to Tokyo's dame da. It probably arose from the same variation which gave rise to the Western Japan replacement of z- with d- in words such as denden for zenzen "never, not at all". However, despite the similarity with ze, the Kansai de does not carry nearly as heavy or rude a connotation, influenced by the lesser stress on formality and distance in the Kansai region.
Vocabulary
In some cases, Kansai-ben uses different words entirely. The verb hokasu corresponds to Standard Japanese suteru "to throw away", and meccha corresponds to the Standard Japanese slang chō "very". chō, in Kansai-ben, means "a little", as a contracted form of "chotto." Thus the phrase e.g. chō matte, "wait a minute" in Kansai-ben, sounds very strange to Tokyoites.
Some Japanese words gain entirely different meaning when used in Kansai-ben. Another widely recognized Kansai term is aho. Basically equivalent to the Standard baka "idiot, fool", aho is both a term of reproach and a term of endearment to the Kansai speaker. Baka, which is used as "idiot" in most regions, becomes "complete fool" and a stronger insult than aho. Where a Tokyo citizen would almost certainly object to being called baka, being called aho by a Kansai person is not necessarily much of an insult. Being called baka by a Kansai speaker is however a much more severe criticism than it would be by a Tokyo speaker. Most Kansai-ben speakers cannot stand being called baka but don't mind being called aho.
Well-known Kansai-ben vocabulary and phrases
Common phrases famous as Kansai dialect include:
- akan (あかん) — used in place of Standard dame and ikenai; also a mild expletive akin to Standard shimatta
- aho (アホ) — idiot, fool; used affectionately
- donkusai (どんくさい) — stupid, clumsy, inefficient, lazy; literally "stupid-smelling"
- honnara (ほんなら) — in that case, if that's true; also used to indicate leaving as with Standard de wa or ja
- honma (ほんま) — true, real (Standard: hontō (本当))
- metcha (めっちゃ) — very (Standard: totemo (とても))
- shibaku (しばく) — to beat somebody (with a hard, long object)
- ya (や) — copula, equivalent to Standard da
- yaru (やる) — to give; in Standard Japanese only used when referring to giving to somebody well "under" the speaker, such as giving food to a dog
- nā (なぁ) — sentence final particle (equivalent to standard nē); meaning varies depending on context and voice inflection
- nande ya nen (なんでやねん) — "you gotta be kidding!" or "Why/What the hell?!" (it also can mean "what for" in a rude way.)
- nen (ねん) — sentence final particle, equivalent to standard "no da"
- shindoi (しんどい) — tired, exhausted
- mōkarimakka (もうかりまっか）- archaic, but famous greeting which literally means "making any money?"
- bochi bochi denna（ぼちぼちでんな）- usual response to mōkarimakka which literally means an optimistic "so so"
- ōki ni (おおきに) - "thanks" (equivalent to arigatō). Arigatō is also used, but the pitch accent falls closer to the end of the word than in Standard Japanese.
Specific dialects
Since Kansai-ben is actually a group of related dialects, not all share the same vocabulary, pronunciation, or grammatical features. However, all have the characteristics described in the discussion of general differences above. Each dialect has its own specific features which are discussed individually here.
Osaka-ben
A number of terms which are considered by most Japanese to be characteristic of Kansai-ben are actually restricted to Osaka and its environs, not actually used throughout the entire Kansai region. Perhaps the most famous is the term mōkarimakka, roughly translated as "How's business?", and derived from the verb mōkaru (儲かる), "to be profitable, to yield a profit". This is supposedly said as a greeting from one Osakan to another, and the appropriate answer is another Osaka phrase, mā, bochi bochi denna "Well, so-so, y'know". (The word denna is a contraction of desu na. The Tokyo contraction would be more likely ssu ne.)
The idea behind mōkarimakka is that supposedly Osakans are all engaged in some sort of mercantile activity, since Osaka was historically the center of the merchant culture throughout the Edo era and earlier. Certainly the phrase developed among shopkeepers, and today can be used to greet a business proprietor in a friendly and familiar way, but it was probably never a universal greeting and certainly is not today. It can however be used in a joking manner with any Osakan, and will at least result in a smile and a few laughs, along with the mā, bochi bochi denna response.
The latter phrase is also specific to Osaka, in particular the term bochi bochi. This means essentially "so-so", i.e. getting better little by little or not getting any worse. Unlike mōkarimakka, bochi bochi is used in many situations to indicate gradual improvement or lack of negative change. For the foreigner used to the repetitive question "Can you really understand Japanese?", responding with bochi bochi ya nā is sure to astound and amuse listeners. Also, bochi bochi can be used in place of the Standard Japanese soro soro, for instance bochi bochi iko ka "It's about time to be going".
Another Osaka-specific term is gottsui which can be equivalent to the Standard totemo as well as the adjective ookii. Used for emphasis, this has slowly been replaced by mutcha or metcha which is more widespread throughout the Kansai area, but is still used conversationally in the Osaka region. The final -i can be dropped as with adjectives. Used by a speaker who habitually uses metcha or mutcha, this term implies a greater emphasis. It can also be used alone to mean a large size, as in gottsui ki "huge tree".
Kyoto-ben
Kyoto-ben is characterized by its reliance on politeness and indirectness. The -haru conjugation of verbs, considered keigo throughout the rest of the Kansai region, is an essential form in casual speech in Kyoto. As in other parts of Kansai, -haru has a certain level of politeness above the base or informal form of the verb, and it falls somewhere between the informal and the -masu conjugations. However in Kyoto its position is much closer to the informal than it is to the polite, due to its widespread use. The Osaka phrase "Nani shiten nen?", equivalent to the standard "Nani shite iru no?", would in Kyoto be said "Nani shiteharu no?" (and sometimes "Nani shitaharu no?") using the -haru conjugation for an informal question.
The verb conjugation suffix -nahare can be used in place of the standard construction -nasai to indicate a request, compare to standard Japanese "-nasare" (archaic).
In Kyoto-ben, the honorific suffix -san which in Standard Japanese is reserved for people (and other animate objects in children's speech) can be used for well-known inanimate locations as well.
The negative verb endings -hen and -mahen found throughout the Kansai region are pronounced -hin and -mahin in Kyoto.
Ise-ben
Ise-ben is the dialect of Mie Prefecture. It uses the normal kansai-ben intonation system (keihanshiki accent) but the vocabulary is largely affected by southern Tokai dialects and also the dialects of Nagoya. For example, Kansai-style sentence final particle "na" or "ni" are often used, but instead of "attakai" for warm they have Nagoya-style "nukutai" or "nukutoi". Similarity to Nagoya-ben becomes more pronounced in the northerly parts of the prefecture; the dialect of Kuwana, for instance, could be considered far closer to Nagoya-ben than Ise-ben. In and around the city of Ise itself, some variations on typical Kansai-ben vocabulary can be found, mostly used by older residents. For instance, the typical expression "ōkini" for "thank-you" is sometimes pronounced "ōkina" in Ise. Near the Isuzugawa River and Naikū shrine, some old men use the word "otai" in place of the first-person personal pronoun "washi."
References
- Palter, DC and Slotsve, Kaoru Horiuchi (1995). Colloquial Kansai Japanese: The Dialects And Culture of the Kansai Region. Boston: Charles E. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3723-6.
- Tse, Peter (1993). Kansai Japanese: The language of Osaka, Kyoto, and western Japan. Boston: Charles E. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-1868-1.
- Omusubi: Japan's Regional Diversity, retrieved January 23, 2007