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How to Say ‘He touched it a little’ in Japanese

少し触りました

sukoshi sawari mashi ta

[soo-koh-shee sah-WAH-ree mah-shee tah]

💬 Usage Tip: Notice that "he" and "it" aren't said at all. Japanese drops anything that's obvious from the situation, so the verb alone carries the sentence.

Phrase Breakdown

少し

sukoshi

[soo-koh-shee]

a little; a moment

Means a small amount or a short time; common in polite requests.

Example

少し待ってください。

Please wait a moment.

触り

sawari

[sah-WAH-ree]

touch

Stem of 触る 'to touch'.

Example

ボールに手で触りました。

He touched the ball with his hand.

まし

mashi

[mah-shee]

polite past stem

Part of the polite past ending in a verb phrase.

Example

昨日は多くのことを学びました。

I learned many things yesterday.

た

ta

[tah]

past tense marker

Indicates past tense.

Example

彼は来た。

He came.

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