English–Japanese

“oh” in Japanese

Japanese

Alsoあら (ara) · おや (oya)

Pronunciation

Romajiā

Example

ああ、そうですか。ā sō de su ka

Oh, I see.

Illustration for ああ (oh)

How to say “oh” in Japanese

“Oh” in Japanese is ああ (ā). ああ can also mean “oh!”.

Expresses that the speaker has just understood or accepted something, while also serving as a brief reaction to an event.

Full entry for ああ: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with ああ

ああ、楽しいです！ā tano shi i de su

Oh, this is fun!

ああ、思い出しました。ā omo i da shi ma shi ta

Oh, I remember now.

Tips for using ああ

  • In conversation, ああ (ā) can stand alone as a brief response or lead into a longer reply, depending on the speaker's intonation.

Other Japanese words for “oh”

あら、きれいです。a ra ki re i de su

Oh, that's beautiful.

おや？猫ですか。o ya neko de su ka

Oh? Is it a cat?

“oh” in other languages