No I mean
Conversation phrases, Stage 2chunk 54 of 71Clarifying
Corrects yourself or takes something back.
- sou ja nakuteno, I mean...; that's not what I meant
- chotto chigau kananot quite, I think
- ima no nashiscratch that; forget what I said
- nan demo naiit's nothing; never mind
Mix-ups sou ja nakute fixes your own words; chotto chigau kana gently fixes theirs.
sou ja nakute
no, I mean...; that's not what I meant
Correct a misunderstanding, then say what you actually meant.
In formal talk: sou de wa nakute.
sou ja nakute, ashita no hanashi da yo.
No, I mean tomorrow.
そうじゃなくて、明日の話だよ。
sou ja nakute, ashita no hanashi desu.
No, I'm talking about tomorrow.
そうじゃなくて、明日の話です。
Written そうじゃなくてWho you say itHeard 206× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
chotto chigau kana
polite chotto chigau kamo shiremasen
not quite, I think
A soft way to say someone's guess or summary is off, or to correct your own word.
A flat 'chigau' (wrong) to someone's face sounds harsh; chotto and kana soften it.
un, demo chotto chigau kana.
Yeah, but not quite, I think.
うん、でもちょっと違うかな。
sore wa chotto chigau kamo shiremasen ne.
That might not be quite right.
それはちょっと違うかもしれませんね。
Written ちょっと違うかな · ちょっとちがうかな · ちょっと違うかもしれませんWho you say it and hear itHeard 89× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
ima no nashi
scratch that; forget what I said
Takes back something you just said or did, like an embarrassing slip or a bad move in a game.
Nashi = 'doesn't count'; its opposite ari means 'allowed': 'sore ari?' is 'is that allowed?'.
a, gomen, ima no nashi! wasurete.
Oh, sorry, scratch that! Forget it.
あ、ごめん、今のなし！忘れて。
Written 今のなし · いまのなしWho you say itHeard 2× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles
nan demo nai
polite nan demo arimasen
it's nothing; never mind
Said when someone asks what's wrong or what you said, and you'd rather drop it.
Don't confuse with nan demo ii (anything is fine).
e? a, nan demo nai. ki ni shinaide.
Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry.
え？あ、何でもない。気にしないで。
a, nan demo arimasen. ki ni shinaide kudasai.
Oh, it's nothing. Please don't worry.
あ、何でもありません。気にしないでください。
Written 何でもない · なんでもない · 何でもありませんWho you say itHeard 597× in 3.17 million lines of film and TV subtitles