What is “chaunen”? An interesting Kansai Dialect word you need to know!

Have you heard of the word, “Chaunen”? It’s known as one of the funniest words in Kansai dialect. It’s used before you’re going to make an excuse to someone.

Hey guys! I’m Ken, 23 years old, and I am from Kansai, so I naturally speak with the Kansai dialect. In this article, I’ll show you how to use “Chaunen” in daily conversation to help you understand the word easily.

What exaclty is chaunen?

Chaunen is used when you want to make an excuse. Chaunen comes from “Chigau(ちがう)”. Chigu means wrong or different, so chaunen means wrong or different. That is why we use the word before the explanation or excuse. To say Chaunen, we can pay their attention to me, so we can have them listen to what we say.

It’s similar to saying “No, no” or “That’s not it” in English. It’s used to correct someone’s saying.

Usage example:

ちゃうちゃう、これがわたしのペン（No no no, that one is my pen）
Chau Chau, kore ga watashi no pen.