Japanese Casual Expression: 〜さ (…sa) – Use with caution! (Friendly, but risky)

Hi! I’m Mai-sensei, a native Japanese tutor.

In casual Japanese, 〜さ (…sa) is a super common speech habit. It can sound friendly, relaxed, and natural among close friends.

However, 〜さ (…sa) is also one of those expressions that advanced learners accidentally overuse, especially as a filler like あのさ〜 (ano sa) or えっとさ〜 (etto sa). When used with someone you’re not close to, it may sound too familiar or even rude.

This article focuses on conversational 〜さ (…sa) used in casual speech.
(It does NOT cover storytelling とさ (…to sa) such as 「むかしむかし…しあわせにくらしましたとさ」, which is a different usage.)

1) What is 〜さ (…sa)?
2) When should you NOT use 〜さ (…sa)?
1. [Caution]
3) Textbook Japanese vs Real-life Japanese
4) Mini Knowledge
5) Example Sentences
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1. Related posts:

1) What is 〜さ (…sa)?

Learners often search for this expression as:

“Japanese ending sa”
“Japanese filler sa”
“What does sa mean in Japanese?”
“sa at the end of sentences in Japanese”

In real spoken Japanese, 〜さ (…sa) is mainly used as:

A filler used to keep the conversation going
A closeness marker that makes speech feel informal and friendly

In other words, 〜さ (…sa) is less about literal meaning and more about social tone.

2) When should you NOT use 〜さ (…sa)?

A simple rule:
If you want to sound polite, professional, or neutral, avoid 〜さ (…sa).

Because it strongly implies:

“we’re close”
“we can speak casually”
“I’m speaking casually as myself”

So it may not fit with:

clients / customers
teachers / supervisors
senpai in formal settings
strangers or people you just met

[Caution]

It can sometimes be used together with polite expressions, but it often sounds unnatural, so I don’t recommend it. In some cases, it may even sound grammatically incorrect.

3) Textbook Japanese vs Real-life Japanese

Textbook-style fillers and connectors:

あの… (ano…) = um…
えっと… (etto…) = uh…
その… (sono…) = well…
ところで… (tokoro de…) = by the way…
実は… (jitsu wa…) = actually…

Real casual Japanese often adds さ (…sa):

あのさ (ano sa) = hey, listen…
えっとさ (etto sa) = um, like…
なんかさ (nanka sa) = like, you know…
ていうかさ (tte iu ka sa) = I mean…

These sound very native, but they should be treated as “close-friend language.”

4) Mini Knowledge

A helpful way to understand 〜さ (…sa):

It works like a “closeness tag.”
It makes the conversation feel informal and friendly, like you’re speaking without a filter.

That’s why it appears a lot in:

casual storytelling
complaints
teasing / joking
emotional reactions

Very common patterns:

あのさ (ano sa) = “hey, listen…”
えっとさ (etto sa) = “uh, like…”
なんかさ (nanka sa) = “like, you know…”
ていうかさ (tte iu ka sa) = “I mean…”

Polite-safe alternatives (recommended):

あの… (ano…)
えっと… (etto…)
すみません、ちょっと… (sumimasen, chotto…)
ところで… (tokoro de…)
実は… (jitsu wa…)

5) Example Sentences

A) Filler / attention-getting (very common)

あのさ、ちょっと聞いて。
ano sa, chotto kiite.
Hey, listen for a second.
えっとさ、それでどうなったの？
etto sa, sore de dou natta no?
Uh, so what happened then?
なんかさ、今日は疲れた。
nanka sa, kyou wa tsukareta.
Like… I’m tired today.
ていうかさ、それおかしくない？
tte iu ka sa, sore okashikunai?
I mean, isn’t that weird?
まあさ、そういう日もあるよ。
Maa sa, sou iu hi mo aru yo.
Well, you have days like that too.
なんていうかさ、言葉にするのが難しいんだよね。
Nante iu ka sa, kotoba ni suru no ga muzukashii n da yo ne.
How should I put it… it’s hard to put into words.

B) 〜なんだけどさ (…nan dakedo sa)

相談があるんだけどさ。
soudan ga aru n dakedo sa.
So… I have something to talk to you about.
今日ちょっとお願いがあるんだけどさ。
kyou chotto onegai ga aru n dakedo sa.
I have a small favor to ask, you know.
実はさ、言いたいことがあるんだけどさ。
jitsu wa sa, iitai koto ga aru n dakedo sa.
Actually, there’s something I want to say.
これ言いにくいんだけどさ…。
kore iinikui n dakedo sa…
This is kind of hard to say, but…
ちょっと聞いてほしいんだけどさ。
chotto kiite hoshii n dakedo sa.
I want you to hear me out, you know.
ごめん、今から行くんだけどさ、ちょっと遅れる。
gomen, ima kara iku n dakedo sa, chotto okureru.
Sorry, I’m heading there now, but I’ll be a bit late.

C) Close-friend tone: さ inside sentences

それさ、前に話してたやつ？
sore sa, mae ni hanashiteta yatsu?
Is that the thing you talked about before?
さっきさ、変な人いたよね。
sakki sa, hen na hito ita yo ne.
Earlier there was a weird person, right?
だからさ、そういうことじゃないの。
dakara sa, sou iu koto janai no.
That’s not what I mean, you know.
こっちさ、結構大変だったんだよ。
こっちさ、けっこうたいへんだったんだよ。
kocchi sa, kekkou taihen datta n da yo.
Things were pretty tough on my side, you know.
でもさ、それってちょっとおかしくない？
demo sa, sore tte chotto okashiku nai?
But like… isn’t that a bit weird?
そういえばさ、昨日言ってた話どうなった？
sou ieba sa, kinou itteta hanashi dou natta?
By the way… what happened with that thing you mentioned yesterday?

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