Japanese word

ところで

Pronunciation

Romajitokorode

Meaning

  • conjunctionby the way

Example

ところで、明日は何をしますか？to ko ro de asu wa nan o shi ma su ka

By the way, what will you do tomorrow?

Illustration for ところで (by the way)

More examples

ところで、この近くに郵便局はありますか？to ko ro de ko no chika ku ni yū bin kyoku wa a ri ma su ka

By the way, is there a post office nearby?

Core concept

Marks a small turn in the conversation that brings a different point into focus.

Similar words

ちなみにchinamini: Introduces a related point that is not central to the current topic.
そういえばsōieba: Brings up something remembered from the preceding conversation.
ではdewa: Signals a move to a new subject or the next step in a conversation.

Definition in Japanese

話題を変えたり、本題に別の事柄を付け加えたりするときに用いる語。wa dai o ka e ta ri hon dai ni betsu no koto gara o tsu ke kuwa e ta ri su ru to ki ni mochi i ru go

Word origin

The conjunction ところで (tokorode) consists of ところ (tokoro, "point or matter") and で (de, "at or in"), a structure associated with turning to another matter.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, ところで (tokorode) often appears at the start of a sentence when a speaker shifts briefly to a new topic.

Other meanings

  • wellconjunction

Word lists with this word