How to Say ‘I bought it yesterday.’ in Japanese
昨日買ったんだ。
kinou katsu ta n da
[kee-NOH KAHT tah n dah]
💬 Usage Tip: Adding んだ turns a plain fact into a friendly explanation, like sharing a little backstory. Compare plain 買った "I bought it".
Phrase Breakdown
昨日
kinou
[kee-NOH]
yesterday
The day before today.
昨日は雨でした。
It rained yesterday.
買っ
katsu
[KAHT]
buy (stem)
Te-form stem of 買う (to buy).
パンを買って帰る。
I'll buy bread and go home.
た
ta
[tah]
past tense marker
Indicates past tense.
彼は来た。
He came.
ん
n
[n]
(explanatory n)
Casual form of の; adds a tone of seeking or giving an explanation, often before です.
どうしたんですか。
What happened?
だ
da
[dah]
is (informal)
Casual way of asserting a condition or identity.
嫌いだ
I hate it.
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