Grammar › Particles
ね and よ — agreement and emphasis
ね = “right?” / よ = “I'm telling you”
Sentence-final particles carry tone. ね seeks agreement or softens — “…, right?” “…, isn't it?”. よ asserts new information the listener doesn't know — “…, I tell you / you should know”. They're the difference between いいですね (sounds nice!) and いいですよ (sure, go ahead).
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Sentence + ね | 暑いですね — Hot, isn't it? |
| Sentence + よ | おいしいですよ — It's tasty, trust me |
| Sentence + よね | 明日ですよね — It's tomorrow, right? |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今日はいい天気ですね。 | きょうはいいてんきですね。 kyouhaiitenkidesune。 | Nice weather today, isn't it? |
| この店、安いですよ。 | このみせ、やすいですよ。 konomise、yasuidesuyo。 | This shop is cheap, you know. |
| 会議は三時ですよね。 | かいぎはさんじですよね。 kaigihasanjidesuyone。 | The meeting's at three, right? |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
Overusing よ can sound pushy — it insists the listener didn't know. ね is the safe social lubricant; when commiserating about weather, ね is practically mandatory.