“Honma? ほんま？” : You should definitely remember this Osaka dialect

When you visit Osaka in Japan, you will definitely hear of this word in the town, here and there. So, you need to learn this word. Absolutely.

Osaka1 : I finally decided to marry her, who has been my girlfriend for a long time. So I'm very happy.

Osaka2 : Honma?

Osaka3 : Oh my God, I failed to get a new job, I don’t know the reason though. Unfortunately.

Osaka4 : Honma?

Merchant1 : Buy, buy. This is a very good product, so you should definitely buy this one! How about?

Consumer1 : Honma?

Maybe, “Honma” has the same meaning as “Really” in English. And you can use this word, when you are surprised, or you doubt something, or you want to sympathize with someone. It's very useful.

However, “Honma” is a dialect from Osaka in the Kansai region. So, only the Kansai people are using this word. If you use it in Japan, your Japanese friends will be surprised.

In standard Japanese, we use “Honto ほんと”, not “Honma”, when you want to express the same feelings. Remember this expression. You would be able to use it in the same kind of scene.