50 Japanese Interjections You Should Use: Part4

Yuka

I feel like my Japanese still sounds a bit stiff in conversation. What are some interjections that make you sound really natural and native?

Rei

Part 4 is all about the advanced, nuanced interjections — the ones that show you truly understand how Japanese people express attitude, hesitation, and emphasis in real conversation!

In Part 4 of our interjection series, we cover the advanced and nuanced expressions that separate textbook Japanese from truly natural conversation. These are the sounds that make you sound like you’ve lived in Japan.

At a Glance: Advanced Interjections

たしかに: Agreeing While Showing Thought

たしかに is one of the most useful advanced expressions. It means “certainly” or “that’s true” — used to acknowledge a point, often before adding your own:

• たしかに、そうだね。— That’s certainly true.
• たしかにそれは難しいね。— That certainly is difficult.
• 「行くのは大変じゃない？」「たしかに。でも行きたい。」— ‘Isn’t it hard to go?’ ‘Fair point. But I want to go.’

いや and というか: Correcting and Rephrasing

These are used to softly push back or rephrase:

• いや、そうじゃなくて。— No, that’s not it.
• いや、待って待って。— No, wait wait wait.
• というか、それより先に。— Or rather, before that…
• というか、もう終わったんだけど。— More like, it’s already done.

Yuka

I hear というか a lot! It feels like it softens a correction or redirects the conversation.

Rei

Exactly! というか is like saying ‘or rather’ or ‘I should say’ — it lets you rephrase without sounding like you’re directly contradicting someone. Very useful in polite conversation!

さすがに and どうせ: Attitude Interjections

• さすがにそれはちょっと。— Even so, that’s a bit…
• さすがにこれは無理だよ。— Even I have to admit this is impossible.
• どうせうまくいかない。— It’s not going to work out anyway.
• どうせなら楽しもう。— If we’re doing it anyway, let’s enjoy it.

それにしても and そうはいっても

• それにしても、早かったね。— That said, it was fast.
• それにしても、よく頑張ったね。— Even so, you really worked hard.
• そうはいっても、難しいよね。— That said, it’s still difficult.
• そうはいっても、やるしかないよ。— Even so, we have no choice but to do it.

Quick Quiz

1. ___に、それはさすがに言えないよ。(even so / that’s too much) → さすが
2. ___、その通りだと思う。(certainly / fair point) → たしかに
3. ___それよりいい案がある。(or rather) → というか
4. ___うまくいかないから諦めた。(it won’t matter anyway) → どうせ

Summary

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