Prefix “ど”
Prefix? ど can emphasize the meaning of the word, and it is more common in Kansai.
One should be warned that this prefix has a certain rude/older man feel to it and should only be used if one knows what they're doing.
Examples
| Standard | Kansai-ben | English |
|---|---|---|
| 頭(あたま) | どたま | head |
| あほ | どあほ | idiot |
| えらい(すごく) | どえらい | very |
| きたない | どぎたない | dirty |
| 根性(こんじょう) | ど根性(どこんじょう) | moxie/guts |
| すけべ | どすけべ | dirty/creepy |
| 迫力(はくりょく) | ど迫力(どはくりょく) | power; oomph |
| ぶす | どぶす | ugly |
| 真ん中(まんなか) | ど真ん中(どまんなか) | center; bull's eye |
| Standard | 今日はものすごい雨だなあ。仕事行くのいやだなあ。 |
|---|---|
| Kansai-ben | 今日はどえらい雨やなあ。仕事行くんいややなあ。 |
| English | Geez, it's raining so much today. I don't wanna go to work. |
Commentary
The characteristics of ど I
In general, ど is used with negative words, not positive words (such as きれい).
However, there are some exceptions. For example, えらい (in the sense of "very") can take ど.
| Standard | あの子ものすごくかわいいなあ。 |
|---|---|
| Kansai-ben | あの子どえらいかえらしなあ。 |
| English | That girl is really cute. |
The characteristics of ど II
ど is often used in abusive language.
| Standard | こら、このスケベ野郎！何オレの女をジロジロ見てんだよ！ 頭をぶんなぐってやるぞ！ |
|---|---|
| Kansai-ben | ワレ、このどスケベが。何ワシの女ジロジロ見とんねん！ どたまかち割ったろか！ |
| English | Hey, you perv! Quit staring at my girl. I'm gunna hafta smack you upside the head. |
The characteristics of ど III
The ど-prefixed words which have a neutral meaning, such as ど根性, ど真ん中, and ど迫力, are commonly used even outside of Kansai.