Fillers
Sounds and words that hold your turn while you think, so a pause doesn't hand it over.
etto
um, let me see
えっと
Fills the pause while you think of an answer or a word, so you don't go silent.
etto, ashita wa muri kamo.
Um, let me see... tomorrow might not work.
えっと、明日は無理かも。
etto, ashita wa muri kamo shiremasen.
Um, let me see... tomorrow may not be possible.
えっと、明日は無理かもしれません。
eeto is the slower textbook version; speech mostly uses etto.
Learn alongside: ano, maa, nanka, nante iu ka
ano
um, excuse me
あの
Hesitates before something awkward, or politely gets attention before a question or request ('ano, sumimasen').
ano, ashita wa muri kamo.
Um... tomorrow might not work.
あの、明日は無理かも。
ano, ashita wa muri kamo shiremasen.
Um... tomorrow may not be possible.
あの、明日は無理かもしれません。
Before a noun it's the J word 'that': ano hito.
Learn alongside: etto, maa, nanka, nante iu ka
maa
well..., I guess
まあ
Hedges or half-concedes ('maa, ii ka', oh well, fine), softening an answer you don't want to commit to.
maa, ashita wa muri kamo.
Well, tomorrow probably won't work.
まあ、明日は無理かも。
maa, ashita wa muri kamo shiremasen.
Well, tomorrow may not be possible.
まあ、明日は無理かもしれません。
'maa maa' means 'so-so' or 'now, now'. Opening a polite answer with maa can sound offhand to a superior. A standalone 'maa!' (oh my!) is a dated feminine exclamation you'll hear in dramas.
Learn alongside: etto, ano, nanka, nante iu ka
nanka
like, kind of
なんか
A casual filler that makes what follows vaguer or softer ('nanka, tsukareta', I'm kind of tired).
nanka, ashita wa muri kamo.
Like, tomorrow might not work.
なんか、明日は無理かも。
nanka, ashita wa muri kamo shiremasen.
Somehow... tomorrow may not be possible.
なんか、明日は無理かもしれません。
Overuse sounds young. nanka is also the casual 'something' ('nanka nomu?', want something to drink?) and 'stuff like' ('kore nanka dou?'); only the floating, sentence-opening use is the filler.
Learn alongside: etto, ano, maa, nante iu ka
nante iu ka
polite nante iu n deshou kahow should I put it
何て言うか なんていうか 何て言うんでしょうか
Buys time while you search for the right word mid-sentence.
nante iu ka, chotto kawatta hito da ne.
How should I put it... he's a bit of an odd one.
何て言うか、ちょっと変わった人だね。
nante iu n deshou ka, chotto kawatta hito desu ne.
How should I put it... he's a bit unusual.
何て言うんでしょうか、ちょっと変わった人ですね。
tte iu ka is different: it means 'or rather', correcting yourself.