Common Japanese expressions　　　　『 Polite vs. Casual』

Japanese people often respond with short expressions like へえ〜 (Hee!), そうなんだ (Sou nan da), and なるほど (Naruhodo).

These are called あいづち (aizuchi). They show you're listening, interested, surprised, or agreeing.

We use these every day, so make sure you remember them!

1. Polite Japanese Aizuchi — 15 Expressions

Use these with teachers, bosses, customers, and people you don't know well.

1. はい。はい 。(Hai.hai)

— Yes, I see / I'm listening

2. ええ (Ee)

— Yes / Mm-hmm

3. そうなんですね (Sou nan desu ne)

— Oh, I see!

4. そうですか (Sou desu ka)

— I see

5. なるほど (Naruhodo)

— That makes sense

6. なるほど、そうなんですね

(Naruhodo, sou nan desu ne)

— Ah, I see. That makes sense

7. そうですよね (Sou desu yo ne)

— Right / I agree

8. たしかにそうですね

(Tashika ni sou desu ne)

— That's true

9. 本当ですか？ (Hontou desu ka?)

— Really?

10. そうだったんですね

Sou datta n desu ne)

— Oh, I didn't know that

11. それは大変ですね

(Sore wa taihen desu ne)

— That sounds tough

12. それはよかったですね

(Sore wa yokatta desu ne)

— That's great to hear

13. すごいですね！ (Sugoi desu ne!)

— That's amazing

14. いいですね！ (Ii desu ne!)

— That sounds nice

15. そういうことなんですね

(Sou iu koto nan desu ne)

— Oh, so that's what you mean

Polite conversation example

A: 来月、日本に帰ります。

(Raigetsu, Nihon ni kaerimasu.)

— I'm going back to Japan next month.

B: そうなんですね！

(Sou nan desu ne!)

— Oh, I see!

A: 日本に帰るのは3年ぶりなんです。

(Nihon ni kaeru no wa san-nen buri nan desu.)

— It's been three years since I last went back to Japan.

B: そうだったんですね！楽しみですね！

(Sou datta n desu ne! Tanoshimi desu ne!)

— Oh, I didn't know that! You must be excited!

2. Casual Japanese Aizuchi — 15 Expressions

Use these with friends, family, partners, and people you're close to.

1. うんうん (Un un)

— Mm-hmm / Yeah, yeah

2. へえ〜！ (Hee!)

— Oh, really / Wow

3. ふーん (Fuun)

— Hmm / I see

4. そうなんだ！(Sou nan da!)

— Oh, I see

5. そっか〜 (Sokka)

— Ah, I see

6. なるほどね (Naruhodo ne)

— Ah, that makes sense

7. そうそう！ (Sou sou!)

— Exactly / That's right

8. だよね！ (Da yo ne!)

— Right / I know, right

9. わかる〜！ (Wakaru!)

— I know what you mean

10. たしかに！ (Tashika ni!)

— True / Good point

11. マジで！？ (Maji de!?)

— Seriously / For real

12. うそでしょ！？ (Uso desho!?)

— No way / You're kidding

13. えー！ (Ee!)

— What / Wow

14. いいね！ (Ii ne!)

— Nice / Sounds good

15. やっぱり！ (Yappari!)

— I knew it / Just as I thought

Casual conversation example

A: 昨日、ディズニーランドに行ったんだ！

(Kinou, Dizuniirando ni itta n da!)

— I went to Disneyland yesterday!

B: へえ〜！いいね！ (Hee! Ii ne!)

— Oh, nice!

A: でも、すごく混んでたよ。

(Demo, sugoku kondeta yo.)

— But it was really crowded.

B: やっぱり！週末だもんね！

(Yappari! Shuumatsu da mon ne!)

— I knew it! It was the weekend, after all!

3. Polite vs. Casual — Quick Comparison

はい (Hai) Polite

うん (Un) Casual

— Yes / Mm-hmm

そうなんですね (Sou nan desu ne)

そうなんだ (Sou nan da)

— Oh, I see

そうですか (Sou desu ka)

そっか (Sokka)

— I see

そうですよね (Sou desu yo ne)

だよね (Da yo ne)

— Right / Exactly

たしかにそうですね (Tashika ni sou desu ne)

たしかに (Tashika ni)

— That's true

本当ですか？ (Hontou desu ka?)

マジで？ (Maji de?)

— Really?

それは大変ですね (Sore wa taihen desu ne)

大変だね (Taihen da ne)

— That sounds tough

それはよかったですね (Sore wa yokatta desu ne)

よかったね (Yokatta ne)

— That's good to hear

いいですね (Ii desu ne)

いいね (Ii ne)

— Sounds good

すごいですね (Sugoi desu ne)

すごい (Sugoi)

— That's amazing

そうだったんですね (Sou datta n desu ne)

そうだったんだ (Sou datta n da)

— Oh, I didn't know that

Final Thoughts

You don't need to memorize all 30 at once.

Start with そうなんですね (Sou nan desu ne), そうなんだ (Sou nan da), だよね (Da yo ne), マジで (Maji de), and やっぱり (Yappari). Good Japanese conversation isn't just about speaking.

It's also about showing that you're listening. Happy Japanese learning!