Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)

This article explains basic grammar rules in the Kansai dialect (関西弁, kansai ben). If you are keen to learn its vocabulary as well, check out the following post!

9 Essential Words in Kansai-ben with Detailed Usage Examples

Negation in 関西弁

In the Kansai dialect, “〜へん” is used instead of “〜ない” to make a negative form.

Example

Standard → Kansai

食（た）べない  → 食べへん (don’t eat)
書（か）かない → 書かへん (don’t write)

Some people also use  “〜ひん”  for ru-verbs ending with “iru” e.g., 見る (miru), 着る (kiru).  In this case, the sound before “ひん/へん” tends to be prolonged, say, “みーひん” instead of “みひん”.

Example

見 (み) ない → “みーへん ” or “みーひん ” (don’t see)

着 (き) ない  → “きーへん” or “きーひん” (don’t wear)

The words “しない (don’t do)” and “こない (don’t come)”  have irregular patterns of transformation.

しない → “せえへん ” or “しいひん “

こない  → “こーへん” or “きーひん”

Example Sentence with ”へん”

(Standard) 宿題しなかったら、チョコレートあげないよ！

(Kansai) 宿題せえへんかったら、チョコレートあげへんで！

(English) If you don’t do homework, I won’t give you chocolates!

だ → や

A copula verb “だ”  in standard Japanese often becomes “や” in the Kansai dialect

(e.g.) だから →  やから and だけど → やけど

Examples

1.
(English) (I think) that’s beautiful.
(Standard) それ、きれいだね
(Kansai) それ、きれいやね
2.
(English) I had been a student until last year
(Standard) 去年まで学生だった
(Kansai) 去年まで学生やった
3.
(English): Because I’m a student, I don’t have (lots of) money
(Standard) 学生だからお金ない
(Kansai)  学生やからお金ない

〜やん

In the Kansai dialect, “〜やん” is often used at the end of a sentence to put an emphasis or express one’s surprise. This is nearly equivalent to “じゃん” in the Kantō dialect. *

* じゃん is usually explained as a colloquial contraction of  “じゃない/ではない” in a tag question, meaning “…, isn’t it?”. However, the tone of じゃん/やん is much more affirmative, and its meaning is rather close to that of other sentence-ending particles used for emphasis, such as “ね”.

Examples

(English) It’s April already

(Standard): もう４月じゃん/もう４月なんだ

(Kansai) もう４月やん

(English) That’s very funny

(Standard) それ、面白いね・面白いじゃん

(Kansai) それ、おもろいやん

(“おもろい” in the Kansai dialect means  “面白い (おもしろい, “funny”) “.

〜はる

“〜はる” is an honorific form in the Kansai dialect, and its past form is “〜はった”. It is usually attached after a masu-form verb, e.g., 読よみ + はる *. In standard Japanese, its equivalent expressions are “〜なさる” and “〜れる”.

(* In Kyoto, it is combined with a nai-form verb, e.g., 読ま + はる).

Examples

(English) I’ve heard that Tanaka-senpai won the competition yesterday.

(Kansai) 昨日の大会で田中先輩が優勝しはったって聞いたで。

(Standard) 昨日の大会で田中先輩が優勝なさった/優勝されたって聞いたよ。

(English) This is the vegetables that Tanaka-san gave me yesterday.

(Kansai) これ、田中さんが昨日くれはった野菜やで

(Standard)  これ、田中さんが昨日くださった野菜だよ

* くださった is a past honorific form of くれる meaning “give”.

(English) Tanaka-san has finally written his/her book.

(Kansai) 田中さん、ついに本を書きはったらしいで。

(Standard) 田中さん、ついに本を書かれた/お書きになったらしいよ。

〜(や)さかい

“〜(や)さかい”  is an old-fashioned expression meaning “because of ~ “, and that is equivalent to “〜(だ)から” in standard Japanese. Nowadays, “〜(や) から” is much more commonly used by Kansai people. If you want to make some Kansaiben jokes, this might be a good one to use.

Example

(verb +さかい)

(English) Because I’m already tired today, I’m going to bed.

(Kansai) 今日は疲れているさかい、もう寝る

(Standard) 今日は疲れているから、もう寝る

(i-adjective +さかい)

(English) Because it’s cold today, be careful not to catch a cold.

(Kansai) 今日は寒いさかい、風邪ひかんように気いつけや

(Standard) 今日は寒いから、風邪ひかないように気をつけてね

(noun + やさかい)

(English) Because I have work tomorrow, I’ve gotta go to bed.

(Standard)  明日は仕事だから、もう寝るわ

(Kansai) 明日は仕事やさかい、もう寝ないと

(na-adjective + やさかい)

(English) Since it is easy, you can do it soon, right?

(Standard) それ簡単だから、すぐ出来るだろ

(Kansai) それ簡単やさかい、すぎ出来るやろ

〜ちゃう

In the Kansai dialect, “ちゃう” is equivalent to “じゃない/ではない” in the standard Japanese, and it is often used when you make a negative question e.g., Isn’t it …

Examples

(English) Is n’t it good?

(Standard) いいんじゃない？

(Kansai) ええんちゃう？

(English) What I wanted is not this.

欲しかったのはこれじゃない

欲しかったのはこれちゃう

On the other hand, “ちゃう”  also has another meaning, “differ/be not correct”, which is equivalent to “違う (ちがう)” in the standard Japanese. See the post below for more explanations.

9 Essential Words in Kansai-ben with Detailed Usage Examples