The meaning of souka (そうか) in Japanese and how to use it

This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word souka, including its Japanese definition and translation, usage, example sentences, alternative phrases and more!

Contents

What does souka mean?

Souka or soka (そうか) is a casual Japanese phrase that means “I see” or “is that so?”. It can therefore function as either a statement or a (usually rhetorical) question. A neutral pronunciation makes souka a statement whereas stressing the “sou” part makes it a question. The polite version of this is sou desu ka (そうですか).

Since the question form of souka is often rhetorical, it doesn’t require an answer. In this sense, souka sometimes functions as an aizuchi (相槌) word that simply shows that you’re listening to the other person.

Is the “sou” in souka the same as “so” in English?

Interestingly enough, the sou in souka has the same meaning as so in English, but sou originates from the Japanese word 然う(そう). We can therefore state that this is just a coincidence, but it should hopefully help you to remember the phrase.

Below, we take a look at some examples of the various ways you can use souka in Japanese.

To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji on the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last. I have also highlighted the new phrase in bold.

Example sentences using souka

In Japanese, souka means "I see" or "is that so"?

ああ、そうか！
Aa, souka!
Oh, I see!

そうか。じゃあ、どこに行く？
Souka. Jyaa, doko ni iku?
そうか。じゃあ、どこにいく?
I got it. So where shall we go?

あ、そっか。がっかりだね。
A, souka. Gakkari da ne.
Oh, I see. That’s disappointing isn’t it.

Yappari souka

Yappari souka means it was true after all or I knew it. This is a pretty useful phrase to know so I recommend noting it down.

やっぱりそうか。彼女だと思ってた。
Yappari souka. Kanojo da to omotteta.
やっぱりそうか。かのじょだとおもってた。
Ah, I knew it l. I did think it was her.

Souka souka!

Sometimes, Japanese speakers might say souka souka, which essentially means the same thing as souka. It simply shows they have understood what was said.

Soukaaaa: Shucks

For a situation that is a little bit negative or disappointing, you can draw out the “ka” in souka to make it sound more like soukaaaa. English equivalents might be something like oh darn it or shucks. If you want to look really Japanese, try looking down at the floor while saying this!

そうかぁー。どうしよう。
Soukaaaa. Dou shiyou.
Shucks. What shall we do about it?

Author
Recent Posts

Rohan

Rohan is a professional Japanese translator and the author behind Tanukiki.com, a blog that offers Japanese language tips and insights on life in Japan.

Rohan's favorite resource for learning Japanese is JapanesePod101, one of the best tools for getting started with the language. Sign up for a free lifetime account here.