冗談だよ
jōdan da yo
The Japanese phrase for "I am joking" is 冗談だよ (jōdan da yo).
This phrase is used to tell someone that what you just said was not serious or true. While English speakers often say 'I am joking' (using a verb), Japanese speakers more commonly use the noun 'joke' with a copula, effectively saying 'It is a joke'. Another way to express this is 冗談で言ってる, which indicates that what was said was meant as a joke.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 冗談 (jōdan) literally means "joke".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
冗談だよ is the informal version of 'I am joking' used among friends, family or people of lower social status. For formal situations, such as when speaking to strangers or superiors, you should use the polite form 冗談です.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the form 冗談だよ, the particle だ (da) acts as the informal copula "is" and よ (yo) is a sentence-ending particle used to add emphasis or provide new information to the listener.
How do you pronounce it?
jōdan da yo
Did you know?
- In Japanese comedy, the concept of a 'bad joke' or a joke that fails is often called スベる (suberu), which literally means 'to slip'.
- The word 冗談 (jōdan) is composed of two kanji: 冗 meaning 'superfluous' and 談 meaning 'talk' or 'chat'.
- The particle よ at the end of 冗談だよ can sometimes sound like you are aggressively correcting someone's misunderstanding.
Examples in context
- 昨日、北極で泳いできたんだ。冗談だよ！I swam in the North Pole yesterday. Just kidding!
- もちろん、明日の朝5時に起きるよ。冗談で言ってるよ！Of course, I'll wake up at 5 am tomorrow. Just joking!
- 冗談だよ、そんなわけないじゃん。Jōdan da yo, sonna wake nai jan.I am joking, there is no way that is true.
Example conversation
Ren tells Himari a fake scary story to tease her.
- 蓮 Ren実は、明日テストがあるんだ。Jitsu wa, ashita tesuto ga aru n da.Actually, there is a test tomorrow.
- 陽葵 Himariえっ、本当に！？嘘でしょ？E'! Hontō ni!? Uso desho?What, really!? You're kidding, right?
- 蓮 Ren冗談だよ、そんなに驚かないで。Jōdan da yo, sonna ni odorokanaide.I am joking, don't be so surprised.
- 陽葵 Himariもう、びっくりさせないでよ！Mō, bikkuri sasenaide yo!Geez, don't scare me like that!
