Day 15 — Introduction to Osaka-ben
Or: how I learned to stop worrying and love English
Hi, I am Eisei Yasue. I am from Osaka and this September I moved to Tokyo to join HENNGE. Same as many other languages, Japanese has a lot of dialects. For example, I usually speak Osaka-ben (Osaka-dialect) when I talk with my family or friends. On the other hand, in Fukui prefecture, the place where I studied as a university student, I use Fukui-ben (Fukui-dialect). Hiroshima-ben, Fukuoka-ben, and Kyoto-ben are also famous. Actually, it is difficult to classify each dialect exactly. There are many sub-dialects in Osaka-ben like Kawachi-ben(河内弁) or Settsu-ben(摂津弁), and Osaka-ben also belongs to Kansai-ben while Kyoto-ben and Osaka-ben are similar in some parts but they are different…like this. So, in this article, I will focus only on Osaka-ben. Since I started living in Tokyo, I rarely hear the Osaka-dialect. People in Tokyo speak standard Japanese and I use Keigo while I am working. I miss the Osaka-dialect, and my Osaka-dialect has started to fade away nowadays. Thus, in this article, I will introduce and share some useful phrases in the Osaka-dialect you can use while visiting Osaka. I hope you enjoy it!
<第0課 / Lesson 0>
Before explaining phrases in Osaka dialect, I have to explain two notions named “Boke(ボケ)” and “Tukkomi(ツッコミ).” Those are two concepts that are important factors for Osaka dialect, but it is difficult to explain in English. According to Google, Boke means ”funny man” and Tsukkomi means “straight man.” Yet the meaning they convey is similar to a role of comedy or double act, but in the context of the dialect, it means to be a factor to form the conversation. Boke is a joke or someone says so, while the Tsukommi is what some might say is against the joke and leads to the next laugh. I don’t know why Osaka people always have this idea. Of course, it depends on the individual, but Osaka people indeed like to crack jokes in their conversation.
<第一課 / Lesson 1>
・ほんまに(Honma-ni) / really or really?
Honmani is the same as Honto-ni (本当に) in standard Japanese, and it means “really.” We can use only “Honmani” and combine it as an adverb.
Here is an example:
A：「都立大学駅には都立大学はありません。」
B：「…ほんまに言うてる？」
(“There is no Toritsu-daigaku* at the Toritsu-daigaku station.” “…Are you serious?”)
*Toritsu-daigaku = Tokyo Metropolitan University
<第二課 / Lesson 2>
・なんでやねん (Nande-ya-nen) / what the hell
Maybe this phrase is the most famous one in Osaka-dialect. It is similar to “Nan-de” (/ why?) in standard Japanese, but it has a factor of “Tukkomi.” If you have seen a comedy or anime character use Osaka-dialect, I guess you are familiar with this expression. And Osaka-people use this phrase in daily conversation too.
Here is an example:
A：「学芸大学駅にも学芸大学はありません。」
B：「なんでやねん。」
(“There is no Tokyo Gakugei University at the Gakugei-daigaku Station.” “What the hell.”)
<第三課 / Lesson 3>
・しゃーない（Shaa-nai) / Alright (or don’t worry), it is what it is
“Shaa-nai” is a dialect version of Sho-ga-nai or Shikata-nai in standard Japanese. I think “Sho-ga-nai” is one of the difficult Japanese phrases to translate to English. And I think the closest translation in English is, “It is what it is.”
Here is an example:
A：「すいません、梅田で迷って遅刻してしまいました」
B：「それはしゃーない」
（” Sorry, I’m late, I got lost at the Umeda* station. “Don’t worry, it is what it is.”）
*Umeda is a central station in Osaka, but it contains Umeda (Hankyu-Line), Umeda (Hanshin-Line), Umeda (Subway, these three Umeda are different), Nishi-Umeda, Higashi-Umeda, and JR Osaka. In Umeda-area, Six main stations and numerous lines gather in one area, and there are many buildings of shops and offices and also there are complicated underground streets. Therefore, even local people get lost. So people call this area “Umeda Dungeon. “
<第四課 / Lesson 4>
・知らんけど (Shiran-kedo) / -but I am not sure.
Shiran-kedo means I don’t know, People in Osaka tend to use the phrase frequently.
「大阪人にとってコミュニケーションを円滑にするためには、沈黙やテンポの悪い発言は好まれへんし、会話の中でリズムが特に大事やから出典があるとかないとかほんまかどうかは置いといて、とりあえず何かしら喋らなあかん時に「知らんけど」は便利なワードなんです。知らんけど。」
(“For people in Osaka, to facilitate communication, silence and slow-paced speech are not preferred, and especially rhythm is important in conversation, so “Shiran-kedo” is a useful word when you need to say something, whether there is a source or not, or it’s true or not, but I’m not sure.”)
I think it’s true, but I’m not sure.
<第五課 / Lesson 5>
・めっちゃ/～やねん
Meccha means “very” and -yanen (-やねん) or yan(-やん) doesn’t have any meaning, it is the same as 「-です」 and 「-じゃん」in standard Japanese.
Here is an example:
「…実はめっちゃ銀だこ好きやねん」
(“…actually I like Gindaco very much.”)
Like these phrases, Osaka dialect has a lot of unique expressions. The accent and style of speaking are different from other Japanese dialects. I wanted to introduce other more phrases, like しょうみ、せやな、ほんまそれ… but I don’t have any time to write them. If you find this topic interesting, let me know and I will do a follow-up article!
The reason I stick to my dialect is that it is part of my foundation and identity, and I realize the importance of maintaining them while I study another language. Thus, I try to speak English in Osaka-dialect. At first, I thought it is enough if the second language can be just a medium to express my idea directly. However, it was not funny enough.
To communicate with people outside Japan, I need to study and use English. So at first, I used to treat English as just the means to communicate. It means just translating Japanese to English in one mind, yet this idea is too simple to manage my language mind. As you know, it is tough to translate from Japanese to English because the grammatical structures are completely different. Then I realized I had spoken English without emotion because I was preoccupied with the conversion — translating from English to Japanese — I did my best only how quickly and accurately I can translate to English. I imagined what the best way would be to connect my emotion and the second language. I didn’t like speaking like a different person, so I thought if I can speak a second language as I speak the Osaka dialect, I can explain my emotion naturally.
Studying another language is tough especially for normal Japanese like me who have used only one language for communication, the same as I have struggled to use business Japanese on e-mail and with customers. Yet, once you get used to using another language in your natural way, you can enjoy using it like your mother tongue. To be honest, even at this very moment, as I write this, I struggle to express my ideas in a different language, because of my lack of knowledge about idioms and expressions. I am still not sure if I could express what I want, and if I am able to tell and what kind of impression readers have, but it is a “Sha-nai matter.” I have no specific goal while studying English right now. As long as I will continue to use it, I will never completely forget it…知らないですけど。
This article is part of the HENNGE Advent Calendar 2020. An Advent calendar is a special calendar used for counting down the days till Christmas. HENNGE Advent Calendar 2020 presents one article by one HENNGE member per day for 25 days until Christmas, 2020.
