No Chikan Thank You

Posted on 17. Jan, 2008 @ 3:43 pm by in Culture, Humor, Language, Osaka, Society Views: 963

The Japanese word for “pervert-who-takes-advantage-of-crowded-train-to-get-some-buttocks-grabbin-goin-on” is “CHIKAN”.

The Kansai-ben (western Japanese dialect) way to say something is no good, or just won’t do, is pronounced, “AKAN”.

They rhyme!

This poster is a play on those words.

CHIKAN WA AKANDE! GENIUS!

- Harvey

[UPDATE] If you’re interested in Kansai-ben, check out our Kansai-ben iPhone Application! Japanese 101: Kansai Dialect

  • Joe

    Not to mention “akan” and “aka”!

  • http://www.japannewbie.com Harvey

    Hahahah, I didn’t even notice that! Red card! Aka! AKAN!

    Osaka is too funny.

  • http://www.rockinginhakata.com Deas

    Is that related to the “ikan” form around here? I assumed it was from “ikenai” originally somewhere along the line. Just wondering. :-)

  • http://www.japannewbie.com Harvey

    I think the Osaka version originally is from “ikenai” as well.

    Yeah I’m sure it is. Like, sore ha tabe tara ikemasen yo. would be , sore tabecya akande!

    I don’t know Kyuusyuu’s dialects, but I imagine your IKAN is like that!

    Are there pictures of people holding up SQUID and saying IKAN!?

  • joe

    I’ve heard that “akan” (maybe the best japanese word) comes from the phrase “rachi ga aku”…which I heard means like make headway or progress or something.

  • http://chinanewbiee.blogspot.com/ kole

    is “buttocks-grabbin” so common you need a sign???!!!

  • Joe

    Crowded trains + drunken, sexless salarymen = prime environment for buttocks-grabbin

  • http://slashandburn.typepad.com/slash_and_burn/ Adam

    Hey Harvey, maybe a basic question, but why is it あかんで and not あかんです? よろしく！

  • http://www.japannewbie.com harvey

    Hey Adam,

    It’s just a formality thing.

    Akan, is informal, and informal things never get です.

    Also, the “formal” form of Akan would be いけません. So if you want to say akan with a bit of formality you would say いけません instead.

    Hope that helps a bit. Akande is one of those really really informal slangy things that it’s tough to get into the grammar behind it.

    Hope that helps, and if I’m off, someone back me up!

  • Joe

    The new ad campaign will be:

    Chickan are Chicken!

  • http://slashandburn.typepad.com/slash_and_burn/ Adam

    OK, if it’s informal why isn’t it あかんだ? Is that use of で a 関西弁 thing, or is it just another way to be informal? I have a difficult enough time with standard Japanese, now I have to contend with dialects too? ^_^

  • http://www.japannewbie.com harvey

    Adam, too many questions! Kidding kidding, questions are good. In Kansai-ben many phrases end in で。 で basically replaces よ in standard Japanese.

    So it’s as if it was いけませんよ。 いけないよ。 あかんよ。 あかんで。

    See what I mean?

  • http://slashandburn.typepad.com/slash_and_burn/ Adam

    なるほど！ありがとう！

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