Palatalization is when the flat of the tongue gets close to the roof of the mouth (palate). Since the い sound is pronounced more clearly in Kansai-ben than it is in standard Japanese, it affects the consonant right before い (causing palatalization). Below are some examples of palatalization in Kansai-ben, with their standard counterparts for comparison.
| Sound | Word | Standard | Kansai-ben | 
|---|---|---|---|
| し | 四 (し)  | 
し | 
しぃ | 
| ち | 血 (ち)  | 
ち | 
ちぃ | 
| に | 何 (なに)  | 
なに | 
なにぃ | 
| み | 紙 (かみ)  | 
かみ | 
かみぃ | 
