Editing Kansai dialect (section)

== Phonology ==
{{See also|Japanese phonology}}
In phonetic terms, Kansai dialect is characterized by strong vowels and contrasted with Tokyo dialect, characterized by its strong consonants, but the basis of the phonemes is similar. The specific phonetic differences between Kansai and Tokyo are as follows:<ref name="Umegaki 1962">Umegaki (1962)</ref>

=== Vowels ===
[[File:Icoca de ikoka.jpg|thumb|200px|A signboard written in Kansai dialect at [[Kusatsu Station (Shiga)|Kusatsu Station]] in [[Kusatsu, Shiga]]. The message, ''[[ICOCA]] de iko ka!'', translates as "Let's go with ICOCA!" ICOCA is a rechargeable contactless [[smart card]]. Its name is a play on the Kansai phrase ''"iko ka!"'' ("Let's go!").]]
*{{IPA|/u/}} is nearer to {{IPAblink|u}} than to {{IPAblink|ɯ}}.
*In Standard, [[vowel reduction]] frequently occurs, but it is rare in Kansai. For example, the polite copula {{nihongo||です|desu}} is pronounced nearly as {{IPA|[des]}} in standard Japanese, but Kansai speakers tend to pronounce it distinctly as {{IPA|/desu/}} or even {{IPA|/desuː/}}.
*In some registers, such as informal Tokyo speech, [[Hiatus (linguistics)|hiatuses]] {{IPA|/ai, ae, oi/}} often fuse into {{IPA|/eː/}}, as in {{lang|ja|うめえ}} {{IPA|/umeː/}} and {{lang|ja|すげえ}} {{IPA|/suɡeː/}} instead of {{lang|ja|旨い}} {{IPA|/umai/}} "yummy" and {{lang|ja|凄い}} {{IPA|/suɡoi/}} "great", but {{IPA|/ai, ae, oi/}} are usually pronounced distinctly in Kansai dialect. In Wakayama, {{IPA|/ei/}} is also pronounced distinctly; it usually fuses into {{IPA|/eː/}} in standard Japanese and almost all other dialects.
*A recurring tendency to lengthen vowels at the end of [[Mora (linguistics)|monomoraic]] nouns. Common examples are {{IPA|/kiː/}} for {{lang|ja|木}} {{IPA|/ki/}} "tree", {{IPA|/kaː/}} for {{lang|ja|蚊}} {{IPA|/ka/}} "mosquito" and {{IPA|/meː/}} for {{lang|ja|目}} {{IPA|/me/}} "eye".
*Contrarily, long vowels in Standard inflections are sometimes shortened. This is particularly noticeable in the volitional conjugation of verbs. For instance, {{lang|ja|"行こうか？"}} {{IPA|/ikoː ka/}} meaning "shall we go?" is shortened in Kansai to {{lang|ja|"行こか？"}} {{IPA|/iko ka/}}. The common phrase of agreement, {{lang|ja|"そうだ"}} {{IPA|/soː da/}} meaning "that's it", is replaced {{lang|ja|"そや"}} {{IPA|/so ja/}} or even {{lang|ja|"せや"}} {{IPA|/se ja/}} in Kansai.
*When vowels and semivowel {{IPA|/j/}} follow {{IPA|/i, e/}}, they sometimes [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalize]] with {{IPA|/N/}} or {{IPA|/Q/}}. For example, {{lang|ja|"好きやねん"}} {{IPA|/sukija neN/}} "I love you" becomes {{lang|ja|'好っきゃねん'}} {{IPA|/suQkja neN/}}, 日曜日 {{IPA|/nitijoːbi/}} "Sunday" becomes にっちょうび {{IPA|/niQtjoːbi/}} and 賑やか {{IPA|/niɡijaka/}} "lively, busy" becomes にんぎゃか {{IPA|/niNɡjaka/}}.

=== Consonants ===
[[File:Hichi.jpg|thumb|A pawnshop signboard in Osaka]]
*The syllable ひ {{IPA|/hi/}} is nearer to {{IPA|[hi]}} than to {{IPA|[çi]}}.
*The ''[[yotsugana]]'' are two distinct syllables, as they are in Tokyo, but Kansai speakers tend to pronounce じ {{IPA|/zi/}} and ず {{IPA|/zu/}} as {{IPA|[ʑi]}} and {{IPA|[zu]}} in place of Standard {{IPA|[dʑi]}} and {{IPA|[dzɯ]}}.
*Intervocalic {{IPA|/ɡ/}} is pronounced either {{IPA|[ŋ]}} or {{IPA|[ɡ]}} in free variation, but {{IPA|[ŋ]}} is declining now.
*In provocative speech, {{IPA|/r/}} becomes {{IPAblink|r}}, similar to the [[Yamanote and Shitamachi#Speech|Tokyo Shitamachi dialect]].
*The use of {{IPA|/h/}} in place of {{IPA|/s/}}. Some [[debuccalization]] of {{IPA|/s/}} is apparent in most Kansai speakers, but it seems to have progressed more in morphological suffixes and inflections than in core vocabulary. This process has produced はん {{IPA|/-haN/}} for さん ''-[[Japanese titles#San|san]]'' "Mr., Ms.", まへん {{IPA|/-maheN/}} for ません {{IPA|/-maseN/}} (formal negative form), まひょ {{IPA|/-mahjo/}} for ましょう {{IPA|/-masjoː/}} (formal volitional form), and ひちや {{IPA|/hiti-ja/}} for 質屋 {{IPA|/siti-ja/}} "pawnshop", among other examples.
*The change of {{IPA|/m/}} and {{IPA|/b/}} in some words such as さぶい {{IPA|/sabui/}} for 寒い {{IPA|/samui/}} "cold".
*Especially in the rural areas, {{IPA|/z, d, r/}} are sometimes harmonized or metathesized. For example, でんでん {{IPA|/deNdeN/}} for 全然 {{IPA|/zeNzeN/}} "never, not at all", かだら {{IPA|/kadara/}} or からら {{IPA|/karara/}} for 体 {{IPA|/karada/}} "body". A play on words around these sound changes goes as follows: 淀川の水飲んれ腹らら下りや {{IPA|/joroɡawa no miru noNre hara rarakurari ja/}} for 淀川の水飲んで腹だだ下りや {{IPA|/jodoɡawa no mizu noNde hara dadakudari ja/}} "I drank water of [[Yodo River]] and have the trots".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.osaka-info.jp/ja/model/osakaben/html/0034.html|script-title=ja:大阪弁完全マスター講座 第三十四話 よろがわ|trans-title=Osaka-ben perfect master lecture No. 34 Yoro River|language=ja|publisher=Osaka Convention Bureau|access-date=July 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320101838/http://www.osaka-info.jp/ja/model/osakaben/html/0034.html|archive-date=March 20, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*The {{IPA|/r/}} + vowel in the verb conjugations is sometimes changed to {{IPA|/N/}}, similar to colloquial Tokyo speech. For example, 何してるねん？ {{IPA|/nani shiteru neN/}} "What are you doing?" often changes 何してんねん？ {{IPA|/nani shiteN neN/}} in fluent Kansai speech.

=== Pitch accent ===
{{See also|Japanese pitch accent}}
[[File:Japanese pitch accent map-ja.png|thumb|300px|Map of Japanese pitch accents. The Kyoto-Osaka type accent is used in the orange area while the Tokyo type accent is used in the blue area.]]
The [[Pitch-accent language|pitch accent]] in Kansai dialect is very different from the standard Tokyo accent, so non-Kansai Japanese can recognize Kansai people easily from that alone. The Kansai pitch accent is called the Kyoto-Osaka type accent ([[:ja:京阪式アクセント|京阪式アクセント]], ''Keihan-shiki akusento'') in technical terms. It is used in most of Kansai, [[Shikoku]] and parts of western [[Chūbu region]]. The Tokyo accent distinguishes words only by [[downstep (phonetics)|downstep]], but the Kansai accent distinguishes words also by initial tones, so Kansai dialect has more pitch patterns than standard Japanese. In the Tokyo accent, the pitch between first and second [[mora (linguistics)|mora]]e usually changes, but in the Kansai accent, it does not always.

Below is a list of simplified Kansai accent patterns. H represents a high pitch and L represents a low pitch.
# {{nihongo|High-initial accent|高起式|kōki-shiki}} or {{nihongo|Flat-straight accent|平進式|Heishin-shiki}}
#* The high pitch appears on the first mora and the others are low: H-L, H-L-L, H-L-L-L, etc.
#* The high pitch continues for the set mora and the rest are low: H-H-L, H-H-L-L, H-H-H-L, ''etc.''
#* The high pitch continues to the last: H-H, H-H-H, H-H-H-H, ''etc.''
# {{nihongo|Low-initial accent|低起式|teiki-shiki}} or {{nihongo|Ascent accent|上昇式|Jōshō-shiki}}
#* The pitch rises drastically on the middle set mora and falls again: L-H-L, L-H-L-L, L-L-H-L, ''etc.''
#* The pitch rises drastically on the last mora: L-L-H, L-L-L-H, L-L-L-L-H, ''etc.''
#** If high-initial accent words or particles attach to the end of the word, all morae are low: L-L-L(-H), L-L-L-L(-H), L-L-L-L-L(-H)
#* With two-mora words, there are two accent patterns. Both of these tend to be realized in recent years as L-H, L-H(-L).<ref>NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute (1998). {{nihongo|NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典||NHK Nihongo Hatsuon Akusento Jiten}}. pp149-150. {{ISBN|978-4-14-011112-3}}</ref>
#** The second mora rises and falls quickly. If words or particles attach to the end of the word, the fall is sometimes not realized: L-HL, L-HL(-L) or L-H(-L)
#** The second mora does not fall. If high-initial words or particles attach to the end of the word, both morae are low: L-H, L-L(-H)

{| class="wikitable" align="center" cellpadding="7" style="clear:both;"
|-align="center"
!!!!!Kansai!!Tokyo!!English
|-
!rowspan=3|hashi
|{{wt|ja|橋}}
|H-L
|L-H(-L)
|bridge
|-
|{{wt|ja|箸}}
|L-H
|H-L
|chopsticks
|-
|{{wt|ja|端}}
|H-H
|L-H(-H)
|edge
|-
!Nihon
|{{wt|ja|日本}}
|H-L-L
|L-H-L
|Japan
|-
!nihon
|{{wt|ja|二本}}
|L-L-H
|H-L-L
|2-[[Japanese counter word|''hon'']]
|-
!konnichi wa
|{{wt|ja|今日は}}
|L-H-L-L-H
|L-H-H-H-H
|good afternoon
|-
!arigatō
|{{wt|ja|ありがとう}}
|L-L-L-H-L
|L-H-L-L-L
|thanks
|}