ね – Softly Seeking Agreement in Japanese [JLPT N5]

Quick Summary

• Meaning: The particle ね is used at the end of a sentence to gently seek agreement, confirmation, or shared feeling, like “right?”, “isn’t it?”, or “you know?”.
• How to Use: Add ね to the end of almost any sentence when you expect the listener to agree or feel the same.

Example:

• この宇宙人はかわいいね。
• Kono uchuujin wa kawaii ne.
• This alien is cute, isn’t it?

Overview

The sentence-ending particle ね is one of the most common and friendly tools in Japanese conversation.

When you add ね to the end of a sentence, you are:

• Checking agreement: asking the listener to agree with you, like “right?” or “isn’t it?”.
• Sharing a feeling: inviting the listener to feel the same way, like “it’s cold today, huh?”.
• Softening your speech: making your sentence sound more gentle and friendly.

Compare these two ideas in English:

• “It’s interesting.” (just a statement)
• “It’s interesting, right?” (you want the other person to agree)

In Japanese, ね does this “right?” or “isn’t it?” job in a very natural, soft way. It is not as strong as a real question; it is more about connection and shared understanding.

You can use ね with:

• Statements you think the listener will agree with
• Things both of you can see or experience right now
• Facts or opinions you believe are shared

For example, if you and your friend are both sweating on a hot day, you might say:

• 今日は暑いね。
• Kyou wa atsui ne.
• It’s hot today, isn’t it?

Notice how ね makes the sentence feel like “We’re both suffering together.” It pulls the listener into your feeling.

ね is also used when you are pretty sure about something but still want a small confirmation. For example, when you think you remember something correctly, or when you want to sound softer than a plain statement.

Socially, ね makes your Japanese sound:

• More natural and conversational
• Less direct or cold
• More friendly and cooperative

Because of this, beginners sometimes worry they are overusing it, but in everyday speech Japanese people use ね a lot. As long as you are really expecting agreement or sharing a feeling, it is usually safe and natural.

Structure / Formation

The good news: the structure of ね is very simple. You just put it at the end of a sentence.

Basic Pattern

You can add ね after almost any kind of sentence:

• Clause + ね

Here, Clause can be many things:

• N + です
• V (plain or polite)
• i-adj (+ です or plain)
• na-adj + です or na-adj-だ (plain)

Then simply attach ね at the end:

• N + です + ね
• V-ます + ね
• V (plain) + ね
• i-adj (+ です) + ね
• na-adj + です + ね

Some simple pattern examples:

Pattern	Example (Japanese)	Meaning
N + です + ね	先生はロボットですね。	The teacher is a robot, right?
V-ます + ね	毎日ダンスしますね。	You dance every day, huh?
V-る + ね	よく食べるね。	You eat a lot, don’t you?
i-adj + ね	このラーメンは甘いね。	This ramen is sweet, isn’t it?
na-adj + です + ね	あの犬は有名ですね。	That dog is famous, isn’t it?

Polite vs. Casual with ね

ね itself does not change form. Politeness comes from the sentence before it:

• Polite: use です/ます + ね
• Casual: use plain forms + ね

Polite examples:

• 今日は静かですね。
• Kyou wa shizuka desu ne.
• It’s quiet today, isn’t it?

• よく走りますね。
• Yoku hashirimasu ne.
• You run a lot, don’t you?

Casual examples (to friends, family, close people):

• このメガネ、変だね。
• Kono megane, hen da ne.
• These glasses are weird, huh?

• 明日もゲームするね。
• Ashita mo geemu suru ne.
• You’re going to play games tomorrow too, right?

Nuance: Statement + ね vs Real Question

It is important to feel the difference between:

• ね (soft “right?”)
• か (clear question marker)

Form	Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
Statement + ね	明日はテストですね。	Ashita wa tesuto desu ne.	We have a test tomorrow, right? (You expect agreement.)
Question with か	明日はテストですか。	Ashita wa tesuto desu ka.	Do we have a test tomorrow? (You are asking for information.)

With ね, you usually already know (or think you know) the answer. With か, you are really asking.

When ね Sounds Natural

Use ね when:

• You and the listener share the same situation or information.
• You believe the listener will agree.
• You want to sound friendly or soften your opinion.

Example (shared funny situation):

• あのカラスは頭がいいね。
• Ano karasu wa atama ga ii ne.
• That crow is smart, isn’t it?

Avoid ね when:

• You are giving completely new information that the listener doesn’t know.
• You are making a strong order or command (especially to someone above you).

For new information, it is usually better to just state it without ね, or use か if you are really asking.

Typical Beginner Patterns to Practice

Here are some very common, beginner-friendly patterns with ね that you can start using right away:

Pattern	Model	Meaning
Place + は + N + です + ね	この町は静かな町ですね。	This town is a quiet town, isn’t it?
Time + は + i-adj + です + ね	夜は寒いですね。	It’s cold at night, isn’t it?
Person + は + V-ます + ね	おじいさんは走りますね。	Grandpa runs a lot, doesn’t he?
N + が + i-adj + ね	このケーキが大きいね。	This cake is big, isn’t it?

One more fun example that puts it all together:

• うちの猫は日本語が上手ね。
• Uchi no neko wa Nihongo ga jouzu ne.
• My cat is good at Japanese, isn’t it?

If you start adding ね to sentences like these when talking to friends, teachers, or language partners, your Japanese will immediately sound more natural and more “alive”.

Example Sentences

• あなたの犬はダンスが上手ですね。
• Anata no inu wa dansu ga jouzu desu ne.
• Your dog is good at dancing, isn’t it?

• このロボットはコーヒーが好きね。
• Kono robotto wa koohii ga suki ne.
• This robot likes coffee, huh?

• 先生はゲームがとても強いですね。
• Sensei wa geemu ga totemo tsuyoi desu ne.
• Our teacher is really strong at games, right?

• あの宇宙人は日本語がわかるね。
• Ano uchuujin wa Nihongo ga wakaru ne.
• That alien understands Japanese, doesn’t it?

• 今日はおじいさんのヘアスタイルがアイドルみたいですね。
• Kyou wa ojiisan no heasutairu ga aidoru mitai desu ne.
• Grandpa’s hairstyle looks like an idol’s today, doesn’t it?

Quick Practice

(Answers and explanations are right under this section.)

Multiple-Choice

1. Choose the best sentence that naturally uses ね to share a feeling: “It’s cold today, isn’t it?”

• A. 今日は寒いです。(Kyou wa samui desu.)
• B. 今日は寒いですか。(Kyou wa samui desu ka.)
• C. 今日は寒いですね。(Kyou wa samui desu ne.)
• D. 今日は寒いと。(Kyou wa samui to.)

2. Choose the correct casual sentence that asks for agreement with ね: “You play games a lot, right?”

• A. よくゲームするね。(Yoku geemu suru ne.)
• B. よくゲームするか。(Yoku geemu suru ka.)
• C. よくゲームすると。(Yoku geemu suru to.)
• D. よくゲームするや。(Yoku geemu suru ya.)

3. Choose the sentence that uses ね naturally when you and your friend are both looking at the same robot: “That robot is fast, isn’t it?”

• A. あのロボットは速いね。(Ano robotto wa hayai ne.)
• B. あのロボットは速いや。(Ano robotto wa hayai ya.)
• C. あのロボットは速いか。(Ano robotto wa hayai ka.)
• D. あのロボットは速いでも。(Ano robotto wa hayai demo.)

4. You are pretty sure about the information and want soft confirmation. Choose the best polite sentence: “Tomorrow is a holiday, right?”

• A. 明日は休みですね。(Ashita wa yasumi desu ne.)
• B. 明日は休みですか。(Ashita wa yasumi desu ka.)
• C. 明日は休みですと。(Ashita wa yasumi desu to.)
• D. 明日は休みでも。(Ashita wa yasumi demo.)

5. Choose the most natural sentence with ね when you and your friend both hear the loud music: “This music is noisy, huh?”

• A. この音楽はうるさいね。(Kono ongaku wa urusai ne.)
• B. この音楽はうるさいか。(Kono ongaku wa urusai ka.)
• C. この音楽はうるさいと。(Kono ongaku wa urusai to.)
• D. この音楽はうるさいなど。(Kono ongaku wa urusai nado.)

Spot-the-Error

6. One of these sentences uses ね in an unnatural or incorrect way. Which one has the error?

• A. 今日はテストですね。(Kyou wa tesuto desu ne.)
• B. このカレーは甘いですね。(Kono karee wa amai desu ne.)
• C. これは新しい単語ですかね。(Kore wa atarashii tango desu ka ne.)

7. Only one of these sentences is wrong because of how ね is used with new information or commands. Which one is incorrect?

• A. 外は暗いですね。(Soto wa kurai desu ne.)
• B. あなたのロボットはギターが上手ですね。(Anata no robotto wa gitaa ga jouzu desu ne.)
• C. この薬を飲んでくださいねか。(Kono kusuri o nonde kudasai ne ka.)

Translation

8. Translate into polite Japanese with ね: “Your cat is very quiet today, isn’t it?”

9. Translate into casual Japanese with ね: “This cake is big, huh?”

10. Translate into casual Japanese with ね: “Grandpa is an idol, right?”

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Answers and Explanations

1. 今日は寒いですね。(Kyou wa samui desu ne.) — Uses ね at the end of a polite sentence to softly seek agreement about the shared feeling.
2. よくゲームするね。(Yoku geemu suru ne.) — Casual plain verb + ね naturally asks for agreement in a friendly way.
3. あのロボットは速いね。(Ano robotto wa hayai ne.) — ね is added to a simple statement that both speakers can see, inviting shared reaction.
4. 明日は休みですね。(Ashita wa yasumi desu ne.) — Polite です + ね shows you are mostly sure and just confirming gently.
5. この音楽はうるさいね。(Kono ongaku wa urusai ne.) — ね fits well when both people are hearing the noisy music and sharing the feeling.
6. これは新しい単語ですかね。(Kore wa atarashii tango desu ka ne.) — A and B are natural; C is odd because ですかね is usually used about your own doubt, but here it’s the only one mixing か and ね in a way that is too advanced and unnatural for this simple pattern, so it is the error.
7. この薬を飲んでくださいねか。(Kono kusuri o nonde kudasai ne ka.) — A and B naturally use ね to share a situation; C is incorrect because ね and か should not be combined like this after a command.
8. 今日はあなたの猫はとても静かですね。(Kyou wa anata no neko wa totemo shizuka desu ne.) — Polite です + ね politely invites agreement about the cat’s quiet mood.
9. このケーキは大きいね。(Kono keeki wa ookii ne.) — Casual i-adjective + ね sounds friendly and natural with someone looking at the same cake.
10. おじいさんはアイドルだね。(Ojiisan wa aidoru da ne.) — Casual noun + だ + ね asks for agreement in a light, playful way.