Natural Replies in Japanese - 自然な返事

Yes, literally,,,,,,,, 

In Japanese there are many ways to reply. Some are distinguished between polite and impolite replies. 

I’d like to introduce replies used in the household as well as in business. 

Household(can also be used with friends, people you are close to) or casual replies: 

• うん(yes, sure, alright)

Mom:ケン、皿洗いしといてね！！
　　　Ken, please have the dishes washed!! 
Son: うん。　
           Sure. 

• わかった (yes,sure,alright; can also be used together with うん)

Husband:　物件会社に電話してくれる？
　　　　　Can you give a call to the real estate company? 
Wife:          うん、わかった。
　　　　　Yeah, sure. 

• オッケー (okay, alright, got it) which pretty much comes from okay

                    but is used quite commonly nowadays among teens and 
                    the young generation (ケー is stressed more)

    Taro:      来週の予定を立てておいてね。
   　　　　Please have next week’s plan ready. 

    Maria:     オッケー
　　　　　Okay. 
Usually when the オッケー　is used, it shows cheerfulness, and a slight mischievousness depending on the user. It’s usually a reply happily accepting whatever the reply concerns with. It can also act as a reply that ‘ breaks the ice ‘ so to say, it can strengthen relationships ( be it friendship, romance, etc. )

Perhaps it’s not advisable to use it in a business environment, but maybe possible with very close work-mates. 

• はーい or はいはい

Father:  部屋は散らかしにしちゃだめだよ。
　　　Son, you mustn’t leave your room messy.

Son:     はーい。
　　　Okay dad. 

   
   Now, this can have several contexts depending on the situation. The son in the example might have said はーい just so his father would stop nagging him, or because he sincerely accepted his father’s criticism and responded with a reply(impolite since they are family). 


Sometimes people can reply with はいはい when they really want to be left alone or are annoyed with the person talking to them. 

はーい、might be the safer option. 

Oh yeah, the " take it easy " reply, really chilled and laid back

Business Replies: 

• 了解です(Got it, Roger )

Senior work-mate: 銀行の手続きをお願いね。
　　　　　　　　ぎんこうのてつづきをおねがいね
　　　　　　　　Please do the paperwork for the bank.

Junior work-mate:  はい、了解です。
　　　　　　　　はい、りょうかいです
                              Roger that. 

It might be used less compared to other replies that I am going to introduce. However, it’s still very effective and clear. Even as work-mates, in Japan, there might be a slight difference between someone older and experienced compared to someone young and inexperienced. It might be difficult to think of a scenario that involves the opposite. 

• かしこまりました ( Understood, Yes sir!! {that might be the translation best understood in English} ) 

Boss: 木下、残業もしっかりしといてね。
　　　きのした、ざんぎょうもしっかりしといてね。
　　　Get the leftover work done properly Kinoshita.

Kinoshita:  はい、かしこまりました。
　　　　　Yes, understood sir. 


This sort of has a bit of a military feel to it. Kind of like the “ SIR YES SIR!!” response you would see in the army. It’s used in business, but not in excess. 

• 分かりました　（I understand, understood )

Restaurant manager:  肉屋さんの配達が午後３時になるから任せたよ。
　　　　　　にくやさんのはいたつがごごさんじになるからまかせたよ
　　       The meat delivery will come at 3pm so good luck handling that 

Employee:  はい、分かりました
　　　　　　はい、わかりました
　　　　　Yes, I understand 

This might be the most frequent reply to show understanding and clarification. It’s rather passive, not too emotional and well-balanced. 

As formal as you can get, perhaps one teenie tiny thing

So, for both the casual and business replies, I would suggest you try using all of them at first, interchanging them with one another. Try and listen to others and see how they reply. See what clicks and what doesn’t in certain situations. Observing and then reflecting on the replies can go a long way.