How do you say "I see." in Japanese?

"I see." in Japanese is "そうだったんですね。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘I see.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "そうだったんですね。" mean in English?

"そうだったんですね。" means "I see." in English. Usage tip: [そうだったんですね] shows "I understand now" after hearing new information. The [んですね] part gives that sense of realizing or connecting the dots.

そうだったんですね。

sou datsu ta n desu ne

[soh daht tah n dess neh]

💬 Usage Tip: [そうだったんですね] shows "I understand now" after hearing new information. The [んですね] part gives that sense of realizing or connecting the dots.

Phrase Breakdown

そう

sou

[soh]

I see; that's so

Used to show understanding when hearing new information.

Example

そうだったんですね。知りませんでした。

I see. I didn't know that.

だっ

datsu

[daht]

was

Past form part of だった, meaning was or it was the case.

Example

そうだったんですね。

I see, that was the situation.

た

[tah]

past marker

Completes the past informal copula だった.

Example

大変だったですねと言いました。

I said, 'That was tough, wasn't it?'

ん

[n]

explanatory n

Adds explanation or softens the statement in casual-connected speech.

Example

そうだったんですねと納得しました。

I understood and thought, 'I see.'

です

desu

[dess]

is; polite copula

Polite form used to make the sentence courteous.

Example

そうなんですかと聞きました。

I asked, 'Oh, is that so?'

ね

[neh]

right?; soft confirmation

Sentence-ending particle showing confirmation, empathy, or soft tone.

Example

そうだったんですねと答えました。

I replied, 'I see.'

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