ほらね
hora ne
The English phrase "I told you" can be translated into Japanese using several forms, most commonly ほらね (hora ne). Wiktionary also lists だから言ったでしょう (dakara itta deshō) and だから言ったでしょ (dakara itta desho).
Meaning: I told you (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| ほらね | hora ne |
| だから言ったでしょう | dakara itta deshō |
| だから言ったでしょ | dakara itta desho |
ほらね functions similarly to the English "See?" or "Told you!"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase だから言ったでしょう breaks down into だから (therefore), 言った (said) and でしょう (right?).
Which one should you use?
ほらね is a much more casual and often slightly teasing way to say "I told you so" compared to the dakara forms.
How do you pronounce it?
hora ne
Did you know?
- The word ほら in ほらね literally translates to 'look' or 'lo', as if you are physically pointing at something to grab someone's attention.
- Using ほらね with a high pitch can make you sound like a teasing child, whereas a low pitch can sound like a condescending adult.
- In professional settings, using any of these 'I told you' phrases can be seen as extremely rude, as they shift the focus onto the speaker's correctness rather than the solution.
Examples in context
- 私はあなたにそれについて言いました。I told you about that.
- 私は言ったでしょう！I told you!
- ほらね、雨が降ってきたよ。Horane, ame ga futte kita yo.See, I told you, it started raining.
- ほらね、やっぱりこれだ。Horane, yappari kore da.See, I told you, it was this one.
- ほらね、間に合ったよ。Horane, ma ni atta yo.See, I told you, we made it in time.
Example conversation
Himari and Kenta are looking at a finished puzzle.
- 陽葵 Himariほらね、完成したよ。Horane, kansei shita yo.See, I told you, it's finished.
- 健太 Kenta本当に、陽葵の言う通りだ。Hontou ni, Himari no iu toori da.Truly, it's just as you said, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himari健太、自信を持って！Kenta, jishin o motte!Kenta, have confidence!
- 健太 Kenta次はもっとうまくやるよ。Tsugi wa motto umaku yaru yo.I will do better next time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I told you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
