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Japanese Versatility List

Hmm I'm not sure

Conversation phrases, Stage 1chunk 48 of 68Agreeing and disagreeing

Hedges instead of fully agreeing.

Mix-ups uun can mean 'no' or just 'hmm' depending on pitch; maa ne is half agreement, not a yes.

uun

hmm; well...

Fills the pause while you think, or softens a no; a long, falling uun often means the answer is no.

Said short with a drop (ううん, also uun), it means no; un alone is yeah.

casual

uun, dou shiyou kana. mada kimete nai.

Hmm, what should I do? I haven't decided yet.

うーん、どうしようかな。まだ決めてない。

polite

uun, dou shimashou ka ne. mada kimete imasen.

Hmm, what to do. I haven't decided yet.

うーん、どうしましょうかね。まだ決めていません。

Written うーんWho you say it and hear itHeard 1276× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles

maa ne

casual only

well, yeah; I guess so

A low-key yes to a compliment or a question like 'busy?', without boasting or making a fuss.

With a smug smile it means 'of course'; politely, say maa, sou desu ne.

casual

maa ne. chotto isogashii kedo, daijoubu.

Yeah, sort of. A bit busy, but I'm fine.

まあね。ちょっと忙しいけど、大丈夫。

Written まあねWho you say it and hear itHeard 286× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles

dou darou

polite dou deshou ne

hmm, I'm not sure; I wonder

A gentle way to doubt something or avoid a firm answer.

Often said as dou darou ne with a tilt of the head; it usually leans toward 'probably not'.

casual

dou darou. kare, saikin isogashii mitai da yo.

Hmm, not sure. He seems busy lately.

どうだろう。彼、最近忙しいみたいだよ。

polite

dou deshou ne. kare wa saikin isogashii mitai desu yo.

Hard to say. He seems to be busy lately.

どうでしょうね。彼は最近忙しいみたいですよ。

Written どうだろう · どうでしょうねWho you say it and hear itHeard 165× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles

hito ni yoru

polite hito ni yorimasu ne

depends on the person

Answering a sweeping question, like 'are Japanese people shy?', without a yes or no.

Swap in any noun: basho ni yoru, 'depends on the place'; toki ni yoru, 'depends on the time'.

casual

sore wa hito ni yoru yo. suki na hito mo iru shi.

That depends on the person. Some people love it.

それは人によるよ。好きな人もいるし。

polite

sore wa hito ni yorimasu ne. suki na hito mo imasu shi.

That depends on the person. Some people like it.

それは人によりますね。好きな人もいますし。

Written 人による · ひとによる · 人によりますねWho you say it and hear itHeard 37× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles