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Following after is bad with あかん

Vocabulary Explanation: Vocabulary in the Kansai dialect

Manga panel from ARIA The MASTERPIECE showing example of Following after is bad with あかん.
ARIA The MASTERPIECE » Volume 2 » Page 129

Alicia and Akari visit an island that’s modeled after part of Japan back on Earth. There, an elderly local woman tells the two of the fox spirits that visit the human world there. Akari is excited at the prospect of meeting one, but the old woman gives her a warning: on rare occasion, a fox will take a person back home with them.

おばあさん:
「神(かみ)さまの世界(せかい)と人間(にんげん)の世界(せかい)は違(ちが)うやさかい」
“The god world and the human world are different.”
「連(つ)れて行(い)かれたらあかん」
“Therefore, it is bad to follow along.”

やさかい has a meaning like だから.

Key Points

  1. あかん = “you mustn’t”

    • In Kansai-flavored speech, あかん often means “that is bad”, “don’t”, or “you mustn’t” rather than just “bad” as an adjective.

  2. Receptive past before the warning

    • 連(つ)れて行(い)かれたら means “if you get taken away”.

    • The speaker is not talking about Akari choosing to go, but about being carried off by the fox.

  3. Kansai connective やさかい

    • やさかい works like だから / だからこそ here and links the explanation to the warning that follows.

    • The full flow is “the god world and human world are different, so you must not be taken there.”

See Also