♪Japanese phrase having a good ring♪ 〜Eh〜

Welcome to the 5th edition of “Japanese language fun time!” Today, I will introduce the very short word, “Eh(え).”

1. Picture

When you pronounce it briefly without intonating, it has a kanji letter 絵 (Eh), and it means a picture or a painting. 

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なんて素敵な絵！(Nante suteki na eh!)

What a nice picture!

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2. Yes!

This time, please say the short “eh” twice like “eh-eh,” or just say it for a bit longer than the “eh” you said when describing a picture. This new word means “Yes,” or you can give back feedback just like “Uh-huh.”

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A:賛成ですか？( Sansei desuka?)
B:ええ (Eh-eh.)

A:Do you agree?
B:Yeah.

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3. Pardon?

When you can’t catch what others say, how do you respond? “Pardon?” or “Sorry?” In Japanese, all you have to say is, “Eh?” quickly. Of course, we have other expressions like “Could you say that again?” But “Eh?” is an easy, casual way to continue the conversation. Raising the pitch is the key! For your information, “Huh?” sounds strong for many Japanese people, so I recommend you use “Eh?” instead of “Huh?”

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え？(Eh?)

Pardon?

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4. Surprised!

When you hear some surprising news, what word comes first? Many Japanese people just say, “Eh!” There are some versions for this. Some say, “Eh!” quickly, and others say, “Ehhhhhh!” in a long tone. It includes the meaning of “Wow!” or “Really?” depending on the situation.

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A: 宝くじ、当たったんだ！(Takarakuji atattanda!)
B: え～～～～～！！(Ehhhhh!!)

A: I won the lottery!
B: Really? Wow!

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That’s all for today’s “Japanese language fun time.” Can you differentiate each “Eh” using the unique tone? Let’s practice saying, “Eh (picture),” “Eh-eh (Yes),” “Eh? (Pardon?),” “”Ehhhhh (surprised)!”

Thank you for joining to the end!

♪Japanese language fun time! 1st edition →“Huuuuu!!”
♪Japanese language fun time! 2nd edition →“Jyan!!”
♪Japanese language fun time! 3rd edition →“Ton!!”
♪Japanese language fun time! 4th edition →“Yoshi!”