Japanese word

おっと

Pronunciation

Romajiotto

Meaning

  • interjectionoops

Example

おっと、皿が落ちそうです。o tto sara ga o chi sō de su

Oops, the plate is about to fall.

Illustration for おっと (oops)

More examples

おっと、ペンを落とすところでした。o tto pe n o o to su to ko ro de shi ta

Oops, I almost dropped my pen.

Core concept

Signals that the speaker has noticed a sudden problem, surprise, or need to pause.

Common phrases

  • おっと、待ってo tto ma tte

    Oops, wait

  • おっと、いけないo tto i ke na i

    Oops, that's not right

Similar words

あっa: Signals sudden awareness of a change, problem, or unexpected fact.
しまったshimatta: Expresses regret about an error or an unwanted outcome.
おやoya: Expresses mild surprise at something noticed or heard.

Definition in Japanese

予想外の事態に気づき、驚きや注意を表して発する語。yo sō gai no ji tai ni ki zu ki odoro ki ya chū i o arawa shi te has su ru go

Word origin

The form おっと (otto, "oops") is usually explained as a shortened form of おおっと (ōtto, "oh!"), which intensifies the interjection おお (ō, "oh").

Usage tips

  • In spoken Japanese, おっと (otto) often marks a self-interruption or sudden realization, so it can precede a correction or warning rather than an apology.

Other meanings

  • uh-ohinterjection

Word lists with this word