{"id":107142,"date":"2023-06-26T13:49:18","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T17:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/japanese-filler-words\/"},"modified":"2025-01-28T05:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T10:35:09","slug":"japanese-filler-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-filler-words\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Japanese Filler Words to Speak More Like a Native [with Audio]"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We all use filler words such as &#8220;like&#8221; and &#8220;um&#8221; in our native tongue, and it&#8217;s very much the same concept in Japanese. However, Japanese filler words are <strong>sometimes used in different parts of sentences than you&#8217;d expect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Learn the 12 most common Japanese filler words so you can speak more like a native and take natural pauses in your speech without breaking up your use of the language.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s worth noting that these words are entirely optional, but speaking very strict Japanese without filler words, especially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/informal-japanese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">when in an informal setting<\/a>, can make you come across as harsh or overly posh.<\/p>\n<p>[fluentu-toc]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<h2>1. \u3048\u30fc\u3068 \u2014 <em>&#8220;eeto&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u3048\u30fc\u3068\u00a0\u2014<em> &#8220;Eeto&#8221;<\/em> can also be written as \u3048\u3063\u3068. This filler word is probably the most common one in Japanese. It&#8217;s essentially a Japanese version of &#8220;uhh&#8221; or &#8220;umm.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u3048\u30fc\u3068 will commonly be heard or seen at random parts of a sentence. Rather than say \u3048\u30fc\u3068 once and move on, you can either draw out the <em>&#8220;eeeeeeeto&#8221;<\/em> sound for the duration of the pause or say the filler word multiple times in a row.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u3042\u306a\u305f\u306f\u3001<strong>\u3048\u30fc\u3068\u3001\u3048\u30fc\u3068 . . .<\/strong> \u3068\u3066\u3082\u7f8e\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\u3002(\u3042\u306a\u305f \u306f\u3001<strong> \u3048\u30fc\u3068\u3001 \u3048\u30fc\u3068. . .<\/strong> \u3068\u3066\u3082 \u3046\u3064\u304f\u3057\u3044 \u3067\u3059\u3002)\u00a0\u2014 You are, uh, um&#8230; so beautiful.<\/p>\n<h2>2. \u305d\u308c\u3067 \u2014 <em>&#8220;sore de&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>This filler word basically means &#8220;so.&#8221; It&#8217;s commonly heard when someone&#8217;s explaining something or starting a new topic in the conversation. Typically, you say it once at the beginning of a sentence.<\/p>\n<p>\u305d\u308c\u3067 is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-formality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">formal version<\/a> while\u00a0\u3067 can be used informally.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>\u305d\u308c\u3067\u3001<\/strong>\u660e\u65e5\u4f55\u304b\u3057\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u304b\uff1f(<strong>\u305d\u308c\u3067\u3001<\/strong>\u3042\u3057\u305f\u306a\u306b\u304b\u3057\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u304b\uff1f)\u00a0\u2014 So, are you doing anything tomorrow?<\/p>\n<h2>3. \u305d\u3046\u305d\u3046 \u2014 <em>&#8220;sou sou&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>This is a way of saying &#8220;that&#8217;s right&#8221; or &#8220;correct&#8221; as an exclamation. More literally, it&#8217;s like saying &#8220;yes, yes!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Use it to quickly let someone know you agree with them, they have a point or they&#8217;ve figured something out. Imagine a one-sided conversation on the phone: &#8220;Ah, yes, yes. Mm-hm! I see.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u3042\u3042\u3001<strong>\u305d\u3046\u305d\u3046\u3001<\/strong>\u304d\u307f\u306f\u7d76\u5bfe\u306b\u6b63\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\uff01(\u3042\u3042\u3001<strong>\u305d\u3046\u305d\u3046\u3001<\/strong>\u304d\u307f\u306f\u305c\u3063\u305f\u3044\u306b\u305f\u3060\u3057\u3044\u3067\u3059\uff01)\u00a0\u2014 Ah, yes, yes, you&#8217;re absolutely right!<\/p>\n<h2>4. \u3066\u3044\u3046\u304b \u2014 <em>&#8220;te iu ka&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Use this one to say &#8220;I mean&#8230;&#8221; when you need to think about what you&#8217;re going to say or politely disagree with something.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use it to rephrase something to make it clearer, similar to saying &#8220;What I mean is&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u6620\u753b\u3092\u898b\u3066\u307f\u307e\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3002 <strong>\u3066\u3044\u3046\u304b\u3001<\/strong>\u6620\u753b\u9928\u306b\u884c\u304d\u307e\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3002(\u3048\u3044\u304c\u3092\u307f\u3066\u307f\u307e\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3002 <strong>\u3066\u3044\u3046\u304b\u3001<\/strong>\u3048\u3044\u304c\u304b\u3093\u306b\u3044\u304d\u307e\u3057\u3087\u3046\u3002)\u00a0\u2014 Let&#8217;s watch a movie. I mean, let&#8217;s go to the movies.<\/p>\n<h2>5. \u306a\u3093\u304b \u2014 <em>&#8220;nanka&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u306a\u3093\u304b is very similar to the word &#8220;like&#8221; when used as a filler word, often used when you&#8217;re searching for the correct word or phrase to say.<\/p>\n<p>It can also be said when you&#8217;re listening for something or when you discover something. In this case, \u306a\u3093\u304b would be more like a &#8220;hey&#8230;&#8221; or &#8220;wait&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>\u306a\u3093\u304b\u3001<\/strong>\u4eca\u65e5\u306f\u96e8\u307f\u305f\u3044\u3060\u3088\u3002(\u306a\u3093\u304b \u304d\u3087\u3046 \u306f \u3042\u3081 \u307f\u305f\u3044\u3060\u3088\u3002) \u2014 Hey, it seems like rain today.<\/p>\n<h2>6. \u305d\u3046\u3044\u3048\u3070 \u2014 <em>&#8220;s\u014d <\/em><em>ieba&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u305d\u3046\u8a00\u3048\u3070 can mean several things, including &#8220;speaking of,&#8221; &#8220;which reminds me,&#8221; &#8220;come to think of it&#8221; or &#8220;now that you mention it&#8230;&#8221; It almost always comes at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-sentence-structure-patterns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">beginning of a sentence<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>\u305d\u3046\u3044\u3048\u3070\u3001<\/strong>\u79c1\u306f\u524d\u306b\u3053\u306e\u6620\u753b\u3092\u898b\u305f\u3053\u3068\u304c\u3042\u308a\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002(<strong>\u305d\u3046\u00a0\u3044\u3048\u00a0\u3070\u3001<\/strong>\u308f\u305f\u3057\u00a0\u306f \u307e\u3048 \u306b \u3053\u306e\u00a0\u3048\u3044\u304c\u00a0\u3092\u00a0\u307f\u305f\u3053\u3068 \u304c \u3042\u308a\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002)\u00a0\u2014 Come to think of it, I&#8217;ve seen this film before.<\/p>\n<h2>7. \u3042\u306e\u306d \u2014 <em>&#8220;ano ne&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>Use this one to get someone&#8217;s attention with a verbal nudge, similar to saying &#8220;hey&#8221; or &#8220;hey there.&#8221; This is also the expression you&#8217;d use if you suddenly remembered something, had an idea or just want a moment to collect your thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>Although there isn&#8217;t a single English equivalent, think of it like saying &#8220;You know&#8230;&#8221; or &#8220;Hang on a sec&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>\u3042\u306e\u306d\u3001<\/strong>\u805e\u3044\u3066\uff01(<strong>\u3042\u306e\u306d\u3001<\/strong>\u304d\u3044\u3066\uff01)\u00a0\u2014 Hey, listen!<\/p>\n<h2>8. \u3046\u30fc\u3093 \u2014 <em>&#8220;uun&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>If thinking had a sound, it would be\u00a0\u3046\u30fc\u3093.<\/p>\n<p>When you&#8217;re not sure what to say, you&#8217;re stalling for time or you haven&#8217;t come up with an answer or decision, use this handy filler word. It&#8217;s the equivalent of the English &#8220;Ummm&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>\u3046\u30fc\u3093 . . .<\/strong> \u8d64\u3044\u3082\u306e\u304c\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u3002(<strong>\u3046\u30fc\u3093 . .<\/strong> <strong>.<\/strong> \u3042\u304b\u3044\u3082\u306e\u304c\u3059\u304d\u3067\u3059\u3002)\u00a0\u2014 Umm&#8230; I like the red one.<\/p>\n<h2>9. \u3042\u3089 \u2014 <em>&#8220;ara&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>When you&#8217;re saying that you&#8217;ve just noticed something, you&#8217;d use \u3042\u3089.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use \u3042\u3089 when expressing that you understand something you&#8217;ve been told or along the lines of &#8220;Ah, I see.&#8221; It&#8217;s mostly used by women, like in this compilation from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.funimation.com\/shows\/aria\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the anime series &#8220;Aria&#8221;<\/a><em>:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><lite-youtube videoid=\"KRFLMu7qzWs\"><\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>\u3042\u3089\u3001<\/strong>\u5c0f\u9ea6\u7c89\u3092\u898b\u3064\u3051\u305f\uff01(<strong>\u3042\u3089\u3001<\/strong>\u3053\u3080\u304e\u00a0\u3053\u306a\u00a0\u3092\u00a0\u307f\u3064\u3051\u305f\uff01)\u00a0\u2014 Oh, I found the flour!<\/p>\n<h2>10. \u3048\u3048 \u2014 <em>&#8220;ee&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u3048\u3048 is a very versatile filler word. It can be affirming and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/how-to-say-no-in-japanese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">used in place of &#8220;yes&#8221;<\/a> or &#8220;sure.&#8221;\u00a0It can be used in place of &#8220;umm&#8221; or &#8220;uhh&#8221; similar to \u3048\u30fc\u3068. It can also be placed in a negative context to express displeasure.<\/p>\n<p>One variation of \u3048\u3048 is \u3048\u3048\u3068, which we learned earlier in this post, and the two can be used interchangeably.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>\u3048\u3048\u3001<\/strong>\u5bb6\u306b\u5e30\u308a\u305f\u3044\u3002(\u3048\u3048\u3001 \u3044\u3048 \u306b \u304b\u3048\u308a\u305f\u3044\u3002) \u2014 Ughh, I want to go home.<\/p>\n<h2>11. \u3042\u306e \u2014 <em>&#8220;ano&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u3042\u306e is very similar to \u3048\u30fc\u3068 in that it essentially represents a pause to think, similar to &#8220;err&#8221; or &#8220;umm.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\">\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u3092\u3001<strong>\u3042\u306e\u3001<\/strong>\u8a71\u3057\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3002(\u306b\u3063\u307d\u3093 \u3054 \u3092\u3001<strong> \u3042\u306e\u3001<\/strong> \u306f\u306a\u3057\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3002)\u00a0\u2014 I don&#8217;t, uhh, speak Japanese.<\/p>\n<h2>12. \u306f\u3042 \u2014 <em>&#8220;h\u0101&#8221;<\/em><\/h2>\n<p>\u306f\u3042 is an affirmative filler word that usually means &#8220;yes&#8221; or &#8220;indeed.&#8221; However, it can also be used to denote confusion, making it similar to &#8220;huh?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes \u306f\u3042 is also used in place of a sigh.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong>\u306f\u3042\u3001<\/strong>\u3081\u3093\u3069\u304f\u3055\u3044\u3002 \u2014 Ahh, what a pain.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For extra practice with these words, let native content guide you. When you\u2019re watching Japanese movies and series on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/browse\/genre\/100385\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Netflix<\/a>, pay close attention to the way they fill pauses in their speech.<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>Japanese videos<\/strong> <strong>on the online language program <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/japanese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FluentU<\/a><\/strong> are also useful for identifying fillers. <p><strong>FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<p>You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/fluentu-learn-language-videos\/id917892175\">the iOS app<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.fluentflix.fluentu&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=US\">Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p><i><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\r\n  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/NativeAd-Japanese.jpg\" alt=\"FluentU Ad\" \/>\r\n  <p style=\"text-align: center\">\r\n    <button class=\"btn-blue\" style=\"border: none;font-size: 18px;text-align: center;padding: 0.75rem 1.5rem;cursor: pointer\">\r\n      Try FluentU for FREE!\r\n  <\/button>\r\n  <\/p>\r\n<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s comforting to know that learning a new language doesn&#8217;t mean achieving perfection in your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-speaking-online\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">way of speaking<\/a>. Now, you have some authentic ways to take a pause and gather your thoughts without losing your flow!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"aomtjapan\"> \r\n<p>\r\n<h2>And One More Thing...<\/h2>\r\n<p>\r\nIf you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you <strong><a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">more about FluentU<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nFluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2474\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/Japnaese-5.png\" alt=\"learn-japanese-with-videos\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\n<strong>FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts.<\/strong> Tap on any word to look it up instantly.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2477\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/Japanese-2.png\" alt=\"learn-japanese-with-songs\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nAll definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2476\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/Japanese-6.png\" alt=\"learn-japanese-with-movies\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nAnd FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2478\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/Japanese-7.png\" alt=\"practice-japanese-with-adaptive-quizzes\" width=\"307\" height=\"546\" \/><\/a>\r\n<p>\r\nThe best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it\u2019s time to review what you\u2019ve learned.<strong> You'll have a 100% personalized experience. <\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. <a data-bid=\"1\" data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/try\/april-sale-3331\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all use filler words such as &#8220;like&#8221; and &#8220;um&#8221; in our native tongue, and it&#8217;s very much the same concept in Japanese. However, Japanese filler words are sometimes used&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":558,"featured_media":248844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"12 Japanese Filler Words to Speak More Like a Native [with Audio] | FluentU Japanese Blog","description":"Japanese filler words like \"eetoo\" (umm) can help you keep sentences flowing the way a native speaker would. These 12 common filler words will allow you to take natural pauses in your speech without breaking up your authentic use of the language. It's a small but impactful way of sounding more like a native speaker!"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[545,549],"tags":[],"coauthors":[218],"class_list":["post-107142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese","category-japanese-vocab-and-grammar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/558"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107142"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":247122,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107142\/revisions\/247122"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107142"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=107142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}