Japanese Lesson 20 – Simple Opinions · N5

📋 Expression Reference — Simple Opinions

Key phrases across formality levels. Press ▶ to hear any expression.

FORMAL — けいご (KEIGO)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
わたしは～とおもいます。	Watashi wa ~ to omoimasu.	さようでございますね。 Sayō de gozaimasu ne.	Politely stating your opinion in a meeting
ちょっとちがうとおもいます。	Chotto chigau to omoimasu.	そうですか。では、どうおもいますか？ Sō desu ka. Dewa, dō omoimasu ka?	Politely disagreeing in a formal setting

STANDARD — ていねい (TEINEI)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
～とおもいます。	~ to omoimasu.	そうおもいます。 Sō omoimasu.	Standard way to say "I think ~"
～ですね。	~ desu ne.	ほんとうにそうですね。 Hontō ni sō desu ne.	Seeking agreement — "isn't it?" / "right?"
そうおもいます。	Sō omoimasu.	よかったです。 Yokatta desu.	"I think so" — agreeing with someone's opinion

CASUAL — くだけた (KUDAKETA)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
～とおもう。	~ to omou.	そうだね。 Sō da ne.	Casual "I think ~" — drop ます
そうだよね。	Sō da yo ne.	でしょ？ Desho?	"Yeah, right?" — warm casual agreement
うーん、ちょっと…	Uun, chotto…	え、なんで？ E, nande?	Soft disagreement — trailing off signals hesitation

🗣 Mini Dialogues

Three scenes at different formality levels. Press ▶ to hear each line.

A — FORMAL · Meeting — Discussing a New Plan

たなか

わたしはこのけいかくがいいとおもいます。

Watashi wa kono keikaku ga ii to omoimasu.

I think this plan is good.

わたしは [OPINION] とおもいます。

watashi wa [opinion] to omoimasu.

I (topic) [thought] that think

→ "In my opinion, [opinion]." — formal way to state a thought

すずき

ちょっとちがうとおもいます。もうすこしじかんがひつようでしょう。

Chotto chigau to omoimasu. Mō sukoshi jikan ga hitsuyō deshō.

I think it's a bit different. We probably need a little more time.

ちょっとちがうとおもいます。

chotto chigau to omoimasu.

→ "I think it's a bit different." — polite disagreement pattern

たなか

そうですか。では、もういちどかんがえましょう。

Sō desu ka. Dewa, mō ichido kangaemashō.

I see. Well then, let's think about it again.

B — STANDARD · Colleagues Discussing a Restaurant

ゆき

あのレストランはおいしいとおもいます。

Ano resutoran wa oishii to omoimasu.

I think that restaurant is delicious.

けんた

ほんとうにそうですね。やすいですし、いいですね。

Hontō ni sō desu ne. Yasui desu shi, ii desu ne.

That's really true. It's cheap too, so it's good, isn't it?

ほんとうにそうですね。

hontō ni sō desu ne.

→ "That's really true." — strong agreement in standard register

ゆき

こんどいっしょにいきませんか？

Kondo issho ni ikimasen ka?

Shall we go there together next time?

C — CASUAL · Friends Debating Which Movie to Watch

はると

このえいががいいとおもう。おもしろそうだよ。

Kono eiga ga ii to omou. Omoshirosō da yo.

I think this movie is good. It looks interesting.

[OPINION] とおもう。

[opinion] to omou.

[thought] that think

→ "I think [opinion]." — casual form, drop ます

さくら

うーん、ちょっと… あっちのほうがいいかもしれない。

Uun, chotto… Acchi no hō ga ii kamo shirenai.

Hmm, not sure… That one over there might be better.

はると

そうだね。じゃあ、あっちにしよう。

Sō da ne. Jā, acchi ni shiyō.

Yeah, you're right. OK, let's go with that one.

📋 Key Patterns & Cheatsheet ▼

Stating an opinion — ～とおもいます / ～とおもう

FORMAL

わたしは [OPINION] とおもいます。

Watashi wa [opinion] to omoimasu.

→ "In my opinion, ~." — formal, with わたしは for emphasis

STANDARD

[OPINION] とおもいます。

[opinion] to omoimasu.

→ "I think ~." — polite everyday form

CASUAL

[OPINION] とおもう。

[opinion] to omou.

→ "I think ~." — casual, drop ます

Seeking agreement — ～ですね / ～だね

🟢 STANDARD

いいですね。

Ii desu ne.

It's good, isn't it?

ね at the end invites agreement. Safe in polite conversation.

🟡 CASUAL

いいだね。 / いいね。

Ii da ne. / Ii ne.

Good, right? / Nice!

だね or just ね — casual tag question among friends.

Agreeing — そうおもいます / そうだね

🟢 STANDARD

そうおもいます。

Sō omoimasu.

I think so.

Polite agreement echoing the other person's view.

🟡 CASUAL

そうだよね。

Sō da yo ne.

Yeah, right?

だよね adds warmth. Very common among friends.

Soft disagreement — ちょっと…

FORMAL

ちょっとちがうとおもいます。

Chotto chigau to omoimasu.

→ "I think it's a bit different." — polite disagreement

CASUAL

うーん、ちょっと…

Uun, chotto…

→ "Hmm, not really…" — trail off to soften the disagreement

A — Flashcards

Click a card to flip it. Use ▶ to hear the Japanese.

tap to flip

1 / 10

B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then choose the correct English meaning.

C — Choose the Right Response

Listen to the question, then choose the most natural reply.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji. Japanese letters are not needed.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou / oo). Double consonants → write them twice (きって = kitte).

E — Shadowing Practice

Press ▶ to hear each line, say it aloud, then mark it as practised.

0 of 9 lines practised

📖 Grammar Notes ▼

～とおもいます — Quoting your thoughts

と (to) is a quotation particle. Place your thought/opinion before it, then add おもいます (omoimasu = think).

  • The quoted part uses plain form (dictionary/ない form), NOT ます form
  • いいとおもいます ✅ (ii to omoimasu)
  • いいますとおもいます ❌ — don't use ます inside the quote

Casual: replace おもいます with おもう (omou).

[PLAIN FORM] とおもいます。

[plain form] to omoimasu.

→ "I think [plain form]."

あのレストランはおいしいとおもいます。

Ano resutoran wa oishii to omoimasu.

I think that restaurant is delicious.

～ですね / ～だね — Tag questions (seeking agreement)

ね (ne) at the end of a sentence invites the listener to agree — like English "right?" or "isn't it?"

• STANDARD: [sentence] + ですね (desu ne)
• CASUAL: [sentence] + だね (da ne) or just ね (ne)

Rising intonation on ね makes it a question; flat intonation makes it a shared-feeling statement.

[ADJ / NOUN] ですね。

[adj / noun] desu ne.

→ "[It's adj/noun], isn't it?"

いいてんきですね。

Ii tenki desu ne.

Nice weather, isn't it?

そうですか vs そうですね — "Is that so?" vs "That's right"

These two sound similar but have opposite meanings:

• そうですか (sō desu ka) — "Is that so?" / "I see." — you are receiving NEW information
• そうですね (sō desu ne) — "That's right." / "Indeed." — you AGREE with what was said

Mixing them up changes the entire tone. か = question/receipt; ね = agreement/shared feeling.

そうです [か / ね]

sō desu [ka / ne]

→ か = "I see" (new info) / ね = "Indeed" (agreement)

そうですか。では、もういちどかんがえましょう。

Sō desu ka. Dewa, mō ichido kangaemashō.

I see. Well then, let's think about it again.

ちょっと… — Soft disagreement by trailing off

Japanese avoids direct "no" statements. Saying ちょっと… and trailing off signals disagreement or hesitation without being confrontational.

• ちょっとちがうとおもいます = "I think it's a bit different" (polite)
• うーん、ちょっと… = "Hmm, not really…" (casual — leave the sentence unfinished)

The listener understands the implied refusal. This is culturally important in Japanese communication.

ちょっと [ちがうとおもいます / …]

chotto [chigau to omoimasu / …]

→ "A bit [different / …]" — the trailing off IS the disagreement

うーん、ちょっと… あっちのほうがいいかもしれない。

Uun, chotto… Acchi no hō ga ii kamo shirenai.

Hmm, not sure… That one might be better.

～でしょう — "Probably" / "I'd say"

でしょう (deshō) expresses probability or a gentle assertion. It softens a statement, making it less absolute.

• じかんがひつようでしょう = "We'll probably need time"
• いいでしょう = "It's probably good" / "I'd say it's fine"

Casual form: でしょ (desho) — shorter, often used by women, but increasingly gender-neutral.

[NOUN / ADJ] でしょう。

[noun / adj] deshō.

→ "[Noun/adj] probably." / "I'd say [noun/adj]."

もうすこしじかんがひつようでしょう。

Mō sukoshi jikan ga hitsuyō deshō.

We probably need a little more time.

～かもしれません / ～かもしれない — "Maybe"

かもしれません (kamo shiremasen) means "it might be" or "maybe". It expresses uncertainty.

  • STANDARD: [plain form] + かもしれません
  • CASUAL: [plain form] + かもしれない (kamo shirenai) or かも (kamo)

  • いいかもしれません = "It might be good" (standard)
  • いいかもしれない = "It might be good" (casual)
  • いいかも = "Maybe good" (very casual)

[PLAIN FORM] かもしれません。

[plain form] kamo shiremasen.

→ "It might be [plain form]." / "Maybe [plain form]."

あっちのほうがいいかもしれない。

Acchi no hō ga ii kamo shirenai.

That one over there might be better.

📚 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
おもう	omou	to think
おもいます	omoimasu	to think (polite)
いけん	iken	opinion
ちがう	chigau	to differ / to be wrong
かんがえる	kangaeru	to think (deeply) / to consider
けいかく	keikaku	plan
ひつよう	hitsuyō	necessary / needed
ほんとうに	hontō ni	really / truly
ちょっと	chotto	a little / a bit
おもしろい	omoshiroi	interesting / funny
おいしい	oishii	delicious
やすい	yasui	cheap / easy
えいが	eiga	movie / film
レストラン	resutoran	restaurant
いっしょに	issho ni	together