It depends
Conversation phrases, Stage 1chunk 26 of 68What do you think
Avoid a flat answer when the honest view is 'it depends'.
- toki to baai ni yoruit depends on the situation; it depends
- nantomo ienaihard to say; I can't really say
- muzukashii tokoro da nethat's a tough one; it's a tricky question
- ichigai ni wa ienaiyou can't really generalise; it's hard to say
- kuni ni yotte chigau yo neit differs from country to country, doesn't it
Mix-ups ichigai ni wa ienai (can't generalise) vs nantomo ienai (can't say).
toki to baai ni yoru
polite toki to baai ni yorimasu
it depends on the situation; it depends
A non-committal answer to a yes-or-no question about habits or rules.
Shorter: ... ni yoru (it depends on ...): hito ni yoru (depends on the person).
zangyou? maa, toki to baai ni yoru kana.
Overtime? Well, it depends.
残業？まあ、時と場合によるかな。
sore wa toki to baai ni yorimasu ne.
That depends on the situation.
それは時と場合によりますね。
Written 時と場合による · ときとばあいによる · 時と場合によりますWho you say it and hear itHeard 41× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
nantomo ienai
polite nantomo iemasen
hard to say; I can't really say
When you can't judge yet or won't commit; also for a feeling that's hard to put into words.
nantomo ienai aji, 'a taste you can't describe', is praise.
mada hajimatta bakari da kara, nantomo ienai na.
It's only just started, so it's hard to say.
まだ始まったばかりだから、なんとも言えないな。
mada hajimatta bakari na node, nantomo iemasen.
It's only just started, so I can't really say.
まだ始まったばかりなので、なんとも言えません。
Written なんとも言えない · なんともいえない · なんとも言えませんWho you say it and hear itHeard 57× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
muzukashii tokoro da ne
polite muzukashii tokoro desu ne
that's a tough one; it's a tricky question
Buys time or avoids taking sides on a hard choice; also a soft no to a request.
At work, muzukashii (it's difficult) often means no.
dotchi mo ii kara, muzukashii tokoro da ne.
They're both good, so that's a tough one.
どっちもいいから、難しいところだね。
sore wa muzukashii tokoro desu ne.
That's a tough one.
それは難しいところですね。
Written 難しいところだね · むずかしいところだね · 難しいところですねWho you say it and hear itHeard 13× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
ichigai ni wa ienai
polite ichigai ni wa iemasen
you can't really generalise; it's hard to say
Gently pushes back on a sweeping claim about a group or place.
Often after ... to wa: warui to wa ichigai ni wa ienai (you can't just call it bad).
nihonjin wa tsumetai? sore wa ichigai ni wa ienai yo.
Japanese people are cold? You can't really generalise like that.
日本人は冷たい？それは一概には言えないよ。
sore wa ichigai ni wa iemasen ne.
You can't really generalise about that.
それは一概には言えませんね。
Written 一概には言えない · いちがいにはいえない · 一概には言えませんWho you say it and hear itHeard 6× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
kuni ni yotte chigau yo ne
polite kuni ni yotte chigaimasu yo ne
it differs from country to country, doesn't it
Common in cross-cultural chat when comparing customs like tipping or table manners.
Swap the noun: hito ni yotte (depending on the person), mise ni yotte (depending on the shop).
chippu no shuukan tte, kuni ni yotte chigau yo ne.
Tipping customs differ from country to country, don't they?
チップの習慣って、国によって違うよね。
aisatsu no shikata mo, kuni ni yotte chigaimasu yo ne.
Even greetings differ from country to country, don't they?
挨拶の仕方も、国によって違いますよね。
Written 国によって違うよね · くにによってちがうよね · 国によって違いますよねWho you say it and hear itHeard too rare in film subtitles to count