さあ
sā[sa̠ː]
The Japanese phrase for the encouragement 'come on' is さあ (sā).
さあ is used to prompt someone to take action or to start a new activity.
Meaning: expression of encouragement (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
sā
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, if a person says さあ with a rising intonation and a trailing off, they are actually expressing that they do not know the answer to a question.
- In Japanese culture, さあ is often accompanied by a welcoming gesture with the palm facing up and moving inward to guide a guest into a room.
- Adding a long vowel sound to the end, as in さああ, can change the tone from a prompt to a sigh of resignation or frustration.
Examples in context
- さあ、もう一度。Come on, try again.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use さあ when asking someone to try again.Tatoeba #216954 by small_snow, translation #54262 by CK
- さあ、入って入って。Come on in!This sentence is useful for practicing how to use さあ to invite someone to enter.Tatoeba #216921 by arnab, translation #54229 by CK
- さあ、ついておいで。Come on, follow me.This sentence is useful for practicing how to use さあ when asking someone to follow you.Tatoeba #3565366 by arnab, translation #3565048 by CK
- やる気出してよ！これから楽しいことが待っているよCome on, show some motivation! Fun things are waiting for us.
- ちょっと頑張って！後少しでゴールだよCome on, give it a little push! The finish line is just a little further.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A father is encouraging his daughter to start her homework.
- 陽太 Yotaさあ、勉強を始めよう。Saa, benkyou o hajimeyou.Come on, let's start studying.
- 陽葵 Himariえー、まだやりたくない。Ee, mada yaritakunai.No, I don't want to do it yet.
- 陽太 Yotaさあ、頑張って！Saa, ganbatte!Come on, do your best!
- 陽葵 Himariわかった、やるよ。Wakatta, yaru yo.Okay, I'll do it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry さあ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
