How to Say ‘Wow, that was really close.’ in Japanese
わあ、本当にギリギリですね。
waa hontou ni girigiri desu ne
[WAH hon-toh nee gee-ree-GEE-ree desu neh]
Phrase Breakdown
わあ、本当に
waa hontou ni
Wow, really
わあ (wā) expresses surprise. 本当に (hontō ni) means 'really'. Hold the long 'ō' in 'tō'.
わあ、本当にきれいですね。
Wow, it's really beautiful.
Words in this phrase
わあ
waa
[WAH]
wow
Exclamation of surprise or amazement.
わあ、きれい！
Wow, beautiful!
本当
hontou
[hon-toh]
real; true
Means 'true' or 'real.' Combined with に, it helps express 'really.'
本当の気持ちを伝えました。
I conveyed my true feelings.
に
ni
[nee]
(adverb ending) -ly
Turns 本当 into the adverb 'really'.
本当においしいです。
It's really delicious.
ギリギリですね。
girigiri desu ne
just barely, isn't it.
ギリギリ means 'by a hair'. Keep each beat even: gi-ri-gi-ri.
電車にギリギリでしたね。
We barely made the train, didn't we?
Words in this phrase
ギリギリ
girigiri
[gee-ree-GEE-ree]
just barely; very close
Right at the edge or limit.
ギリギリセーフでした。
It was just barely safe.
です
desu
[desu]
is; polite ending
A polite sentence ending often used to soften statements.
キャンセルしたいです。
I want to cancel.
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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