It Is So
“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” - Benjamin Disraeli
Three simple words… “It is so.”
For some reason, these words ring so true with the Japanese language. In every conversation “it is so” “it is so” “it is so” gets repeated over and over again. Is this the most important phrase in the Japanese language? Maybe. No matter what, though, there’s no denying that this phrase is, at the very least, redonkulously important (yes, that’s the technical term).
In Japanese “it is so” is translated as:
そうです
The cool part is that そう is translated as “so” making it particularly easy to remember. It is そう… er… so!
Agreement, it seems, is really important in the Japanese language. In conversation, if you don’t interject with quick things like “is it so?”, “it is so,” “ehhh?”, or “hai, hai,” it seems like you aren’t listening. In English, it’s often the opposite. If you’re constantly agreeing or saying something just to show you’re listening, it can be thought of as rude and interrupting. In Japanese, you have to do this. Next time you’re watching someone having a regular old conversation (anime conversations don’t seem to work this way) you’ll most likely be able to notice this, even if you don’t understand what they’re saying.
そうです is one of the big ones. It’s also just a phrase you will be able to use a lot (and hear people using a lot). When it comes to sentence enders especially, this phrase seems to be king. You’ll see why in just a moment.
For now, though, there are just two things you need to learn and know.
そうです
It is so
そうですか？
Is it so?
Once you’ve memorized these two very simple phrases, move on. I think you’ll be surprised how far these two little things will take you (now and ten years from now!).