REALLY?!
One of the most common words in everyday Japanese is honto, or in Western Japanese, honma.
w: Honma?
e: Honto?/Hontō?
Really?
w: Honma ni sō ya na.
e: Honto ni sō da ne.
That’s really the way it is.
w/e: Sono tōri.
What you’re saying is absolutely right.
w: Honmakaina!
e: Honto ka yo! ♂/Uso!
You gotta be kidding./You can’t be for real.
w: Sonna koto arukaina.
e: Sanna koto aru ka yo. ♂/Sonna koto aru hazu (wa) nai.
It can’t exist./It can’t be there./He can’t possibly have it.
w: Kyōryū ga ottakaina.
e: Kyōryū ga ita ka yo. ♂/ Kyōryū ga ita hazu wa nai.
Dinosaurs can’t possibly have existed.
w: Chotto sakki koko wa doko kaina ’te kanji yatta.
e: Chotto mae koko wa doko ka na to iu kanji datta ne.
Just a second ago I had a feeling like I didn’t know where in the world I was.
The expression -kaina, which means “it can’t be so,” should not be confused with the male question mark kai. Kai is not used much in Western Japan.
w: Nanka hen ka? ♂/Nanka hen?
e: Nanka okashii no kai? ♂
Is something weird?
w: Honma kamo na./Honma kamo wakarehen na./Honma kamo shirehen./Honma kamo shiren.
e: Honto kamo ne./Honto kamo wakaranai ne.
Maybe it’s really true.
w: Sō ieba sō ya na.
e: Sō ieba sō desu ne.
It hadn’t occurred to me, but you’re right.
w: Sō ya de!
e: Sō da yo!
It’s like I say!
w: Sō ya na.
e: Sō desu ne.
That’s so./I agree (with what you’re saying).
w: Sora sō ya.
e: Sore wa sō da.
That’s for sure.
w: Atarimae yanka./Atarimae yan. /Atarimae ya.
e: Atarimae (da yo).
It’s obvious.
It makes sense.
w: Ēn chau ka?
e: lin ja nai ka?
It’s good, isn’t it?
w: Ē nā.
e: li nā.
I’m envious.
That’s great.
w: Yute mi.
e: Itte mite.
Try to say it.
w: Sora waya ya na!/Sora waya kucha ya na!
e: Sore wa mecha da ne!
That’s out of control!
w: Mō waya ya.
e: Mō mecha mecha da.
It’s already turned bad.
Waya in Western Japanese and mecha in Eastern Japanese are expressions used to describe situations that have become chaotic or totally out of control.
w: Nande?/Nande ya nen?/Nande ya?
e: Dōshite?
Why?
w: Nande yarō?
e: Dōshite darō?
What for?/What on earth?
w: Sō nan?/Sō?
e: Sō nano?/Sō?
Is that right?
w/e: Sokka./Sōkka./Naruhodo.
Is that so./I see.
Although a so desu ka? also means “is that so?” it is rarely used among friends because it sounds stuffy and formal. Sokka and naruhodo are much more casual.
w: Sora dō demo ē kedo ...
e: Betsu ni iin dakedo ...
Anyway .../At any rate ...
w: Dotchi demo ē.
e: Nan demo ii.
Whatever./Either’s fine.
FOOD AND DRINK
In Western Japan, men refer to women in a friendly way as onēchan (big sister) if they don’t know them. Likewise, women refer to men as oniichan (big brother) even if the man is younger.
w: Onēchan, biiru ippon moraemakka? (Ōsaka)
e: Sumimasen, biiru ippon.
Can I have a bottle of beer, please?
w: Biiru ippon chōdai.
e: Biiru ippon kudasai.
One bottle of beer, please.
Chōdai sounds more familiar than kudasai and is used, for example, by regular customers. It is also used in Eastern Japan, but not quite as frequently. Checkout clerks say ni-hyaku-en chōdai itashimasu, which means “two hundred yen, please.”
w: Kore chūkaryōri (to) chau yaro.
e: Kore wa chūkaryōri ja nai
