Hello everyone! I’m having this little issue with Japanese, I never know how to correctly end a sentence in a friendly setting naturally! I have been learning Japanese using the desu form and the casual form but talking with native people I can tell my way of speaking is too formal, but I’m scared of misusing the da yo nano no etc form (for female speech). Is da yo = desu and no = ka ? I sometimes here nano as substitue for desu ka and I’m just really confused 🙁
2 comments
“Da” = casual “desu,” so “da yo” = casual “desu yo.”
The “na no” thing is a bit more nuanced, but I believe it’s safe to think of it as a casual version of “no desu.” Instead of “so na n desu ka?” You casually say “so na no?.” The no ending gives a feeling that you’re talking about causality/the reason behind the actions of the sentence. I assume others will chime in with more complex ways to think about it but that always worked for me. It’s not as explicit of a question as “ka” but it’s definitely “questioning” speech.
Unless you are close to the person you are talking to, I would use “desu.” If someone start talking to me (native Japanese) with dayo ending, I would feel somewhat offended.
The same goes with “no” and “ka”. I think it’s always safe to ask “~desuka?” I only use “~nano?” to my friends and family.