1.
interjection; exclamation (part of speech)
A grammatical term for a word that expresses emotion, a call, or a response and that typically stands alone rather than combining with other words. Examples in Japanese include ああ, おお, おや, あら, えっ, and はい / いいえ as replies.
Placing an interjection at the start of a sentence conveys the speaker's feelings more strongly.
Composed of 感嘆 (admiration; exclamation; sighing in wonder) + 詞 (word, a suffix used for grammatical parts of speech). A grammatical term used in Japanese language education and linguistics.
Examples of interjections
- ああ / あー: ah (realization, resignation)
- おお: oh (surprise, admiration)
- おや / あら: oh my (mild surprise)
- えっ / え?: huh? (surprise, asking to repeat)
- へえ: oh / really (mild interest)
- うわあ: wow / yikes (strong reaction)
- はい / いいえ: yes / no (responses)
- こんにちは / さようなら: greetings are sometimes classed here too
Similar words
- 間投詞: interjection — an almost-synonym, often used interchangeably. Some grammarians distinguish them, treating 感嘆詞 as narrower (pure expressions of feeling) and 間投詞 as broader (anything inserted into a sentence without a grammatical role).
- 擬音語: onomatopoeia (sound-imitating words) — related but distinct; imitates external sounds rather than expressing feeling.
- 擬態語: mimetic words — describes manners or states rather than sounds.
Related part-of-speech terms
Usage
A technical term that appears in Japanese grammar books, dictionaries, and language-learning materials. In everyday conversation Japanese speakers never need to name their own interjections — but the word is essential for talking about how Japanese works grammatically.