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How to Say ‘Is that so / I see’ in Japanese

なんだ

nan da

[nan dah]

💬 Usage Tip: [なんだ] often adds the sense of “oh, I see” or “so that’s how it is.” It can sound casual and warm in conversation.

🇯🇵 In Japan: When combined with [そう] as [そうなんだ], it becomes a very common listening response among friends. It sounds interested without interrupting too much.

Phrase Breakdown

なん

nan

[nan]

explaining tone part

Part of なんだ, used in casual speech to show realization or explanation.

Example

そうなんだ。

I see, that's how it is.

da

[dah]

is; it is

Casual form of です used in plain speech.

Example

それは本当だ。

That is true.

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