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How to Say ‘Oh, really?’ in Japanese

えっ、そうですか。

etsu sou desu ka

[e' sou desu ka]

Phrase Breakdown

えっ

etsu

[e']

Huh?; What?

Shows surprise before responding politely.

Example

えっ、そうですか。

Huh, is that so?

そうですか

sou desu ka

is that so?; I see

A common response showing understanding or mild surprise.

Example

そうですか。わかりました。

I see. Understood.

Words in this phrase

そう

sou

[sou]

I see; is that so

A polite reaction to information you just heard.

Example

えっ、そうですか。

Huh, is that so?

です

desu

[desu]

is; polite copula

Used as part of the polite response そうですか.

Example

えっ、そうですか。

Huh, is that so?

ka

[ka]

question marker

Makes the response sound like 'Is that so?' in polite speech.

Example

えっ、そうですか。

Huh, is that so?

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