いいね
ii ne
In Japanese, "sounds great" is expressed as いいね (ii ne).
This expression is a common reaction used to show enthusiastic approval of a suggestion, a plan or a piece of news.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The casual form いいね is used with friends, family or people of equal or lower social status. For a polite version suitable for use with acquaintances or superiors, you can say いいですね by adding です (desu) to the end. If you wish to express "That sounds great" in a formal manner, you can use Sore wa yoi desu ne.
How do you pronounce it?
ii ne
Did you know?
- While いい means 'good', if you say いいです in response to an offer, it can actually mean 'No thank you' depending on the intonation.
- In digital communication, many Japanese users use the いいね button, which is the exact equivalent of the 'Like' button on Facebook.
- The phrase いいね is frequently repeated twice as いいね、いいね to show genuine excitement or a growing sense of approval.
Examples in context
- そりゃいいね。That sounds great.Tatoeba #2570658 by bunbuku, translation #1839561 by CK
- いいねぇ。後で見に行くよ。Sounds great, I'll have a look afterwards.Tatoeba #399697 by blay_paul, translation #331937 by SeeVogel
- そのプラン、いいね！Sono puran, ii ne!That plan sounds great!
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to do this weekend.
- 陽太 Yota今週末、海に行かない？Konshuumatsu, umi ni ikanai?Want to go to the beach this weekend?
- 陽葵 Himariいいね！楽しそう。Ii ne! Tanoshisou.Sounds great! It looks fun.
- 陽太 Yotaじゃあ、車で迎えに行くよ。Jaa, kuruma de mukae ni iku yo.Then, I'll come pick you up by car.
- 陽葵 Himari助かるよ、ありがとう！Tasukaru yo, arigatou!That helps, thank you!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
