goof around and make a racket

If you’re from the Kansai region, many of you probably heard this a lot as kids. It’s a word that means fooling around, making a ruckus, or acting out, and it’s used not only in Kansai but across western Japan. Example: “Hey, you!! Don’t horse around in a place like this!”

vinegared mackerel (shime saba)

The “ki” in “kizushi,” which refers to mackerel cured in vinegar, is written with the kanji for “raw” (生). There is also a theory that, because kizushi is the stage just before “narezushi,” in which mackerel is fermented, it was called “raw narezushi” (nama-narezushi), which then shifted to being called “kizushi.” Example sentence: “How about we make nigiri sushi with kizushi tonight?”

chicken

In the Kansai region, chicken meat is called “kashiwa.” One theory says this comes from the brown color of the chicken’s body and meat, which resembles the withered leaves of the kashiwa (oak) tree. Example sentence: “I’m making oyakodon, so go buy some kashiwa (chicken).”

to tidy up; to put away; to clean up

When you hear naosu, many people probably picture the word meaning “to heal” and think it means to repair something. However, in Kansai dialect, naosu meaning “to put away/tidy up” was originally written as 直す, and it derives from the sense of returning something to its original place. Example sentence: “I washed the dishes, so dry them and put them away.”

alternating

In the logistics industry, the term “tereko shipping” refers to mistakenly sending items meant for A to B, and those meant for B to A. It is commonly used in the Kansai region. Besides meaning “alternated” or “interleaved,” it can also mean “reversed.” One theory traces its origin to kabuki, where two plays were performed alternately, one act at a time; another suggests it’s an abbreviation of “tape recorder,” implying mixing up the A and B sides. Example: “You put that ornament on the wrong sides—left and right are tereko.”

throw away

Originally, it was written as “放下す,” meaning to throw something away. Over time, the form changed and it became the word “hokasu,” which took root. Example sentence: “Please throw this away.”

get carried away

Just from the word ichibiru, you can’t really guess what it means, but it actually has a proper origin. In the past, the person who managed auctions at a market was called ichiburi (“market caller”), and from that the verb ichibiru came to mean “to get carried away” or “to act cocky.” A person who’s getting carried away can also be called an ichibiri. Example sentence: “Don’t keep acting so cocky!!”

on the way (there)

Written in kanji as 「行きしな」 (ikishina), this word isn’t well understood outside the Kansai region. The element 「しな」 carries the meaning of “while doing X,” “on the occasion of X,” or “in the course of X,” so 「帰りしな」 is also commonly used to mean “on the way back.” Example sentence: “I’ll pick up a drink on the way there.”

Parking lot

It’s said that two-thirds of all properties named “motor pool” in Japan are in Osaka, that’s how common the term is there. Originally, after the war, places where military vehicles were kept were called motor pools. While in Tokyo many such sites were redeveloped with buildings, in Osaka many remained in use as parking lots. That’s why in the Kansai region the term “motor pool” took root with the meaning “parking lot.” Example: (sign) “Motor Pool — 1,800 yen per day.”

stye

It refers to a stye—an inflammation on the eyelid caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. Its etymology isn’t clear, but it seems to be a term used only in the Kansai region. In other regions, a stye is called by various names depending on the area, such as “memorai,” “menbo,” “baka,” or “ohimesan,” in addition to “monomorai.” Example sentence: “I’ve got a stye and it hurts.”