A Complete Guide to Using “〜じゃん” in Casual Conversations
Table of Contents
1. Meaning of “〜じゃん”
2. 〜じゃん
3. Three Uses of “〜じゃん”
4. Summary
5. Quiz
6. Similar Articles
7. Comment
Q: Please explain the meaning of “〜じゃん”
A: “〜じゃん” originally comes from the dialects of Shizuoka, Yamanashi, and Nagano prefectures.
It gradually spread and is now mainly used in eastern Japan. In other regions, different sentence endings are used, or it is not used at all.
〜じゃん
[Meaning]
Isn’t it? / Right? / 〜, isn’t it? [Standard Japanese]
[Rules]
[V] Verb Plain form＋じゃん
[A] い adjective Plain form ＋じゃん
[Na] な adjective Plain form＋じゃん
[N] Noun Plain form ＋じゃん
[Examples]
それ、このあいだ言ったじゃん。
I already told you that the other day.
え、試験に受かったの？良かったじゃん！
Oh, you passed the exam? That’s great!
一人だと大変じゃん。手伝うよ。
It’s tough to do it alone. I’ll help you.
A：この俳優、かっこいい！
B：え、ふつうじゃん。
A: This actor is cool!
B: Really? I think he’s just okay.
Three Uses of “〜じゃん”
It is a very casual expression, so it is used with close friends and in non-business settings.
The meaning can change depending on the context of the conversation, but here we will cover the three most common uses of “〜じゃん“.
The first is “confirming common understanding,” the second is “opinions/evaluations in response to the listener’s statement,” and the third is “reminders/warnings”.
[① Confirming common understanding]
The key point here is that from the beginning of the conversation, it is assumed that the listener already knows something.
[Examples]
娘：お母さん、駅前にコンビニあるじゃん。今日、そこでお母さんの友達に会ったよ。
Daughter: Mom, you know there’s a convenience store in front of the station? I met your friend there today.
⇒ The common understanding between the daughter and the mother is “the convenience store in front of the station.” The daughter knows that the mother is aware of the convenience store in front of the station and proceeds with the conversation while confirming it.
A：先月、一緒に行ったレストランあるじゃん。
あそこ、今すごく人気になって今月は予約が取れないんだって。
B：そうなの！？先月、行って良かったね。
A: Remember the restaurant we went to together last month?
It’s become really popular now, and you can’t get a reservation this month.
B: Really!? It’s a good thing we went last month.
⇒ The common understanding between the speaker and the listener is “the restaurant they went to together last month.” The speaker confirms that the listener understands which restaurant it is and then continues with the conversation.
If the listener does not know something and you use “〜じゃん” to refer to it, the conversation will not make sense.
[Examples]
A：学校あるじゃん。
B：どこの学校？？
A: You know the school?
B: Which school?
⇒ The listener doesn’t know which school it is.
[② Opinions・Evaluations]
In this case, you can also use “〜だよ,” but “〜じゃん” has a slightly stronger tone.
[Examples]
A：この俳優、かっこいい！
B：別にかっこよくないよ。ふつうじゃん。
A: This actor is cool!
B: Not really. He’s just normal.
⇒ In response to A saying “cool,” the listener thinks “normal” and gives their opinion (or personal evaluation).
A：この問題、全然むずかしくてわからないな。わかる？
B：こんなのすごく簡単じゃん！
A: This question is really hard. I don’t get it. Do you?
B: This is super easy!
⇒ In response to A saying “difficult,” the listener thinks it is “easy” and gives their opinion or evaluation.
[③ Reminders・Warnings]
In this case, you can also use “〜よね,” but like in the second case, “〜じゃん” has a slightly stronger tone.
[Examples]
夫：あれ、ケータイを家に忘れたみたい。
妻：出かける前にケータイを持ったか聞いたじゃん。
Husband: Oh, I think I left my phone at home.
Wife: I asked you if you had your phone before we left, didn’t I?
⇒ The wife had already checked if her husband had his phone before they left, but he still forgot it. So, she is reminding him again that she asked before they left.
A：明日のテスト、むずかしいかな。
B：え、明日テストがあるの！？
A：先生が朝、言ってたじゃん！！
A: Do you think tomorrow’s test will be difficult?
B: What, there’s a test tomorrow!?
A: The teacher mentioned it this morning, remember!?
⇒ The speaker and the listener are in the same class, but the listener didn’t know about the test, so the speaker is reminding them that the teacher mentioned it in the morning.
Summary
- “〜じゃん” is mainly used in eastern Japan.
- It is a very casual expression.
- The main uses are for “confirming common understanding,” “giving opinions/evaluations in response to the listener’s statement,” and “reminders/warnings.”
