😣💦

How to Say ‘That sounds hard.’ in Japanese

それは大変ですね。

sore wa taihen desu ne

[soh-reh wah taihen dess ne]

💬 Usage Tip: 大変 (taihen) means "tough" or "a lot to deal with", not "very" here. ね at the end seeks agreement and adds warmth.

🇯🇵 In Japan: This is the standard sympathetic reply to someone's troubles, from a sore back to a busy job.

Phrase Breakdown

それは

sore wa

that

それ (sore) means 'that.' The particle は is pronounced 'wa' here: 'sore wa.'

Example

それは何ですか。

What is that?

Words in this phrase

それ

sore

[soh-reh]

that; it

A demonstrative word meaning that or it, referring to something already mentioned.

Example

それは大切な点です。

That is an important point.

は

[wah]

topic marker

は marks the topic of the sentence.

Example

空席はありますか。

Are there any seats available?

大変ですね。

taihen desu ne

is tough, isn't it

大変 (taihen) means 'difficult' or 'terrible.' Adding ですね shows sympathy: 'That must be hard.'

Example

毎日大変ですね。

Every day must be hard for you.

Words in this phrase

大変

taihen

[taihen]

serious; terrible; tough

大変 expresses that something is difficult, serious, or troublesome.

Example

大変ですね。

That is tough, isn’t it?

です

desu

[dess]

is; polite copula

A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.

Example

少し伺いたいです。

I would like to ask a little.

ね

[ne]

isn't it; right

A sentence-ending particle used to seek agreement or add a friendly tone.

Example

深煎りですね。

It’s a dark roast, right?

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