Expressing Surprise in Japanese || え, 本当に, 嘘 & More

Q: How to express surprise in Japanese?

To express surprise in Japanese you can use え！ Ehh! which is akin to “really?!”, “no way”, or “ehhhh” in English. 本当に can be translated as really? too. Whilst え ! is more of a noise to express surprise, 本当に truly carries the meaning. 嘘 uso literally means lie . In conversation, you can use this to express surprise, and it’s very commonly used. Think of it as No way! (the literal translation would be more like You’re lying aren’t you?! ).

Q: What is 本当に?

本当に can be translated as really? too. Whilst え ! is more of a noise to express surprise, 本当に truly carries the meaning. We’ll look at some examples of this in combination with the next point.

Q: What is 嘘?

嘘 uso literally means lie . In conversation, you can use this to express surprise, and it’s very commonly used. Think of it as No way! (the literal translation would be more like You’re lying aren’t you?! ).

Q: Can I study Japanese in Japan?

Of course! We offer Japanese Courses in Tokyo , with group or individual classes. You’ll even have the chance to live with a Japanese family as part of our homestay program.

Home B1 Expressing surprise in Japanese

HOW TO EXPRESS SURPRISE IN JAPANESE

Learning to express surprise in a language is always a bit strange.

Across the world, how we express surprise is different, and being natural in how you do so is an essential part of assimilation.

SURPRISE WITH え！

え！ Ehh!

This is one that you’ll encounter endlessly throughout any amount of time in Japan. え！Ehh! is akin to “really?!”, “no way”, or “ehhhh” in English.

This is more of a noise you’d let out to express surprise rather than having explicit meaning.

Here are some situations in which you might want to use え！Ehh!:

Unexpected News: Learning about sudden changes or unexpected events.
Surprise Visits: When someone unexpectedly shows up without prior notice.
Gifts: Receiving a surprising gift or present.
Encountering Someone: Running into someone unexpectedly in a place you didn’t anticipate.
Achievements: Hearing about someone’s unexpected success or achievement.
Prices: Finding out the cost of something is higher or lower than expected.
Stories or Rumors: Hearing surprising or gossip-worthy stories.
Weather Changes: Experiencing sudden and unexpected weather shifts.
Technology Failures: When a device or technology doesn’t work as expected.
Celebrity Sightings: Spotting a famous person unexpectedly in public.

Let’s take a look at some example dialogues using え！Ehh!:

Unexpected news

^{Ne, kinou, Tanaka san ga yameru tte kiita yo.}

ねえ、昨日、田中さんが辞めるって聞いたよ。

_{Hey, I heard that Tanaka-san is quitting yesterday.}

^{Ehhhhhhh? Nande?}

えーーー？なんで？

_{Really?! Why?}

Unexpected encounter

^{Ima, eki de senpai ni attanda yo.}

今、駅で先輩に会ったんだよ。

_{I met our senior at the station just now.}

^{Ehhhhhhh? Doko de?}

えーーー？どこで？

_{Really?! Where?}

NOTE || As you can see above, we often pair え！Ehh! With question words.

本当に || REALLY?

本当に hontou ni

本当に can be translated as really? too. Whilst え! is more of a noise to express surprise, 本当に truly carries the meaning.

We’ll look at some examples of this in combination with the next point.

嘘 || NO WAY!

嘘 uso

嘘 uso literally means lie. In conversation, you can use this to express surprise, and it’s very commonly used.

Think of it as No way! (the literal translation would be more like You’re lying aren’t you?!).

Let’s take a look at some example dialogues (combined with 本当に):

Unbelievable news

^{Kyou, takarakuji de hyaku man en atattannda!}

今日、宝くじで100万円当たったんだ！

_{I won one million yen in the lottery today!}

^{Uso, hontou ni?}

嘘、本当に？

_{No way, really?}

Unexpected achievement

^{Shiken de manten totta yo!}

試験で满点とったよ！

_{I got a perfect score on the exam!}

^{Uso, sugoi! Hontou ni?}

嘘、すごい！本当に？

_{No way, amazing! Really?}

信じられない || I CAN’T BELIEVE

信じられない shinjirarenai

信じる shinjiru means to believe. So, 信じられない shinjirarenai means I can’t believe (as it’s the negative potential form).

You can use this to express I can’t believe it in the same way as in English. You could substitute it in all of the examples from before.

You can also combine ほど hodo to make 信じられないほど shinjirarenai hodo which means unbelievably as in the sentence:

^{Kare wa sakka- ga shinjirarenai hodo umai.}

彼はサッカーが信じられないほどうまい.

_{He’s unbelievably good at soccer.}

SUMMARY

え！Ehh! is the noise used to express surprise in Japan and could be translated as Really?

本当に hontou ni can be translated as Really? as well.

嘘 uso is like saying No way!

信じられない shinjirarenai means I can’t believe it!

Combinations of the three are often used in conversation.

Japanese people use expressions of surprise more often than most English speakers.

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FAQs

How to express surprise in Japanese?

To express surprise in Japanese you can use え！Ehh! which is akin to “really?!”, “no way”, or “ehhhh” in English.

本当に can be translated as really? too. Whilst え! is more of a noise to express surprise, 本当に truly carries the meaning.

嘘 uso literally means lie. In conversation, you can use this to express surprise, and it’s very commonly used.

Think of it as No way! (the literal translation would be more like You’re lying aren’t you?!).

What is 本当に?

本当に can be translated as really? too. Whilst え! is more of a noise to express surprise, 本当に truly carries the meaning.

We’ll look at some examples of this in combination with the next point.

What is 嘘?

嘘 uso literally means lie. In conversation, you can use this to express surprise, and it’s very commonly used.

Think of it as No way! (the literal translation would be more like You’re lying aren’t you?!).

How to express to want in Japanese?

When expressing desire for a thing, or a noun in other words, we can use the word 欲しい（ほしい).

欲しい is an ii adjective. Even though “want” is a verb in English, it is an adjective in Japanese, so we have to adjust our thinking about “wanting” appropriately.

Examples:

あの本が欲しい, ano hon ga hoshii | I want that book

らーメンが欲しい, ramen ga hoshii | I want ramen

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Learn more about expressing desire in Japanese here.

Where to learn more Japanese grammar?

We created a Japanese Grammar Bank with the aim to provide free grammar lessons available to all.

We are in the process of publishing more lessons at the moment, so feel free to contact us and let us know what lessons you’d like to see in the bank.

Can I study Japanese in Japan?

Of course!

We offer Japanese Courses in Tokyo, with group or individual classes. You’ll even have the chance to live with a Japanese family as part of our homestay program.

Japanese Grammar Bank

HOW TO EXPRESS SURPRISE IN JAPANESE