Particle “わ”

Particle “wa”

Common uses

• Attentiveness
• Supplying new information

Grammar elements

• わ

The final particle わ in Kansai-ben is basically like the よ final particle in standard Japanese.

Kansai-ben vs. Standard

Standard	＿＿＿よ
Kansai-ben	＿＿＿わ

Examples

Standard	これ、もういらないからあげるよ。
Kansai-ben	これ、もういらんからあげるわ。
English	I don't need this anymore, so you can have it.

Commentary

The Standard Japanese わ vs. the Kansai-ben わ

While the Kansai-ben わ has the same form as the standard Japanese わ, unlike in standard Japanese, it is used by both men and women. In addition, the Kansai-ben わ is pronounced with falling intonation.

Standard	この魚すごく安いわ。↑ [↓]
Kansai-ben	この魚めっちゃ安いわ。↓ [↓]
English	This fish is really cheap.

The わい of adding emphasis

Adding い after the final わ (making わい) can further emphasize the meaning.

Standard	もう何回も聞いたよ。
Kansai-ben	もう何べんも聞いたわい。
English	I already heard you.