へえ Really?
Hē? へえ expresses mild suprise and disbelief in response to someone’s remark, as in the following dialogue.
EXAMPLE:
(1) A: Tanaka no yatsu Tōdai ni ukatta n datte sa.
田中のやつ東大に受かったんだってさ。
Did you hear Tanaka was accepted by the University of Tokyo?
B: Hē? Tanaka ga?
へえ？田中が？
Really? Tanaka was?
Hē? へえ sounds informal and perhaps should be replaced in polite speech by E? え, which may be used in both informal and polite speech.
EXAMPLE:
| (2) Male teacher: | Tanaka Tōdai ni ukatta sō da yo. 田中東大に受かったそうだよ。 Did you hear Tanaka was accepted by the University of Tokyo? |
| Male student: | E? Tanaka ga? え？田中が？ What? Tanaka was? |
The difference between Hē? へえ and E? え, however, is that the latter expresses only surprise (probably less mildly than Hē? へえ) and not disbelief.
There is another interjection, Hō? ほう, which may be used in either informal or polite speech and indicates mild surprise like Hē? へえ, but without the connotation of disbelief.
EXAMPLE:
(3) A: Uchi no musuko ga okagesama de Tōdai ni ukarimashita.
うちの息子がおかげさまで東大に受かりました。
My son was fortunately accepted by the University of Tokyo.
B: Hō? Sore wa subarashii desu ne.
ほう？それはすばらしいですね。
By God! How wonderful!
Hō? ほう is usually used by middle-aged or old people. As seen in (3) above, it often carries a sense of admiration.
Finally, Hē? へえ and Hō? ほう are both pronounced with a mild rising intonation at the end, while E? え is pronounced with a jerky rising intonation.
He
Henji 返事 is a noun meaning “answer, reply.” Most often it refers to the act of saying Hai はい when one’s name is called, as in sentence (1), or the act of writing a reply to a letter, as in (2).
EXAMPLES:
(1) “Tanaka-san!” to yonda no ni henji ga nakatta.
「田中さん」と呼んだのに返事がなかった。
I called out, “Mr. Tanaka!” but there was no answer.
(2) Tegami o morattara sugu henji o dasu koto ni shite-iru.
手紙をもらったらすぐ返事を出すことにしている。
I make it a rule to write a reply as soon as I receive a letter.
In sentence (1) above, henji 返事 is synonymous with kotae 答え, which also means “answer,” but in sentence (2), henji 返事 cannot be replaced by kotae 答え.
As a variation of sentence (1) above, henji 返事 might refer to the act of responding to a knock on the door or to a doorbell by saying Hai! はい!
EXAMPLE:
(3) Nokku o shitara (or Yobirin o narashitara) “Hai!” to henji ga atta.
ノックしたら（呼び鈴を鳴らしたら）「はい」と返事があった。
When I knocked on the door (or rang the doorbell), someone answered, “Coming!”
Henji 返事 cannot be used to mean “answering the telephone.” The verb deru 出る would have to be used.
EXAMPLE:
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