When I tutor Japanese, I try to correct non-Japanese interjections whenever possible, the most common one being “umm”. Even the most skilled speakers including native speakers sometimes need to fill the air with fillers to buy a little time to collect their thoughts. But it doesn’t sound very Japanese to say, 「私の趣味は umm サッカーです」. I also suspect it taps your English part of the brain and makes it difficult to stop thinking in English. That’s why I gently remind my student to say 「ええと」 instead of “umm”. It’s a simple change that can instantly make your Japanese sound more natural. Have you been saying “umm” while speaking Japanese? If so, a quick tip from me, replace it with 「ええと」.
Here are some other interjections to practice:
- ええと – Err, umm
- あのう – Umm (usually to get somebody’s attention)
- あれ？ – huh?
- えっ – eh?
- あっ！ – Oh!, Ah!
- こら！ – hey!
- うーん – hmm (wondering/pondering)
- へえ – really? (surprised/impressed)
- いたっ – ouch
- よいしょ – when exerting effort such as picking up something heavy
いたっ – ouch
that one takes some time
Yes, because it’s almost unconscious. On the other hand, you’ll know your immersion techniques are working if that’s the first thing that comes to mind.
In Okinawa, we say あがっ！instead of いたっ！An great way to spot an Okinawan person in Tokyo is to give them a でこぴん and see how they react — あがっ！ or いたっ！
Very helpful post, thank you!
Very helpfull!! Sometime in the aniem I hear something the sound li “おい
(oi)!” with the mean between getting attention and a light criticism. Something like “hey what are you doing?”. However I don’t know if a gergal o anime related expression
This is great. Your blogs/site is awesome and a great help.
I also find myself saying ええと, even when I’m speaking English. My students think it is hilarious. However, I still say “Argh” when I hurt myself. I am trying too hard not to swear to make anything more than a indistinguisable sound. The day I say いたっ I will consider myself truly Japanese at heart, lol.
Would be way more educative to put an audio example for each intersection. Are you sure I can reproduce those sounds just by reading them?
Hey, I’ve been using your online grammar guide for a long time (to supplement a textbook). Just discovered your blog, thanks a lot for the great work. Congrats on finishing your book.
Some of these are coming naturally to me, but ええと isn’t quite burnt in yet. I see your point though – same thing applies when Japanese people with otherwise fluent English say 「ええと」in the middle of a sentence in English.
Chool: I found that watching those comedy / variety shows you see a lot on Japanese TV really helped me pick this stuff up – the speech is more natural than scripted dramas or anime. There is a lot of へえぇぇぇ～～～？！-ing, especially from the audience.
Throwing in an 「あのう」 before asking for help in a store or in the street somehow makes me feel less nervous about approaching strangers too 🙂
Thanks, this’ll help. I currently say “aaahh” and I still say “ummm” too. I’ll try and say these more often.
HypnoPants
I finished my Japanese class already. So I sorta can relate on this post. Out of place no more.