Translation guide
English tag questions like 'wasn't it?' are used to seek agreement or confirmation. Japanese expresses this through sentence-final particles, intonation, or alternative constructions rather than a direct translation.
The speaker believes the statement is true and expects the listener to agree, similar to English 'right?' or 'wasn't it?'.
Add ね to a polite statement to seek agreement. The rising intonation on ね turns it into a tag question.
It's hot today, isn't it?
That movie was interesting, wasn't it?
Add ね to a casual statement. Very common among friends and family.
It was fun, wasn't it?
Used to seek confirmation, often with a rising intonation. Slightly more insistent or rhetorical than ね. Can sound feminine or soft in some contexts.
This is your umbrella, isn't it?
Casual negative question form used to seek agreement, like 'isn't it?'. Common in informal speech.
That's a bit expensive, isn't it?
Polite negative question form. More formal and less common in daily conversation, but used in formal settings or writing.
Isn't this a wonderful piece of work?
The speaker is less certain and wants to verify a fact, similar to 'was it ...?' or 'is that right?'.
Used when trying to recall or confirm a past fact. Implies you think you know but want to check.
The meeting was from 3 o'clock, wasn't it?
Casual version of でしたっけ for confirming past states or facts.
Yesterday's test was hard, wasn't it?
Combines よ (assertion) and ね (agreement) with rising intonation to confirm information. Slightly more assertive than ね alone.
This is Tanaka-san's umbrella, isn't it?
The speaker strongly believes the statement and uses the tag to emphasize it, often not expecting a real answer.
Used to assert an opinion strongly, like 'you know' or 'isn't it obvious'. Often used in persuasive speech.
This policy has problems, doesn't it? (you know it does)
Very casual, often regional (common in Kanto). Equivalent to じゃないか or じゃない. Used for strong assertion among friends.
That's great, isn't it!
English tag questions change form based on the main verb and tense (wasn't it?, didn't you?, aren't they?, etc.). Japanese does not have a direct equivalent. Instead, use sentence-final particles like ね or よね, or negative question forms like じゃない？. The choice depends on politeness level and the nuance you want to convey.
It was fun, wasn't it?
It was fun, wasn't it? (casual)
ね simply seeks agreement. よね adds a nuance of 'I think so, but let me confirm'. じゃない？ is more like 'isn't it the case that...?' and can sound more assertive or rhetorical. Use ね for neutral tag questions, よね when you're fairly sure but checking, and じゃない？ for casual, slightly pushy agreement-seeking.
With ね and よね, a rising intonation turns them into questions seeking confirmation. A falling intonation can make them sound like soft assertions or monologue markers. Pay attention to pitch in conversation.
That was a great party, wasn't it?
You're coming tomorrow, aren't you?
This is the right way, isn't it?
This cake is delicious, isn't it?
この店、雰囲気いいじゃない？
This place has a nice atmosphere, doesn't it?
It's delicious, right? (checking)
It's delicious, isn't it? (assertive)