何て言ったの？
nante itta no?
In Japanese, "what did you say?" is expressed as 何て言ったの？ (nante itta no?)
This phrase is used to ask someone to repeat something they have just said.
Which one should you use?
While 何て言ったの？ is a standard way to ask for repetition, it can sound slightly inquisitive or even slightly confrontational depending on the intonation, whereas mou ichido onegaishimasu is the standard polite way to ask someone to repeat themselves.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The formal way to ask is 何{なに}とおっしゃいましたか？ A polite version used when speaking to superiors or strangers is 何て言いましたか？ The informal expression for "What did you say?" is 何って言ったの？ The phrase 何って言ってたの？ is an informal way to ask "What did you say?" Dropping the final 'no' makes the phrase more blunt and casual, often used between close friends or in more aggressive confrontations: 何て言った？
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb 'itta' is the past tense of 'iu' (to say).
How do you pronounce it?
nante itta no?
Did you know?
- Japanese speakers often avoid saying 'what did you say?' by instead repeating the last few words they heard with a questioning tone.
- In a confrontation, simply repeating the word 何 (what) with a rising intonation can serve as a sharp, aggressive way to say 'What did you just say?' without using a full sentence.
- Japanese has a specific 'humble' verb for 'to say' mousu used in the formal version of this phrase to lower the speaker's status relative to the listener.
Examples in context
- 今、何て言ったの？Ima, nante itta no?What did you just say?
- えっ、何て言ったの？聞き取れなかった。E, nante itta no? Kikitore nakatta.Eh, what did you say? I couldn't catch that.
- ごめん、何て言ったの？Gomen, nante itta no?Sorry, what did you say?
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are talking in a noisy room.
- 大翔 Hiroto明日、映画に行かない？Ashita, eiga ni ikanai?Do you want to go to a movie tomorrow?
- 結衣 Yuiうるさくて聞こえなかった。何て言ったの？Urusakute kikoenakatta. Nante itta no?It's noisy and I couldn't hear. What did you say?
- 大翔 Hiroto明日、映画に行こうって言ったんだよ。Ashita, eiga ni ikou tte ittan da yo.I said let's go to a movie tomorrow.
- 結衣 Yuiいいよ！行こう！Ii yo! Ikou!Sure! Let's go!
