The four fillers and four reactions from the post — with more examples, the polite versions, and the listening habit that decides whether a Japanese speaker feels heard.
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Four fillers for when you are talking. Four reactions for when you are listening. The small words textbooks skip — and native speakers use in every conversation.
Your grammar can be perfect and you can still sound like a textbook. Most of that gap is these eight words.
By @ruto_japanese · NOVAS
When you hold the floor, fillers keep it while you think. When the other person holds it, reactions keep them going. Textbooks teach what to say in between — these are the words that fill the gaps.
Part 1 · Fillers — when you are talking
When an English speaker needs a second, they go quiet or say “um.” Japanese fills that gap with えー or えっと, and the sound does a job: it tells the other person you are still thinking and have not finished. A silent gap in the middle of a sentence sounds like you are stuck — or have stopped talking to them.
えっと is the everyday one. えー is a little more formal: it is what you hear at the start of speeches and presentations. Both stretch as long as you need while you search — えーっと…
Examples
えー、何にしようかな。
Um, what should I get…
A何時に来れる？
Bえっと、7時ぐらいかな。
“What time can you make it?” “Let me see… around seven, I think.”
えー、今日は3つお話しします。Formal
Um, today I'd like to talk about three things. — the opening of a presentation
あの is how you step into a conversation. Say it before you start talking, to catch someone's attention, or to cushion something awkward — a request, a no, a bit of bad news. It works with anyone: a friend, your boss, a stranger on the street.
It is usually followed by a small pause, and often stretched — あのー、 — which makes it softer still.
Examples
あの、昨日の映画のタイトルなんだっけ。
Um… what was the title of yesterday's movie again?
あの、すみません。トイレはどこですか？Polite
Um, excuse me — where's the restroom?
あの、明日なんですけど、ちょっと遅れてもいいですか？Polite
Um, about tomorrow — would it be okay if I'm a little late?
なんか takes the edge off. Put it in front of an opinion or a feeling and it stops sounding like a verdict — closer to “kind of” or “sort of.” It is also what comes out when you can't quite put a feeling into words, which is exactly when a learner needs it.
Examples
なんか今日寒くない？
Isn't it kind of cold today?
なんか眠い。
I'm kind of sleepy.
この店、なんかいいね。
There's something nice about this place.
まあ is a verbal shrug. It accepts something that isn't perfect, keeps you from sounding too sure, and lowers the temperature when things get tense — “well, I guess,” “oh well.”
Examples
まあ、大丈夫だと思うよ。
Well, I guess it'll be fine.
Aテストどうだった？
Bまあまあかな。
“How did the test go?” “So-so, I guess.” — doubled, まあまあ means “so-so.”
まあ、しょうがないね。
Oh well, it can't be helped.
In English, good listening is mostly quiet: eye contact, the odd nod, and your turn when they finish. Japanese expects the listener to take part the whole time the other person is talking.
These small responses have a name: 相槌 (aizuchi). The word comes from the smithy — two smiths striking the same iron in turn, one hammer answering the other. The speaker strikes, the listener strikes back, and the conversation keeps its rhythm.
Leave them out and the rhythm breaks. A Japanese speaker talking to a silent listener starts to wonder whether you are bored, lost, or quietly disagreeing — and will often just stop and ask 聞いてる？ (“Are you listening?”). The careful, respectful silence you learned in English comes across as the opposite.
Doing it the Japanese way
Part 2 · Reactions — when they are talking
The basic signal: “I'm with you, keep going.” Use うん with friends and family, and はい with anyone you speak です/ます to — a teacher, your boss, a shop clerk. Say it in the gaps while they talk, not just when they finish.
Doubled — うんうん — it sounds warmer, not impatient.
Examples
A今日めっちゃ暑くない？
Bうん、めっちゃ暑い。
“Isn't it super hot today?” “Yeah, super hot.”
A昨日さ、渋谷に行ったんだけど、
Bうん。
A高校の友達に会って、
Bうんうん。
A10年ぶりだったの！
Bへー！
“So yesterday I went to Shibuya—” “Uh-huh.” “—and I ran into a friend from high school—” “Mm-hm.” “—first time in ten years!” “No way!”
A来週の会議なんですけど、Polite
Bはい。
A3時からになりました。
Bはい、わかりました。
“About next week's meeting—” “Yes.” “—it now starts at three.” “Okay, got it.”
そうそう comes out when the other person says exactly what you were thinking — or finds the word you were reaching for. It is quick, and when you are excited it keeps going: そうそうそう！
Examples
A日本来たの1年前だっけ？
Bそうそう、ちょうど1年前！
“You came to Japan a year ago, right?” “Right — exactly a year ago!”
Aあの、駅前の新しい…
Bカフェ？
Aそうそう！
“You know, that new place by the station…” “The café?” “Yes, that one!”
A田中さんって、大阪出身ですよね？Polite
Bそうなんです。
“Tanaka-san, you're from Osaka, right?” “That's right.”
へー is how you receive something new: “Oh, I didn't know that.” It carries surprise and interest at once, and it is one of the most useful sounds in the language — as long as the tune is right.
It is casual. With people you speak です/ます to, say そうなんですか.
Examples
Aねこ3匹飼ってるよ。
Bへー、すごい！
“I have three cats.” “Oh wow, that's awesome!”
A来月、韓国に行くんだ。
Bへー、いいね！
“I'm going to Korea next month.” “Oh, nice!”
A毎朝5時に起きてるんです。Polite
Bそうなんですか！
“I get up at five every morning.” “Really? Wow.”
たしかに is agreement you have actually thought about: you're right, and I hadn't looked at it that way. That small beat of consideration is what makes it sound engaged rather than automatic.
Examples
A歩いた方が早くない？
Bたしかに。
“Wouldn't it be faster to walk?” “True.”
A雨だし、今日は家で映画見ない？
Bたしかに、それいいね。
“It's raining — want to just watch a movie at home today?” “Good point. Let's do that.”
A先に予約した方がいいと思います。Polite
Bたしかにそうですね。
“I think we should book ahead.” “You're right.”
Two of the eight work with anyone. The rest are for friends — so here is what to say instead when you are speaking です/ます.
Say your answer out loud before you open it. Out loud is the whole point — these words only become yours at speaking speed.
Someone asks your favourite food, and you need a second.
A好きな食べ物は？
B、ラーメンかな。
えっと (or えー) — you are thinking, so fill the pause instead of going silent.
You want a stranger to take your photo.
、すみません。写真撮ってもらえますか？
あの — the soft opener before you ask anything of anyone.
Your friend gets a detail exactly right.
Aあの人、田中さんの弟だよね？
B、よく知ってるね！
そうそう — they said exactly what you had in mind.
You want to say the room is hot without it sounding like a complaint.
この部屋暑くない？
なんか — it turns a statement into a feeling.
Your boss is explaining something and pauses.
A来週の会議なんですけど、
B。
はい — not うん: it is your boss. And it means “I'm following,” so say it in the pause.
Your friend mentions something you didn't know about them.
A実は、ピアノ弾けるんだ。
B、すごい！
へー — long and rising, so it sounds interested.
The game got rained off. Nothing to be done.
A雨で試合中止だって。
B、しょうがないね。
まあ — the shrug: accept it and move on.
Your friend makes a sensible suggestion.
A駅から遠いし、タクシーで行かない？
B。
たしかに — “fair point”: agreement you have actually thought about.
Screenshot this one.
And the habit under all of it: react while they are talking. In Japanese, silence reads as not listening.
Open a textbook and you will find grammar, vocabulary and neat model dialogues — and almost none of the eight words on this page. Yet in real conversation, native speakers use them all day, every day. That gap is why so many people who studied hard still sound like a textbook.
NOVAS is built the other way round. The curriculum starts from the words and expressions native speakers actually use, not from textbook Japanese.
If your goal is an academic test, a textbook will serve you. If your goal is to speak real Japanese, put the textbook down and learn it with NOVAS.