How to Say ‘Is that so?’ in Japanese
そうなの？
sou na n
[soh nah noh]
💬 Usage Tip: [そうなの？] is an informal way to react to new information: literally "is that so?" You can swap in politeness by saying [そうなんですか？] when talking to someone you don't know well.
Phrase Breakdown
そう
sou
[soh]
really; is that so
そう here means 'so' or 'that way' and helps express 'is that the case?'
そうなの？本当に知らなかった。
Really? I truly didn’t know.
な
na
[nah]
copula na
な links a noun-like phrase to の in casual explanatory speech.
そうなの？びっくりしました。
Is that so? I was surprised.
の
n
[noh]
explanatory question particle
の at the end makes the question sound explanatory and casual.
そうなの？今知りました。
Really? I just found out now.
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