ちゃう

Japanese

Etymology 1

From てしまう (te shimau).[1][2][3]

/te ɕimau/ → /t͡ɕimau/ → /t͡ɕau/

Suffix

ちゃう (rōmaji -chau)

  1. (colloquial) Same as てしまう (te shimau).
Usage notes

Attaches to the continuative form of a verb.

Synonyms
  • てしまう (teshimau), ちまう (chimau)
  • (Kansai) てまう (temau)

Etymology 2

From 違う (chigau).

/t͡ɕiɡau/ → /t͡ɕau/

Verb

ちゃう (intransitive, godan conjugation, rōmaji chau)

  1. (colloquial, Kansai) Synonym of 違う (chigau).
  2. (colloquial, Kansai) Synonym of じゃない (ja nai).

Usage notes

The transformation is limited to the Terminal/Attributive form ちゃう and the Continuative form ちゃいます.

Trivia

Used in a famous Kansai dialect pun, punning on ちゃうちゃう (“chow chow (dog)”), ちゃうちゃう (“no, no”), ちゃう (“isn’t it?”), and ちゃう (“no (it isn’t)”). One variant is:

A: ちゃうちゃうちゃう？
Isn’t [that] [a] chow chow?
B: ちゃうちゃう、ちゃうちゃうちゃう。
No, no – [it’s] not [a] chow chow.

Further reading

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
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