わよ

わよ
expression, particle
you know; I tell you (feminine emphasis)
informalcolloquialgrammatical
1. you know; I tell you (feminine sentence-final emphasis)
A sentence-final combination of わ and よ used in feminine speech to assert something to the listener. It is softer and warmer than plain よ, and often carries a note of reassurance or mild insistence.
大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)よ、心配(しんぱい)ないわよ。
It's fine, there's nothing to worry about.
そんなこと、私(わたし)は知(し)らないわよ。
I don't know anything about that, I tell you.
早(はや)く行(い)かないと、電車(でんしゃ)に間(ま)に合(あ)わないわよ。
If you don't hurry, you won't make the train, you know.

Attaches to the plain form of verbs and i-adjectives, and to nouns and na-adjectives either directly (静(しず)かだわよ) or, more naturally, without だ (静(しず)かよ).

Register

Strongly marked as feminine speech. It is common in fiction, drama, and translated dialogue, and in the speech of older women, but younger speakers today more often use plain よ or the softer のよ. Learners should recognize it rather than adopt it unless the feminine register is intended.

Similar words

  • よ: emphasis — neutral, used by any speaker
  • のよ: explanatory emphasis — feminine, but adds "the reason is" nuance
  • わね: feminine agreement-seeking — invites the listener to agree instead of asserting

Related Words

Related: よ (neutral emphasis particle)
Compare: ぜ (masculine counterpart)
Compare: のよ (explanatory emphasis)
general
Added 2026.7.30 21:18 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
30000/30248_wayo