How to Say ‘I see.’ in Japanese
そうでしたか。
sou deshi ta ka
[soh deshi tah kah]
💬 Usage Tip: そうでしたか uses the past tense, but it means "oh, so that's how it was". It's a polite way to acknowledge new information.
Phrase Breakdown
そう
sou
[soh]
so; that way
Used to refer to something just said, like 'so' or 'that's right.'
そうおもうひとがおおいです。
Many people think so.
でし
deshi
[deshi]
was
Past tense form of 'desu'.
昨日は雨でした。
It was rainy yesterday.
た
ta
[tah]
past tense ending
This ending completes the polite past tense form.
空席がございまし た。
There were vacant seats.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
A席はありますか。
Are there A seats available?
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