Kansai negative へん and standard Japanese

The idea

In some Kansai speech へん marks a casual verb negative; the example sentences use polite standard Japanese. For the godan verb 行く, 行かへん corresponds to the standard plain 行かない. For the ichidan verb 食べる, 食べへん corresponds to 食べない: remove る before へん.

Examples

• 私わたしは朝あさコーヒーを飲のみません。I don't drink coffee in the morning.
• 弟おとうとは肉にくを食たべません。My younger brother doesn't eat meat.
• 明日あした、私わたしは働はたらきません。I won't work tomorrow.
• 今日きょうは電車でんしゃで行いきません。I'm not going by train today.
• 今日きょうはテレビを見みません。I am not watching television today.
• 今日きょうは運動うんどうをしません。I am not exercising today.

Watch out

Forms vary by speaker and locality; する has variants such as せえへん. Use the standard polite ません when a polite form is needed.

Try it yourself

1. Choose and fill the blank: 関西かんさい：行いか＿。（へん／ます）

   Show answer or example answer

   へん

   In some Kansai speech へん marks a casual verb negative; the example sentences use polite standard Japanese.

2. Choose and fill the blank: 行いかへん＝行いか＿。（ない／ます）

   Show answer or example answer

   ない

   For the godan verb 行く, 行かへん corresponds to the standard plain 行かない.

3. Choose and fill the blank: 食たべない＝食たべ＿。（へん／ます）

   Show answer or example answer

   へん

   For the ichidan verb 食べる, 食べへん corresponds to 食べない: remove る before へん.

Use it today

Match the regional forms in the table to plain and polite standard negatives.