Question
of the Week
Vol. 18
Q. Are there any other meanings for "chotto" beside "a little"?
A. "Chotto （ちょっと）" can be used in several different situations.
(1) A little
|
Yuki ga chotto furimashita. 雪がちょっと降りました。 |
It snowed a little. |
| Kono tokei wa chotto takai desu ne. この時計はちょっと高いですね。 |
This watch is a little expensive, isn't it? |
(2) For a moment
| Chotto omachi kudasai. ちょっとお待ちください。 |
Wait a moment, please. |
|
Nihon ni chotto sunde imashita. 日本にちょっと住んでいました。 |
I have lived in Japan for a while. |
"Sukoshi （少し）" can replace "chotto （ちょっと）" in the above cases. "Sukoshi" sounds more formal than "chotto".
(3) Excuse me! Hey! (to get the attention of someone)| Chotto! wasuremono! (informal) ちょっと。 忘れ物。 |
Hey! You left behind this. |
(4) As a softener, when making a request to add the meaning of "just"
| Chotto mite mo ii desu ka. ちょっと見てもいいですか。 |
Can I just look? |
| Chotto sore o totte kudasai. ちょっとそれを取ってください。 |
Could you just pass me that? |
(5) To avoid direct criticism.
| Kono kutsu dou omou. Un, chotto ne ... この靴どう思う。 うん、ちょっとね ... |
What do you think about these shoes? Hmm, it's a little ... |
In this case it is said quite slowly with a falling intonation. This is a very convenient expression as it is used when people want to turn someone down or negate something without being direct about it.
