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70 Common Japanese Filler Expressions (JLPT N3–N1)
1. Thinking / Hesitating
| No. | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
| 1 | えっと | etto | Umm… | |
| 2 | ええと | eeto | Let me think… | |
| 3 | あの | ano | Well… | |
| 4 | その | sono | Um… | |
| 5 | うーん | uun | Hmm… | |
| 6 | なんていうか | nante iu ka | How should I say | |
| 7 | なんというか | nan to iu ka | How to put it | |
| 8 | 言 | どういえばいいかな | dou ieba ii ka na | How should I say it |
| 9 | えー | ee | Uh… | |
| 10 | まあ | maa | Well… |
2. Showing Understanding
| No. | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
| 11 | なるほど | naruhodo | I see | |
| 12 | そうですね | sou desu ne | That’s right / Let me think | |
| 13 | そうか | sou ka | I see | |
| 14 | そうなんですね | sou nan desu ne | Oh, I see | |
| 15 | たしかに | tashika ni | Indeed / That’s true | |
| 16 | たしかにそうですね | tashika ni sou desu ne | That’s certainly true | |
| 17 | そういうことか | souiu koto ka | So that’s how it is | |
| 18 | わかりました | wakarimashita | I understand | |
| 19 | なるほどね | naruhodo ne | I see (casual) | |
| 20 | そうなんだ | sou nan da | I see (casual) |
3. Emphasizing a Point
| No. | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
| 21 | つまり | tsumari | In other words | |
| 22 | ようするに | yousuru ni | In short | |
| 23 | というか | to iu ka | Or rather | |
| 24 | いわば | iwaba | So to speak | |
| 25 | いいかえれば | iikaereba | In other words | |
| 26 | 言 | はっきりいうと | hakkiri iu to | Frankly speaking |
| 27 | 正直・言 | しょうじきにいうと | shoujiki ni iu to | To be honest |
| 28 | 実 | じつは | jitsu wa | Actually |
| 29 | ぶっちゃけ | bucchake | Honestly speaking (casual) | |
| 30 | 率直・言 | そっちょくにいうと | socchoku ni iu to | Frankly speaking |
4. Softening Statements
| No. | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
| 31 | まあ | maa | Well | |
| 32 | なんとなく | nantonaku | Somehow | |
| 33 | どちらかというと | dochira ka to iu to | If anything / Rather | |
| 34 | いちおう | ichiou | For the time being | |
| 35 | べつに | betsu ni | Not particularly | |
| 36 | 言 | しいていえば | shiite ieba | If I had to say |
| 37 | 言 | あえていえば | aete ieba | If I dare say |
| 38 | 言 | どちらともいえない | dochira tomo ienai | Hard to say |
| 39 | 言 | なんともいえませんが | nan tomo iemasen ga | It’s hard to say |
| 40 | 一概・言 | いちがいにはいえませんが | ichigai ni wa iemasen ga | One cannot say for sure |
5. Adding Explanation
| No. | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
| 41 | というのは | to iu no wa | The reason is | |
| 42 | なぜかというと | naze ka to iu to | The reason why is | |
| 43 | 具体的・言 | ぐたいてきにいうと | gutaiteki ni iu to | Specifically speaking |
| 44 | 例・挙 | れいをあげると | rei wo ageru to | For example |
| 45 | つまりですね | tsumari desu ne | In other words | |
| 46 | 要 | ようするに | yousuru ni | In short |
| 47 | 言・換 | いいかえれば | iikaereba | In other words |
| 48 | 簡単・言 | かんたんにいうと | kantan ni iu to | Simply put |
| 49 | ちなみに | chinami ni | By the way | |
| 50 | 補足 | ほそくすると | hosoku suru to | To add |
6. Changing Topic
| No. | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
| 51 | ところで | tokoro de | By the way | |
| 52 | さて | sate | Well then | |
| 53 | それで | sore de | And then / So | |
| 54 | そういえば | sou ieba | Come to think of it | |
| 55 | 話・変 | はなしはかわりますが | hanashi wa kawarimasu ga | Changing the topic |
| 56 | それはそうと | sore wa sou to | Anyway / By the way | |
| 57 | 話・戻 | はなしをもどすと | hanashi wo modosu to | Going back to the topic |
| 58 | 言 | ついでにいうと | tsuide ni iu to | By the way / While we’re at it |
7. Expressing Opinion or Uncertainty
| No. | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
| 59 | 個人的 | こじんてきには | kojinteki ni wa | Personally speaking |
| 60 | 私 | わたしとしては | watashi to shite wa | As for me |
| 61 | 一般的・言 | いっぱんてきにいえば | ippanteki ni ieba | Generally speaking |
| 62 | 基本的 | きほんてきには | kihonteki ni wa | Basically |
| 63 | おそらく | osoraku | Probably | |
| 64 | たぶん | tabun | Maybe | |
| 65 | もしかすると | moshikasuru to | Perhaps | |
| 66 | ひょっとすると | hyotto suru to | Possibly |
8. Concluding / Ending
| No. | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
| 67 | というわけで | to iu wake de | So / Therefore | |
| 68 | そんなわけで | sonna wake de | That’s why | |
| 69 | 以上 | いじょうのことから | ijou no koto kara | From the above |
| 70 | 感 | というかんじです | to iu kanji desu | That’s how it is / Something like that |
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