also: えと · えーと · えーっと · え〜と · ええと · ええっと · えーーっと · えーーーっと · えーーーーっと
let me see; well; errr; uhh
Filler used when pausing to think, recall, or hesitate. Equivalent to English 'let me see', 'well', 'err', or 'uh'. Very common in casual conversation.
Let me see, what was I going to say?
えっと、明日の予定は…
Well, tomorrow's plans are...
何と言うか signals hesitation specifically about how to phrase something, whereas えーと is a general filler used while thinking of any word or fact.
えっと is a casual filler for hesitating while thinking, while そうですね is the more polite, formal way to buy time with the same meaning of 'let me see'.
Most common spelling in standard Japanese.
Common variant with a long vowel mark.
Variant with long vowel mark and geminate consonant.
Slightly shorter variant; less common than えっと.
Search-only variant with repeated vowel and geminate consonant.
Search-only variant with repeated vowel.
A natural hesitation sound; the exact origin is uncertain, but it is a common filler in spoken Japanese.