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How to Say ‘It's about time.’ in Japanese

そろそろですね。

sorosoro desu ne

[soh-roh-soh-roh deh-soo neh]

💬 Usage Tip: [そろそろ] often means "soon" or "about time" in the sense of "it's about that point now." A very common pattern is [そろそろ行きましょう] = "let's get going soon / it's about time to go."

Phrase Breakdown

そろそろ

sorosoro

[soh-roh-soh-roh]

soon; about time

Used when something is about to happen soon.

Example

出発はそろそろですね。

Departure is soon, isn’t it?

ですね

desu ne

isn’t it?; right?

Softens the sentence and suggests shared understanding.

Example

そろそろですね。

It’s about time, isn’t it?

Words in this phrase

です

desu

[deh-soo]

is; am; are

A polite copula used to end sentences politely.

Example

もう時間です。

It’s already time.

ne

[neh]

right?; isn’t it?

Sentence-ending particle used to seek agreement or show shared feeling.

Example

そろそろですね。

It’s about time, isn’t it?

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