Surprise
Quick reactions to the unexpected, from puzzlement to disbelief, plus bikkuri shita to say something surprised you.
e?
huh? what?
えっ？ えっ
Instant surprise at what you just heard, or a quick 'sorry, what?' when you missed it.
e? kekkon suru no?
What? You're getting married?
えっ？結婚するの？
e? kekkon suru n desu ka?
What? You're getting married?
えっ？結婚するんですか？
A flat, long ee (ええ, #131) is a polite 'yes'; a rising, drawn-out ee?! is stronger surprise than e?. To a superior, say 'sumimasen, mou ichido...' rather than a bare e? to ask for a repeat.
Learn alongside: honto?, uso, are?, bikkuri shita
honto?
polite hontou desu kareally?
ほんと？ ほんと 本当ですか
Asks 'is that true?' about good news, bad news or anything doubtful. Said flat, honto also agrees: 'it really is'.
honto? kekkon suru no?
Really? You're getting married?
ほんと？結婚するの？
hontou desu ka? kekkon suru n desu ka?
Really? You're getting married?
本当ですか？結婚するんですか？
honto ni (Degree, amount & limits) is the adverb 'really, truly'.
Learn alongside: e?, uso, are?, bikkuri shita
uso
polite hontou desu kano way! you're kidding
うそ 本当ですか
Exclaims disbelief at surprising news. It literally means 'a lie' but accuses nobody, though it's too blunt to say to a superior.
uso, kekkon suru no?
No way, you're getting married?
うそ、結婚するの？
e, hontou desu ka? kekkon suru n desu ka?
Oh, really? You're getting married?
え、本当ですか？結婚するんですか？
'uso desho!' is the stronger 'you've got to be kidding'. No polite form: in polite speech say 'e, hontou desu ka?'
Learn alongside: e?, honto?, are?, bikkuri shitaLearn first: honto?
are?
huh? that's odd
あれ？ あれ
Puzzlement when you notice something is off, missing, or not what you expected.
are? kagi ga nai.
Huh? My keys are gone.
あれ？鍵がない。
are? kagi ga nai n desu kedo...
Huh? I can't find my key...
あれ？鍵がないんですけど…
This isn't the pronoun are 'that thing' (Pointing, question & people words): here it stands alone, with a rising pitch.
Learn alongside: e?, honto?, uso, bikkuri shita
bikkuri shita
polite bikkuri shimashitathat surprised me; you startled me
びっくりした びっくりしました
The everyday way to say something surprised you, whether it's news you heard or someone making you jump. It works in the moment and also when you tell the story later.
kekkon suru tte kiite, bikkuri shita yo.
I was surprised to hear you're getting married.
結婚するって聞いて、びっくりしたよ。
kekkon suru tte kiite, bikkuri shimashita yo.
I was surprised to hear you're getting married.
結婚するって聞いて、びっくりしましたよ。
Like yokatta, it stays past even in the moment. After a jump scare you say aa, bikkuri shita! (you scared me!). The non-past bikkuri suru looks ahead: bikkuri suru yo (you'll be surprised). Mark what surprised you with ni: sono nyuusu ni bikkuri shita.