42 Japanese Conversational Connectors That Will Make You Sound Just Like A Native

One of the biggest roadblocks that many new Japanese learners face is stilted speech, but Japanese conversational connectors can help with this.

Once you have developed the ability to craft sentences, you may find yourself frustrated that you seem to be speaking or even writing in a choppy manner, with no connections or overarching structures dictating your sentences. This can result in short sentences one after another that do not sound smooth and native.

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 are 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 integrating 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.

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#1 そして: And Then

• 今日は掃除して、そしてテレビを見ます。
• Kyou ha souji shite, soshite terebi wo mimasu.
• Today I’ll clean up a bit, and then watch TV.

#2 それに: And Also

• たこ焼き、それにエビフライをお願いします。
• Takoyaki, sore ni ebifurai wo onegaishimasu.
• I’ll take takoyaki, oh and also fried shrimp, please.

#3 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.

#4 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.

#5 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.

#6 (そう)すると: By Doing X

• 日本語の本を読んで、友達と話さなきゃいけないね。そうすると、日本語で上手になるよ。
• Nihongo no hon wo yonde, tomodachi to hanasanakya ikenai ne. Sou suru to, nihongo de jouzu ni naru yo.
• You have to read books in Japanese and talk in Japanese to your friends. By doing that, you’ll become more proficient.

#7 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. 

#8 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!

#9 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.

#10 その結果: As A Result

• 六ヶ月ダイエットを続けました。その結果、１０キロやせました。
• Rokkagetsu daietto wo tsuzukemashita. Sono kekka, 10 kiro yasemashita.
• I continued on my diet for six months. As a result, I lost 10 kilos.

#11 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.

#12 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.

#13 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.

#14 けれども: But (Subverting Expectations)

• 友達と勉強するように図書館に行きましたけれども、友達はいませんでした。
• Tomodachi to benkyou suru you ni toshokan ni ikimashita keredomo, tomodachi ha imasen deshita.
• I went to the library to study with my friend, but my friend wasn’t there.

#15 その後: After That

• 大学を卒業したいです。その後、Sonyで働きたいです。
• Daigaku wo sotsugyou shitai desu. Sono ato, Sony de hatarakitai desu.
• I want to graduate college, and after that, I want to work at Sony.

#16 最後に: Finally

• 卵とミルクを入れて、最後に水も入れてください。
• Tamago to miruku wo irete, saigo ni mizu mo irete kudasai.
• Put the egg and milk in, and then finally add the water.

#17 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.

#18 けど: But

• 牛乳が嫌いだけど、強くなりように、飲む。
• Gyuunyuu ga kirai da kedo, tsuyokunaru you ni, nomu.
• I hate milk, but in order to become strong, I drink it.

#19 そこで: Because

• 日本語のテストで40点しか取れなかった。そこで勉強方法を変てみたら、70点取れた。
• Nihongo no tesuto de 40 ten shika torenakatta. Soko de benkyou houhou wo kaete mitara, 70 ten toreta.
• You only got 40 points on your Japanese test. Because of that, you tried changing your study method, and you got 70 points.

#20 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.

#21 それから: And After That

• まず真面目に勉強して、それからテストを受けますね。
• Mazu majime ni benkyou shite, sorekara tesuto wo ukemasu ne.
• First you have to study hard, and after that you can take the test, right?

#22 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.

#23 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? 

#24 とりわけ: Especially

• よくお菓子をかいたい、とりわけはらへった時だ。
• Yoku okashi wo kaitai, toriwake hara hetta toki da.
• I often want to buy sweets, especially when I’m hungry.

#25 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.

#26 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.

#27 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.

#28 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.

#29 その時: At That Time

• 1639 から1853までに日本は「鎖国」していました。その時に、他の国とあまり取引していませんでした。
• 1639 kara 1853 made ni nihon ha “sakoku” shiteimashita. Sono toki ni, hoka no kuni to amari torihiki shiteimasen deshita.
• From 1639 to 1853, Japan was a “closed country.” At that time, it didn’t really trade with other countries.

#30 じゃあ: Well

• じゃあ、行きましょうか。
• Jaa, ikimashou ka.
• Well, shall we get going?

#31 まずは: First

• 作り方はかなり難しいね。まずは材料を集めた方がいい。
• Tsukurikata ha kanari muzukashii ne. Mazu ha zairyou wo atsumeta hou ga ii.
• The method of preparation is fairly difficult. First, you should gather your ingredients.

#32 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?

#33 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.

#34 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.

#35 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.

#36 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.

#37 結局: After All/In The End

• 一心に勉強したけど、結局40点しか取れなかった。
• Isshin ni benkyou shita kedo, kekkyoku 40 ten shika torenakatta.
• I studied so fervently for this, but in the end I only managed 40 points.

#38 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!

#39 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.

#40 例えば: For Example

• 日本はたくさんきれいな都市があります。例えば、福岡は美しい風景で、海も見える所がたくさんあるでしょう。
• 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.

#41 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.

#42 それにも関わらず: Despite/In Spite Of

• アメリカに住んでいるにも関わらず、英語が話せない人もいます。
• Amerika ni sundeiru no mo kakawarazu, eigo ga hanasenai hito mo imasu.
• There are people who cannot speak English even though they live in America.

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.

Once those become a habit, you can gradually incorporate more. This list ranges from simple, basic words at the N4 level to complex and nuance phrases for N1 speakers, which means there’s a little something for everyone. 

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 manga and music. You may be surprised at which ones you find and how often!