あかん

Japanese

Etymology

A contraction from the idiom 埒が明かぬ (rachi ga akanu, “not get up to speed, not get off the ground”, literally “the fence doesn't open”). akanu is an archaic negative form of the verb 明く (aku, “to open, to open up”).

Pronunciation

• あかん (Heiban – [0])

• (Tokyo) あかん [àkáꜜǹ] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [a̠kã̠ɴ]

Verb

あかん or アカン • (akan) 

1. Negative form of あく (aku)
2. (Kansai) to make little progress; a waste of time
3. (Kansai) something that is not good, something that is forbidden

   酒(さけ)はあかん

   sake wa akan

   alcohol is forbidden

   • 1984, “(deprecated template usage) 道頓堀人情”, 若山かほる (lyrics), performed by (deprecated template usage) 鏡五郎:

     負(ま)けたらあかん

     maketara akan

     you must not give in

Synonyms

• いけない (ikenai): "doesn't go, cannot go" → inappropriate
• ならない (naranai): "doesn't become" → unbecoming, inappropriate
• 駄目(だめ) (dame): no good, bad, stop, don't