Kansai Dialect Mini-Lesson #2

What does “honma ほんま” mean?

🌐 Language:繁体字 | 日本語

You’ll hear “honma” everywhere in Kansai.
But what does it actually mean? Is it just another way of saying “hontō”?

kansai dialect-2 honma

🧭 More Than Just “Really”: The Feel of Honma

Honma (ほんま) means “really” or “truly” and is used just like the standard Japanese hontō (本当).
But compared to hontō, honma sounds more casual, expressive, and emotionally rich.
It’s used to show surprise, agreement, gratitude—you name it.
If you want to sound like a Kansai local, this word is a must!

Kansai DialectConversation-honma

🔍 Comparison: Hontō vs Honma

🗾 Standard Japanese

✅️ Example
🔸本当ですか? (Hontō desu ka?)
→ “Is that true?”

🔸本当にありがとう。 (Hontō ni arigatō.)
→ “Thank you so much.”

🔸本当に大切なことです。 (Hontō ni taisetsu na koto desu.)
→”This is something really important.”

🔸本当にびっくりしました。 (Hontō ni bikkuri shimashita.)
→“I was really surprised!”

🎯 Kansai Dialect

✅️ Example
🔸ほんま? (Honma?)
→ “Is that true?”

🔸ほんまにありがとう! (Honma ni arigatō!)
→ “Thank you so much.”

🔸ほんま大事なことやで。 (Honma daiji na koto ya de.)
→”This is something really important.”

🔸ほんまびっくりしたわ〜 (Honma bikkuri shita wa~)
→“I was really surprised!”

Honma is one of the most useful and expressive words in Kansai dialect.

💬 Sample Phrases Using jibun in Kansai Dialect

Kansai Dialect

1️⃣ほんま?
  Honma?
2️⃣ほんまにありがとう!
  Honma ni arigatō
3️⃣ほんまやで。それ信じてええで。
  Honma yade. Sore shinjite eeyo.
4️⃣あの映画、ほんまよかったわ!
  ano eega honma yokattawa!
5️⃣ほんまいかいな?
  Honma kai na!?

English Translation

1️⃣Really?

2️⃣Thank you so much!

3️⃣It’s true, really! You can believe it.

4️⃣That movie was actually really great!

5️⃣Are you serious!?

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