I live in Kansai, and so I get exposed to Kansai-ben plenty. However, I personally only use a few things from it that I just happen to like. For instance, なんでやねん and ほんま.
I agree with people who said that there’s no way Japanese people would be insulted by you not learning their dialect. Even they have to use 標準語 in certain circumstances. It’s not considered appropriate to write a formal paper in regional Japanese, for instance. So they totally understand why a foreigner, who presumably has to work in Japan in a professional sense, wouldn’t be focused on their particular dialect.
But yes, if you drop aspects of their dialect into your speech, they will be amused by it.
And if you somehow become a master of it, you’d be a small sensation.
I think that’s mostly because Kansai dialects are considered funny in general by Japanese people. Comedians are expected to speak in one.
For more real reactions, you can check out the Japanese comments on this video (sorry I can’t find the version of it slammed with Japanese comments).
The black guy is talking in a Kansai accent and people seem to love it.
Personally, I’m an American with an odd mixture of dialects. When people try to guess where I’m from, they usually can’t guess correctly, often not even regionally. I’ve never been made fun of for it that I know of. I think it does help that I’m a native speaker though.
I’m actually mostly entirely interested in the Fukuoka and Kyushu way of speaking and am a little annoyed that the Tokyo style is so prevalent in so many textbooks! I just want to learn what the locals around me are saying!
Yeah, this region is great! I’ve only really lived here (Saga and Kurume), but I’m really glad I came to 九州. Osaka and Kyoto were fun to visit, but this is a wonderful place to live.
The typhoon that came last week (#9 Maysak) helped us to prepare for this one (#10 Haishen), so we boarded up our windows in this old house to protect them from the stronger winds. We’ve all been inside since about 2pm yesterday, but it has been mostly okay. We lost power a couple times, but I think we’re mostly good now.
What’s crazy is that the eye of the storm is up by Korea now, but we still have strong gusts of winds that are audible ever thirty seconds or so.
Are you in Japan too?
I’ll add this to the list! I arrived in Japan basically around the same time the coronavirus did too, so I haven’t done as much as I would have in other years. Also, my wife and I have been quite busy! But this sounds like something fun to do sometime.
Nah they love it. I exclusively use kansai-ben with my friends here. It makes you more endearing if you use it right. It also helps that kansai-ben is associated with comedians.
Oh, you’re not too far. I live in Kurume now and just commute to Saga for work now, so we’re in comparable regions. My coworkers live in Saga and Takeo so I’m curious how they fared…
Possibly my favorite prefecture. How are you weathering the typhoon? Also, have you already visited Kiyomizu Falls?