Editing Kansai dialect (section)

=== 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/}}.