How to Say ‘That sounds rough.’ in Japanese
それは大変だね。
sore wa taihen da ne
[soh-reh wah tai-hen da neh]
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is the go-to sympathetic response when someone shares a hardship. It's more natural than offering advice right away.
Phrase Breakdown
それ
sore
[soh-reh]
that
Refers to something just mentioned by the other person.
それは魅力的なお話ですね。
That sounds very appealing.
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker
は marks the topic of the sentence.
空席はありますか。
Are there any seats available?
大変
taihen
[tai-hen]
serious, difficult
A state that requires a lot of effort or is dangerous.
大変な作業。
A difficult task.
だ
da
[da]
be (informal)
Informal form of 'to be' used in casual speech.
今日はいい天気だ。
Today is good weather.
ね
ne
[neh]
isn't it?; right?
A sentence-ending particle used to seek agreement or add warmth.
すばらしい経験ですね。
That's wonderful experience, isn't it?
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