42 Japanese Conversational Connectors To Sound Like A Native
by Olly Richards
One of the biggest roadblocks that many new Japanese learners face is stilted speech, but Japanese conversational connectors can help with this.
Once you can make your own sentences, you may be frustrated that you're speaking or even writing in a choppy way, with no connections or overarching structures.
Enter conversational connectors—features of language that allow you to join sentences and thoughts smoothly. Japanese contains many of these words and phrases, each with their own nuanced meaning.
In English, connectors are words like “however”, “but”, “so”, and “therefore”. They join ideas, make them relate to each other, or show contrast.
If you're looking for ways to boost your Japanese fluency and sound more native than ever, try picking out a few of these Japanese conversational connectors to start using on a regular basis!
In general, Japanese conversational connectors can simply be inserted in between two sentences. However, look to the examples below for specific use cases for each one.
By the way, if you want to learn Japanese fast and have fun while doing it, my top recommendation is Japanese Uncovered which teaches you through StoryLearning®.
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Nihon ha takusan kirei na toshi ga arimasu. Tatoeba, Fukuoka ha utsukushii fuukei de, umi mo mieru tokoro ga takusan aru deshou.
Japan has lots of beautiful cities. For example, Fukuoka has beautiful landscapes and lots of places where you can see the sea.
#17 そのため: For That Purpose/Reason
日本人の友達と話したい。そのたみに、日本語を練習している。
Nihonjin no tomodachi to hanashitai. Sono tame ni, nihongo wo renshuu shiteiru.
I want to be able to talk to my Japanese friends. For that reason, I’m practicing my Japanese.
#18 しかも: Furthermore/What’s More
奨学金がたくさんあって、有名な先生もいます。しかも、家に近いので、いい大学だと思います。
Shougakukin ga takusan atte, yuumei na sensei mo imasu. Shikamo, ie ni chikai no de, ii daigaku da to omoimasu.
There are a lot of scholarships, and they have famous professors. What’s more, it’s near your home, so I think it’s a great college.
#19 しかし: However/But
もうたくさん勉強しました。しかし、まだ心配ですよ!
Mou takusan benkyou shimashita. Shikashi, mada shinpai desu yo!
I already studied a ton. But I’m still worried!
#20 ところが: However/Even Though
ニュースで雨がふると読んでいました。ところが、雨が全然降っていなそうです。
Nyu-su de ame ga furu to yondeimashita. Tokoro ga, ame ga zenzen futteinasou desu.
I read in the news that it was going to rain. However, it looks like it’s not going to rain at all.
#21 さっそく: Immediately/At Once
それをさっそく先生につたえますよ。
Sore wo sassoku sensei ni tsutaemasu yo.
I’ll be sure to convey that to the teacher right away.
#22 その上: In Addition/On Top of That
昨日、冷蔵庫が壊れた。その上、学校に行く時に道に迷ってしまった。
Kinou, reizouko ga kowareta. Sono ue, gakkou ni iku toki ni michi ni mayotte shimatta.
Yesterday, the refrigerator broke. On top of that, I got lost on the way to school.
#23 それなのに: In Spite Of/Despite That
新しい時計を買いました。それなのに、すぐに壊れました。
Atarashii tokei wo kaimashita. Sore na noni, sugu ni kowaremashita.
I bought a new watch, but despite that, it broke immediately.
#24 それでは: In That Case
9時でしょう。それでは、テストを始めましょう。
Kuji deshou. Sore de ha, tesuto wo hajimemashou.
It’s 9! In that case, let’s start the test.
#25 それなら: In That Case
たけし君は寿司が大嫌いですか。それなら、パン屋のほうが寿司屋より探さなけれべいけませんね。
Takeshi kun ha suhi ga daikirai desu ka. Sore nara, panya no hou ga sushiya yori sagasanakereba ikemasen ne.
Oh, Takeshi hates sushi? In that case, we should search for a bread shop rather than a sushi shop.
Japanese Conversational Connectors: M-R
#26 それ以上: More Than That
それ以上相談しない方がいいでしょう。
Sore ijou soudan shinai hou ga ii deshou.
It’s best if we don’t really discuss it any more than that, don’t you think?
#27 当然: Naturally
たけし君がその有名な大学を卒業すると聞いたね。当然だ。利口な学生だね。
Takeshi kun ga sono yuumei na daigaku wo sotsugyou suru to kiita ne. Touzen da. Rikou na gakusei da ne.
I hear Takeshi will graduate from that famous college. Naturally; he’s a really bright student.
#28 つぎは: Next
次は、材料の明細を教えてくれない?
Tsugi ha, zairyou no meisai wo oshiete kurenai?
Next, could you share the details of the ingredients?
#29 ある日/ある夜: One Day/One Night
赤ずきんの話知ってる?ある日彼女はおばあさんの家で狼に出会った。
Akazukin no hanashi shitteru? Aru hi kanojo ha obaasan no ie de ookami ni deatta.
Do you know the story of Little Red Riding Hood? One day she met a wolf in her grandmother’s house.
#30 その他: Other(wise), The Rest
私はチーズケーキやその他のお菓子を食べた。
Watashi ha chi-zuke-ki ya sono hoka no okashi wo tabeta.
I ate cheesecake and some other sweets.
#31 たぶん: Probably
漢字を習うと中国語を読むのはたぶん無理でしょう。
Kanji wo narau to chuugokugo wo yomu no ha tabun muri deshou.
It’s probably impossible to learn kanji and then be able to read Chinese.
#32 それに対して: Regarding/In Contrast To
先生は学生に対しては優しいと思います。
Sensei ha gakusei ni taishite ha yasashii to omoimasu.
I think that the teacher is always very kind when it comes to her students.
Japanese Conversational Connectors: S-Z
#33 もうすぐ: Shortly/Soon
4時ぐらい来ると言いましたね。今4時10分です。もうすぐ来るでしょう。
Yoji gurai kuru to iimashita ne. Ima yoji juppun desu. Mou sugu kuru deshou.
He said he would come at about 4. It’s 4:10 right now, so he should be here shortly.
#34 間もなく: Soon/Shortly
間もなく電車が参ります。ご注意ください。
Mamonaku densha ga mairimasu. Gochuui kudasai.
The train will arrive soon. Please be careful.
#35 次の日: The Next Day
金曜日に雨が降ってきた。次の日、桜が咲いた。
Kinyoubi ni ame ga futtekita. Tsugi no hi, sakura ga saita.
The rain began on Friday. The next day, the sakura blossoms had bloomed.
#36 ようするに: The Point Is/In Short
歴史的な場所知ってる。ようするに、行きたくないよ。
Rekishiteki na basho shitteru. You suru ni, ikitakunai yo.
I know it’s a historical place. But the point is, I don’t want to go.
#37 というわけ/こういうわけ: This Means
新しい名札か?昇進したというわけだね!
Atarashii nafuda ka? Shoushin shita to iu wake da ne!
A new name tag? This means that I got the promotion!
#38 実は: The Truth Is/In Fact
たけし君が嫌いと言いましたが、実はね、大好きです。
Takeshi kun ga kirai to iimashita ga, jitsu ha ne, daisuki desu.
I said that I disliked Takeshi, but in reality…I actually like him a lot.
#39 だから: Thus/Therefore
来週、社長はこの支店を訪ねるつもりです。だから、頑張り続けて下さいね。
Raishuu, shachou ha kono shiten wo tazuneru tsumori desu. Dakara, ganbari tsuzukete kudasai ne.
The company president is planning to stop by this branch next week. Therefore, please continue to work hard.
#40 必ず: Undoubtedly/Always
毎日練習しているなら、必ず決勝戦で勝つ。
Mainichi renshuu shiteiru nara, kanarazu kesshousen de katsu.
If we’re practicing every day, surely we’ll win the championship match.
#41 じゃあ: Well
じゃあ、行きましょうか。
Jaa, ikimashou ka.
Well, shall we get going?
#42 これで: With This/Now
教えてくれてありがとうございます。これで、失礼します。
Oshiete kurete arigatou gozaimasu. Kore de, shitsurei shimasu.
Thank you so much for teaching me. Now, please excuse me.
Japanese Conversational Connectors FAQ
When To Use Ga Wa And O In Japanese?
が (ga) marks the subject of a sentence, often emphasizing new information or contrast. は (wa) is the topic marker, used for general statements or known information. を (o) marks the direct object of a verb, indicating what is being acted upon.
What Are Japanese Sentence Joiners?
Common Japanese sentence joiners include そして (soshite) for “and,” しかし (shikashi) for “however,” だから (dakara) for “therefore,” and それに (soreni) for “in addition.” These words help connect thoughts smoothly in conversations and writing.
What Level Of Japanese Is Considered Conversational?
Conversational Japanese is typically around JLPT N4 or N3, where learners can handle everyday topics, ask and answer questions, and express opinions in simple sentences.
Fluency in casual conversations often starts at N3 and improves significantly at N2.
Picking The Right Japanese Conversational Connectors For You
You may look at this list and think—that’s too much. More than 40 separate things to learn?
The good news is that there is a Japanese conversational connector for every level of Japanese! Pick out a few that you can see yourself using frequently and start by mastering those. Just two or three are more than enough.
Just don’t forget that there’s a happy medium between challenge and overwhelm. You don’t need to master all of these phrases in a week, a month, or even a year. Establish a pace that works for you and then stick to it, immersing yourself when you can.
Try out some of these Japanese conversational connectors on your Japanese friends, or see if you can spot them as you read Japanese books and listen to native Japanese materials like Japanese podcasts or Japanese shows on Netflix. You may be surprised at which ones you find and how often!
Olly Richards
Creator of the StoryLearning® Method
Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.
Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.
When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.
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