Ending sentences with ね - The ね effect

I look good, don't I? 

Perhaps you may have had many opportunities to converse in Japanese. You may also have noticed that conversational Japanese is quite differenct from grammar book Japanese. This is pretty much the case for most languages, but it's quite easily noticed in Japanese.

One thing you may always notice when speaking in Japanese is the ね at the end of a sentence.  

This may not always be used, but used quite frequently and more often than one thinks( I mean for native Japanese speakers). 

ね is quite powerful and can have a lot more impact than one thinks. 

It's flexible since it can be used in question formatting as well as replying formats; it carries the essence of casual agreement and persuation. It can also be used to ' just follow the rest ' in terms of keeping the atmosphere of the conversation in a stable and controlled state. In other words it's an escape to confrontation which could create problems and unwanted preconceived thoughts. 

There is a lot of culture involved as well. 

Now, it's always more difficult to explain than show, so I'll show you some examples: 

Replying with はい,はーい or はいはい??

Mom,,,, look at me, I'm a bird !! 

In Japanese, はい means yes.

There are several versions of はい and are used in specific situations. Understanding the differences and being able to use those versions effectively can give you an edge with your conversational Japanese. 

• The normal はい

This is what you would learn in a grammar book. But, how and when is it used? And in what context?

This is the polite version of うん which also means yes. はい is used towards strangers, people you are not that close to, and in professional environments. 

Cashier: 牛乳の瓶を袋に入れましょうか？

　　　　ぎゅうにゅうのびんをふくろにいれましょうか？

　　　　　Shall I put the bottles of milk in a plastic bag?

You:　　はい、お願いします。

　　　　はい、おねがいします。

　　　　Yes, please. 

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.