♪Japanese phrase having a good ring♪ ～Jyan～

“Ta-da!”

Can you imagine how surprised and amazed I was when I first heard this English phrase? It was one of the moments that I felt learning foreign languages was so fun. As you know, this is the phrase you use when you show something to surprise someone, right? We Japanese people never say it like this. What do we say to attract attention in those situations?

“Jya-jyaaaaan!(じゃじゃーん！)”

This is what we say instead of “Ta-da!” What do you think about this sound? I like this phrase as well as “Ta-da!” because I’m sure there are always laughs full of love after this phrase! 

☆Other “Jyan”s

The word “jyan” is used in other situations too. Let me introduce three of them.

~Dialect~

Some people, especially in Kanagawa Prefecture, use “jyan” casually at the end of affirmative sentences.

Example:

• Ii-jyan. (いいじゃん。): I like it. Nice!
• Sugoi-jyan. (すごいじゃん。): Great!

~Rock, paper, scissors~

Instead of saying “Rock, paper, scissors,” we say, “Jyan, ken, pon! (じゃんけんぽん！)” But jyan doesn’t mean rock. This is just our melodic way to decide things. It’s more like, “Ready, set, go!”

Example:

• Jyan, ken, pon! (じゃんけんぽん！): Rock, paper, scissors!

~Pachinko (Japanese pin ball)~

There are many pachinko shops here and there in Japan. You might see the signs saying, “Jyan jyan dashimasu. (じゃんじゃんだします！)” It literally means “You will get an enormous amount of prizes!” Please don’t be too fooled by advertising!

Example:

• Jyan jyan dashimasu. (じゃんじゃんだします！): You could win the Jackpot!

That’s all for today’s “Japanese language fun time!” If you get a chance to speak Japanese, please enjoy this melodic phrase “Jyan!”

Rei

Working for an English language school. My source of energy is our students’ smiles full of curiosity. I love visiting my friends in and outside of Japan.