It's not easy to retain vocabulary and expressions when you're studying a language, and it's especially difficult to get words out on the spot when you're having conversations. I hope these weekly posts could be good practice for your Japanese, and let's take it one word at a time.
The question for today is: How do you say "Wait a minute" in Japanese??
The question for today is: How do you say "Wait a minute" in Japanese??
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The answer is...
ちょっと待って [Chotto Matte]
ちょっと [chotto] means a little and 待って [matte] means to wait.
There are other ways such as:
少し待って [Sukoshi Matte]
少々お待ちください [ShouShou Omachikudasai]
少し is a more polite way to say a little and 少々お待ちください is an even more formal way to say "wait a minute". You would often hear it in customer service.
Writer’s note: Saying “Chotto a Minute” as Japenglish is a thing apparently, but it doesn’t make sense since you’re just saying “a little a minute”. Let’s say “Chotto Wait” or “Wait a Chotto” instead. Completely unrelated but I hate people who start counting down “60…59…58” whenever I say “wait a minute”. But that’s just a personal pet peeve.