What does it mean word for word?
The noun 冗談 means 'joke'.
Which one should you use?
While 冗談だよ is a standard informal way to say you are kidding, 冗談だから offers a slightly softer informal tone. If the joke has already passed, you can use 冗談でしたよ to indicate that you were kidding about something in the past.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For casual settings or when speaking with friends, use 冗談だよ or the softer 冗談だから. In formal situations, such as when speaking to superiors or strangers, use the polite form 冗談です.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 冗談だよ, the particle よ at the end adds an assertive or explanatory tone, much like saying 'I'm telling you, it's a joke'. If you change the ending to 冗談じゃない, the meaning is reversed to 'It is not a joke', which is often used to express disbelief or to say 'You've got to be kidding me'.
How do you pronounce it?
jōdan da yo
Did you know?
- In Japanese comedy, the role of the 'straight man' who reacts to the jokes is called the tsukkomi, a word that means 'to poke' or 'to criticize'.
- The word 冗談 is composed of the characters for 'superfluous' or 'redundant' and 'talk'. This suggests that a joke is essentially 'unnecessary talk' that serves no practical purpose.
- Japanese has a specific term called boke for the person who tells the joke or acts the fool, which is the counterpart to the tsukkomi.
Examples in context
- ほんの冗談だよ。I'm just kidding.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 冗談だよ.Tatoeba #195863 by mookeee, translation #398513 by CM
- 冗談ですよ、明日はお休みですよ。Just kidding, tomorrow is a day off.
- 冗談だよ、そんなわけないじゃん。jōdan da yo, sonna wake nai jan.Just kidding, there's no way that's true.
- 今の、冗談だよ！ima no, jōdan da yo!I was just kidding about that just now!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren tells Misaki a scary story and then laughs.
- 蓮 Ren実は、君のバッグに虫が入っていたんだ。jitsu wa, kimi no baggu ni mushi ga haitte ita nda.Actually, there was a bug in your bag.
- 美咲 Misakiえっ、嘘でしょ？！e', uso desho?!What, you're kidding!
- 蓮 Ren冗談だよ、驚かせてごめんね。jōdan da yo, odorakasete gomen ne.Just kidding, sorry for startling you.
- 美咲 Misakiもう、本当にびっくりしたよ！mō, hontō ni bikkuri shita yo!Geez, you really scared me!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
