Questions tagged [interjections]

感動詞. A word or phrase, or exclamation, with no particular grammatical relation to a sentence.

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Usage of すみません (sumimasen) versus ごめんなさい (gomen'nasai)

There are several situations in which one of these words (phrases?) should be used but there's not usually a 1:1 mapping between any two languages. Get somebody's permission. English: "excuse me", "I ...
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What does やれ{HL}やれ{HL} "yare yare" mean?

I would like to know what the meaning of the expression やれ{HL}やれ{HL} Yare Yare is? I hear it often said in anime. some people said "that yare yare is another japanese onomatopoeia. Kind of like pera ...
Educ's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is こら a lot more rude than ほら?

From early on, I've used こら and ほら somewhat interchangeably. They both mean "hey!" I picked them up from friends early on without really having a sense of the difference. Now, after some time, I've ...
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Is there a difference between ほんとう (hontō) and ほんとうに (hontō-ni) when used alone as interjection or question?

As the equivalent of Enlgish "Oh really?" / "Yes really." as lone utterances I seem to hear both "本当" (hontō) and "本当に" (hontō-ni) in Japanese - is there a difference? It seems that hontō is a noun ...
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14 votes
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What is that thing yelled in Japanese when starting something?

When starting some activity, I've heard something like 'Se..inou... ' (I'm not sure what are the specific words for this). The context for this word I'd think is pretty much the same as when saying 1,...
wallyqs's user avatar
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12 votes
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Where does 「えっと」 come from?

I wanted to describe that 「えっと」 was similar to "Ummm" in English when someone is trying to think about what they are going to say, but I wasn't even sure if that was correct. Is that just a ...
Chris's user avatar
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11 votes
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How to invoke God/spirits in Japanese

No, this is not about any Buddhist chant or mantra that can be used to call forth Japanese gods or heavenly spirits, but rather about any specialized words or interjections that attract attention of ...
Lukman's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
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どれ as an attribute

I found this sentence and I wonder whether I understand it correctly: どれ腹の傷をおみせ、薬草をぬってあげよう。 The どれ there looks to me like “whichever” or “all”, so I’d get the sentence as “Let me look at all the ...
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What is an expression that means "of course!" as if suddenly realizing something?

I know that もちろん is often used to mean something like "of course (you may)" or even "naturally, ..." However, what would an equivalent expression be for "of course!", used as an interjection as a ...
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Is the scream "gya" masculine and "kya" feminine?

I don't speak Japanese, but I notice in some manga (like Mr. Fullswing for example), male characters tend to scream "gya" or "guwa" while female characters tend to scream "kya". Is it true that "gya" ...
Vun-Hugh Vaw's user avatar
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Expressions of surprise おや あれ あら

There seem to be three very similar expressions of surprise - おや, あれ, and あら. Is there much particular difference? So far I've gathered that あれ is almost always genuine surprise, whereas あら and おや can ...
Angelos's user avatar
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7 votes
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Difference between まあ and さあ

Both さあ and まあ seem to be used as interjections that mean something like "well", "hm", et cetera (or perhaps just as filler words). Is there any difference in meaning between them? (Differences I ...
Malper's user avatar
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Reading of 笑 in the meaning of lol/heh

What is the reading of 笑 when used as a “lol” or “heh” interjection? Is it わらい or something shorter? Is the reading the same when written as “w”? What if it’s repeated like 笑笑 or wwww?
Glutexo's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
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In real life, do Japanese speakers exclaim things like 熱っ! or 痛たた… or 寒!?

In anime and Japanese television and so forth, I've noticed that people confronted with a sudden undesired stimulus, like heat or pain or cold, will often utter something like 熱っ【あつっ】! or 痛たた【いたたた】… ...
senshin's user avatar
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6 votes
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Meaning of ぎゃほ ?

What does the interjection ぎゃほ mean? Context: A: We are mentioned in (famous newspaper) B: ぎゃほ! かんどう====333 Does it have the meaning of かんどう ? Or is it surprise, or something else?
Nicolas Raoul's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
8k views

Use of なんと to begin a phrase, but not as a question

学校は創立一年目にして、なんと天文部が存在していたんですよ in the first year the school was established, (なんと?) the astronomy club existed. what purpose is it serving here?
charu's user avatar
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Oops! 仕舞った vs. おっと

Which interjection is more common to express Oops! 仕舞った or おっと? Are there any other exclamations for Oops that are commonly used?
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Can もう be used to express frustration?

Can もう be used in instances where a person may be frustrated? I heard the term uttered by itself only, but it seemed like the person may have been a little upset. I'm not sure of a specific meaning. ...
Jack Bosma's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
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What does "いんやぁ" mean?

I've tried scouring through various Japanese dictionaries with no luck. For some context: Person A has just heard person B and C have gotten married: いんやぁ~おめでたいよねぇ~!
suisui's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
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Difference in usage between exclamations: クソ vs. しまった

I apologize in advance for the possibly vulgar language, but I am asking purely from an academic perspective. My understanding is that both クソ and しまった translate roughly to the English "damn" when ...
rurouniwallace's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
871 views

Uses of さあ、まあ and なんか

I understand meaning and uses of あの、えと。 But I get confused when people use さあ、まあ and なんか frequently while talking.
MD TAREQ HASSAN's user avatar
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1 answer
103 views

How should I translate "驚破という場合に望みては"?

I am reading 外科室. At some point, there is this sentence: さてはいかなる医学士も、[驚破]{すわ}という場合に望みては、さすがに懸念のなからんやと、予は同情を表したりき。 [驚破]{すわ}という場合 is a reference to an earlier passage, 手術台なる伯爵夫人は、純潔なる白衣を絡いて、...
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4 votes
1 answer
364 views

Can ま be used as an interjection to connote an indignant tone?

On occasion, I will hear ま being used in a way that seems to suggest the speaker is responding to something indignantly. Something like, "Well! If that's how you're going to act..." Are there any good ...
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3 votes
2 answers
612 views

Meaning/translation of やれ

子供はやれ肉がすくないと文句を言っている. What is exactly やれ? Is it kind of a とか or やら?
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Etymology of the exclamation 「よし」

What is the etymology of the exclamation 「よし!」? I mean the one that's made before people decide to take some kind of action (such as standing up, or starting to do the dishes).
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Japanese equivalent of "Mmmm" as in "Mmmm I like that!" or "Mmmm, delicious"

What's the Japanese equivalent of "Mmmm" as in "Mmmm I like that!" or "Mmmm, delicious"? "Mmmm" used as a tone of appreciation or approbation, NOT of ...
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3 votes
2 answers
250 views

いい at the beginning of a sentence

Recently I purchased a series of light novels and on the very first page there is this sentence: "いい、ソースケ?" The only possible translations I could come up with were: "OK, Sousuke?" or "Ready, Sousuke?...
SiMe's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
1k views

whats the different usages of interjections ちがう, いえ, いや?

I understand the meaning of interjections (ちがう, いえ, いや, え?, ん?,何だ?, は?). But i dont really know in what kind of situation i can use those words. Especially i would like to know the different of ...
ilma's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
768 views

What is the meaning of the suffix 之助?

I know that 之助 is a suffix for generating names. But what is its intended meaning? Also, there's a lexical item 承知の助 which I understand is meant to be an interjection "Understood!". What's going on ...
jogloran's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
388 views

whats the nuances of interjections え? は? そうか ? and 何だ?

I know that interjections え? は? そうか ? and 何だ?is used when we are in doubt. and i would like to know whats the nuances between those word. here i give the examples.... 1st: ルフィ:おれは死んでもいいんだ! コビー:...
ilma's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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「チェ」 「ちぇ」 外来語のみ ? -- How old is the interjection 「ちぇっ!」 ? ??

Why does ちょうし translate to "choushi"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Don > Yōon or Youon (拗音?, contracted word or diphthong) is a feature of the Japanese language in which a mora ...
HizHa's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
1k views

The use of さあ and それじゃ

さあ、お茶をどうぞ。 それじゃ、おやすみなさい。 As far as I understand, both さあ and それじゃ mean quite similar things: well, then; alright; well now. In sentence 1 above, would it be correct to use それじゃ instead of さあ (...
Enguroo's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
467 views

The actual meaning of ending さ

Often hear it in conversations with young Japanese people. Is it their version of "like" along the lines of なんか?
Ahegyao's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
225 views

How is おい used?

I was reading a manga and a high school student goes to a university, then talks to a person and says: おいっ After the small chat the other person that seems to be a student from that university says ...
Jaume's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
463 views

おきばりになさって! with the meaning of 頑張れ!

I was discussing with my Japanese colleagues about expressions peculiar to contemporary bourgeoisie. One expression I already knew was ご機嫌よう!, meaning またね!. My question is about another one: ...
Nicolas Raoul's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
4k views

ってば and もう: not sure how to use these in a sentence

I'm not sure how to use ってば and もう in a sentence. やだってばもう! ^from 明日、ママがいない first episode at the beginning (if you watched it) How can I use ってば and もう in a sentence?
Michamichi's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
534 views

Meaning of 「さいってー」 as an interjection

What is the meaning of 「さいってー」 in the following dialogue? Context: before this scene, the character on the left has just explained to his accomplice on the right why he decided to betray and kill ...
Marco's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
191 views

What does れれっ mean?

れれっ? 本当にないっすか?  んー、おっかしいなぁー It's a conversation from video game, one of the characters is surprised by the answer of his companion. My guess it's something like "Huuuh? Not really? Hmmm, ...
Guest's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
4k views

what's the different of usages of [そう, ああ, うん, いいよ]?

I know the meaning of [そう, ああ, うん, いいよ] but I don't really know about the different usages of the interjection [そう, ああ, うん, いいよ], what are the nuances between those words?
ilma's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
924 views

What does "mu" mean as an interjection?

I'm reading the Dragon Ball manga and characters keep sort of stammering "mu-mu-mu" at various moments, for example below. What does this mean?
temporary_user_name's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
141 views

Is いけません used as an interjection like いけない?

Realizing you've left your money at home when you're out to buy something, (I think) you can say いけない!お金ない; could you, politely, say いけません!お金がありません? (I suppose, for that matter, my question could ...
Angelos's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
204 views

Is it common to censor or soften 馬鹿 as ばしゃ?

Unless I misheard, in an anime I am watching (安達としまむら), a character, in self-ridicule, said to themselves: なんだばしゃぁぁ… I assume this is supposed to mean なんだ、馬鹿!? but censored/softened. Is this ...
user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
113 views

The different between おい and こら

What is the different between おい and こら? (Interjections)
LOUIS's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
168 views

Using さ as an interjection [duplicate]

I sometimes see a single さ at the end of a sentence, not being appended to an adjective of either type, so I determined that this さ must be an interjection or a 語尾{ごび} of some type. Thus, what meaning ...
xuq01's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
145 views

is there any difference between あら and まあ?

The meaning of these two interjections is "oh!" right?
Louis's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
611 views

Japanese Interjections (Danseigo-Joseigo)

Do Japanese people still use danseigo and joseigo (especially interjection)? Can joseigo be used by men? Such as まあ and あら.
LOUIS's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
2k views

What does "deshyo" alone mean as a response?

When I tell someone something and in response I get only "deshyo?!" or "deshyo!", what does this imply? "I've told you so", "That must be so"?
Ojman's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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What is the reading of おー💕?

I'm going to guess おこころ and then prepare to get laughed at (笑). Here is the tweet in which it appeared: https://twitter.com/tsukune_koubou/status/1525719820133875712?s=20&t=6UUD76jtLHslpLOvgYfJxA
Ned Reif's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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これから in the middle of a sentence?

I was reading an NHK Easy News article today about the measles outbreak and came across this sentence: 厚生労働省{こうせいろうどうしょう}は、4月{がつ}の終{お}わりから5月{がつ}の初{はじ}めの休{やす}みの間{あいだ}に、はしかのウイルスがうつった人{ひと}は、これから熱{ねつ}...
katatahito's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
140 views

Can eto be used to show doubt before speaking or it's another kind of interjection?

In Argentina (I'm not sure if it counts for other spanish speaking countries) when we have doubts before saying something, sometimes we say "ehhhh", this can be done voluntarily or involuntarily, ...
Pablo's user avatar
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