Japanese word

余談

Pronunciation

Romajiyodan

Meaning

  • nountangent

Example

少し余談を話します。suko shi yo dan o hana shi ma su

I will go off on a brief tangent.

Illustration for 余談 (tangent)

More examples

話が余談にそれましたが、本題に戻りましょう。hanashi ga yo dan ni so re ma shi ta ga hon dai ni modo ri ma shō

The conversation went off on a tangent, but let's return to the main topic.

Core concept

Refers to an additional remark that temporarily moves a conversation away from its central subject.

Common phrases

  • 余談ですがyo dan de su ga

    as an aside

  • 余談を挟むyo dan o hasa mu

    insert an aside

  • 余談に入るyo dan ni hai ru

    go off on a tangent

Similar words

脱線dassen: A shift away from the main subject during a conversation.
閑話kanwa: A brief, informal remark that is separate from the main subject.
付言fugen: An extra remark added to give further information or a related point.
蛇足dasoku: An unnecessary addition that adds little to the main subject.

Definition in Japanese

中心となる話題から一時的に外れて付け加える話。chū shin to na ru wa dai ka ra ichi ji teki ni hazu re te tsu ke kuwa e ru hanashi

Word origin

余談 (yodan, "tangent") is a Sino-Japanese compound of 余 (yo, "extra") and 談 (dan, "talk"), meaning extra talk beyond the main topic.

Usage tips

  • 余談ですが (yodan desu ga) can soften a shift to a related aside by showing that the speaker knows it is not the main topic.

Opposites

Word lists with this word