How to Say ‘I see.’ in Japanese
そうですか。
sou desu ka
[soh dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: [そうですか] is a common reaction meaning 'Is that so?' or 'I see.' The tone changes the feeling a lot.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Japanese uses many short listener reactions like [そうですか], [はい], and [なるほど] to keep conversation flowing smoothly.
Phrase Breakdown
そう
sou
[soh]
that way; so
Used in expressions like そうですか to react to information: I see, is that so.
そうと思いました。
I thought so.
です
desu
[dess]
is; am; are
Polite form of the copula, like is/am/are in English.
それは本当です。
That is true.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
元気ですかと聞きました。
I asked, Are you well?
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