ちゃう

Japanese

Etymology 1

Contraction of ～てしまう (-te shimau).[1][2][3]

/-te ɕimau/ → /-t͡ɕimau/ → /-t͡ɕau/

Suffix

ちゃう • (-chau) 

  1. (colloquial) contraction of ～てしまう (～てしまう)
Usage notes

Attaches to what would be the regular -te form for the verb. Examples:

If the regular -te form of the verb results in voicing from -te to -de, that voicing carries over to the abbreviated form.

  • 呼ぶ (yobu) → 呼んで (yonde) → 呼んでしまう (yonde shimau) → 呼んじゃう (yonjau)
Synonyms
  • ちまう (chimau)
  • (Kansai) てまう (temau)

Etymology 2

Contraction of 違う (chigau).

/t͡ɕiɡau/ → /t͡ɕau/

Verb

ちゃう • (chau) intransitive

  1. (colloquial, Kansai) synonym of 違う (chigau)
  2. (colloquial, Kansai) synonym of じゃない (ja nai)
    野(や)菜(さい)はあまり好(す)きちゃう
    yasai wa amari suki chau
    don't really like vegetables
Usage notes

The contracted form is limited to the 終止形 (shūshikei, “terminal or predicate form”) and 連体形 (rentaikei, “attributive form”), appearing in the 常体 (jōtai, “plain form, dictionary form”) of ちゃう (chau) and the 敬体 (keitai, “polite form, masu form”) of ちゃいます (chaimasu).

Trivia

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

ちゃうちゃうちゃう？
Chauchau chau?
Isn’t that a chow chow?
ちゃうちゃう、ちゃうちゃうちゃう。
Chau-chau, chauchau chau.
No no, it’s not a chow chow.

Further reading

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
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