Lessons in Japanese Part 1

Abbreviated Sentence endings 

The student should be aware of the practice of leaving sentences unfinished. As you will see in the examples below, conversations between Japanese people frequently feature phrases that end in “but…” and “so…” 

1. “I’m not sure how to read this so…” (Won’t you teach me how?)
2. “I called multiple times but he never picked up so…” (I’m in a bit of trouble.)
3. “I’m busy so…” (I can’t make it.)

This technique avoids saying that which is difficult to say.  For example, instead of saying, “I’m busy this Saturday so I can’t make it,” it is better to say, “Well, this Saturday is a little…”  Declining in this vague manner ensures that the other person’s feelings will not be disturbed.  The other person is to understand that the “…” contains the refusal.  This technique manifests the Japanese tradition of taking great care to protect another’s feelings.  Mastering this practice will make your conversations sound more sophisticated. 

Excerpt from textbook “Gateway to Advanced Japanese”