へえ

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. へえ、知らなかった!▶ —
   Oh, I didn't know!
2. へえ、面白いですね。▶ —
   Oh, that's interesting.

Collocations

Mnemonic

へえ hee — a core Japanese interjection signaling "oh / huh / I see" when receiving new information. Length tunes the meaning: short へえ (mild interest) → へえ〜 (real surprise) → へえ〜〜〜 (big wow). It anchors the あいづち (aizuchi, listener responses) system: Japanese conversation expects active responses (へえ, なるほど, そうなんだ) to sustain the speaker. Foreign silence reads as inattention — using aizuchi vocabulary signals social trust. Cluster: そう, ええ, はい, うん, なるほど, 確かに.

Quick check

1. Role of "aizuchi" in Japanese conversation?

   • Listener-response vocabulary signaling attentiveness + flow (へえ, なるほど, そうなんだ etc.)
   • Aizuchi music
   • Aizuchi dance
   • Argument vocabulary