When fist studying Japanese, we often get so caught up in the formality of the language —addressing others the right way, apologizing constantly, bowing — that we seem to believe there is no casualty to the language.
While it is true that Western sarcasm really does not exist in Japanese, there are still a few key phrases I would like to introduce that lighten the mood when speaking in Japanese. This will help you when conversing with friends to not always make you seem like a serious, robotic person.
Here are some key phrases and responses you can use when joking around with friends:
へえー？嘘「うそ」でしょ！Or マジー？！
When you don’t believe what someone’s saying, you can laugh and say either of these phrases.
バカだなー！
When you want to tell someone they’re stupid, you can say this phrase.
福澤諭吉は一番かっこいい人だね。
If you want to be really funny, when someone compliments you, you can always refer to the man on the 10,000 yen bill as being better than you. (Fukuzawa Yukichi).
That’s all for today’s lesson! Remember, Japanese, while a seemingly formal and serious language, also has a lighthearted nature built in as well.
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