Kyoto-ben Dialect

Listing for Kyoto ben Dialect

あがる [AGARU]

Going toward North.

あじない [AJINAI]

Not tasty

あて [ATE] / うち [UCHI]

Using these dialects as the subject of “I, Expressions used only by women.

e.g.) I wan to do it, too.

• Standard language
  わたしもしたい [WATASHI MO SHITAI]
• Kyoto dialect
  あてかてしてみとおす [ATE KATE SHITE MITO OSU] うちかてしたいわ [UCHI KATE SHITAIWA]

うっとこ [UTTOKO]

UCHI (My) + TOKO (Place) =UCHITOKO –> UTTOKO

It means “my house”, Expressions used primarily by women.

e.g.) Hey, come to my house .

• Standard language
  わたしのいえにおいで [WATASHI NO IE NI OIDE]

• Kyoto dialect
  うっとこにおいで[UTTOKO NI OIDE]

~え [E]

Used at the end of a sentence with a reminder nuance. Expressions used primarily by women

e.g.) He/she just left .

• Standard language
  さっきおかえりになった [SAKKI OKAERI NI NATTA]
• Kyoto dialect
  さっきかえらはったえ[SAKKI KAERAHATTA E]

おくどさん [OKUDOSAN]

Wood-burning stove

おさがり [OSAGARI]

Rain

e.g.) It’s raining today.

• Standard language
  きょうは あめ ですね [KYOUWA AME DESUNE]
• Kyoto dialect
  きょうは おさがりどすな [KYOUWA OSAGARI DOSUNA]

~おし/ ~よし [OSHI / YOSHI]

Used at the end of a command sentence.

e.g.) Come on!

• Standard language
  はやくきなさい [HAYAKU INASAI]
• Kyoto dialect
  はよきよし[HAYO KIYOSHI]

おてしょー [OTESHO]

It means a small plate.

e.g.) Take a small plate and eat it.

• Standard language
  こざらにとってたべなさい [KOZARA NI TOTTE TABENASAI]
• Kyoto dialect
  おてしょーにとってたべよし[OTESHO NI TOTTE TABEYOSHI]

おばんばい [OBANZAI]

Traditional home cooking usually prepared with vegetables and seafood that have been produced in Kyoto.

かなん [KANAN]

Expressing emotions when that fact is not good for you

e.g.) That’s a problem. / That’s annoying.

• Standard language
  それはこまります [SOREWA KOMARI MASU]
• Kyoto dialect
  それは かなん な～[SOREWA KANAN NA]

きばる [KIBARU]

It means “do one’s best”, “work hard” or “give it one’s best shot”

e.g.) He’s working so hard!

• Standard language
  とてもがんばっている [TOTEMO GANBATTE IRU]
• Kyoto dialect
  よう きばってはるなー[YO KIBATTE HARUNA]

きょーび [KYOBI]

It means “nowadays” or “these days”

e.g.) I can’t understand the thinking of young people these days

• Standard language
  さいきんのわかものかんがえはわからない [SAIKIN NO WAKAMONO NO KANGAE WA WAKARANAI]
• Kyoto dialect
  きょーびのわかいもんはなにかんがえてるかわからん[KYOBI NO WAKAIMON WA NANIKANGAETERUKA WAKARAN]

ぎょーさん [GYOSAN] = ようさん [YOUSAN] = ようけ [YOUKE]

It means “many” or “a lot of”

e.g.) You’ve gathered a lot!

• Standard language
  たくさんあつまりましたね [TAKUSAN ATSUMARIMASHITA NE]
• Kyoto dialect
  ぎょーさんあつまったね [GYOSAN ATSUMATTA NE]

~さかい [SAKAI] / ~さかいに [SAKAINI]

Conjunction, meaning “so, as, since” in the standard

e.g.) Your mother says so, so do as she says.

• Standard language
  おかあさんが そういってるのだからいうとおりにしなさい [OKAASAN GA SOU ITTERU NODAKARA SONOTOORI NI SHINASAI]
• Kyoto dialect
  おかあさんがそういってるんやさかいそうしよし [OKAASAN GA SOU ITTERUNYA SAKAI SOU SHIYOSI]

~さん [SAN]

Generally, when you call someone by their name in Japanese, you call them “San” after their name, but in the Kansai region, not only in Kyoto, people also add “San” familiarly at the end of things such as お豆さん[OMAME SAN] (おまめさん) “beans”, 仏さん[HOTOKE SAN] (Buddha), 神さん [KAMI SAN] (かみさん) “god”.

しまつする [SHIMATSU SURU]

It means “save money”.

e.g.) You have to save money.

• Standard language
  せつやくしないといけないよ [SETSUYAKU SHINAI TO IKENAI YO]
• Kyoto dialect
  しまつせなあかんよ [SHIMATSU SENA AKAN YO]

しんきくさい [SHINKI KUSAI]

Cumbersome, frustrating for things
Gloomy when used as an adjective to describe a person’s character

e.g.) This job is cumbersome.

• Kyoto dialect
  このしごとしんきくさいわ [KONO SHIGOTO SHINKIKUSAI WA]

e.g.) He’s always so gloomy

• Kyoto dialect
  しんきくさいやつやわ [SHINKIKUSAI YATSU YAWA]

たく [TAKU]

It means “boil”. 煮る[NIRU] (にる) in standard language

e.g.) Take a lot of boiled beans with you.

• Standard language
  豆を煮たものがたくさんあるから持っていきなさい [MAME WO TAITA MONOGA TAKUSAN ARUKARA MOTTEIKINASAI]
• Kyoto dialect
  お豆さんたいたんが、よーけあるさかい持っていき [OMAME SAN TAITAN GA YOKE ARUSAKAI MOTTEIKI]

どす [DOSU]

It’s be verb. です[DESU] in standard language. It has become a term used by 芸妓 [GEIKO] (げいこ), 舞妓 [MAIKO] (まいこ), 女将 [OKAMI] (おかみ) “restaurant landladies or ryokan landladies”, etc., and is not used by the general public in everyday conversation.

~はる [HARU]

Auxiliary verbs that become 敬語 [KEIGO] (けいご) “honorific expressions”. Originally, honorifics were used for people, but the people of Kyoto also use honorifics for things, animals and the weather.

e.g.) It rains a lot.

• Standard language
  あめがよくふりますね [AME GA YOKU FURIMASU NE]
• Kyoto dialect
  よーふらはりますなー [YO FURA HARI MASU NA]

e.g.) The dog is sleeping

• Standard language
  いぬがねている [INU GA NETEIRU]
• Kyoto dialect
  いぬがねてはる [INU GA NETE HARU]