How to Say Just Kidding in Japanese: Jōdan, Nante Ne and Uso Uso

Jōdan desu and jōdan da yo: the plain way to say it was a joke

The word jōdan means a joke, and jōdan desu simply states that what you said was one. It is the phrase to reach for when you need to be clear, because there is no ambiguity in it. With friends the casual jōdan da yo or the even shorter jōdan is more natural. Both are said after the joking line, often while the other person is still deciding how to react.

You can also use jōdan before a joke as a warning: jōdan desu kedo, it's a joke but, tells the listener not to take the next sentence at face value. It is one of the safer patterns at work and with people who do not know your sense of humour yet.

Nante ne: taking it back inside the sentence

Nante ne is the phrase most learners have heard but find hardest to place. It goes at the very end of the joking sentence, usually after a tiny pause, and it works like a wink. Nante means something like or such a thing, and ne asks the listener to share the feeling, so together they say I said that but do not hold me to it.

The classic pattern is to say something slightly exaggerated or boastful, then deflate it: kyō wa watashi ga ogoru yo, nante ne. It is also used for self-deprecating humour and for pretending to be sulky. Because it undercuts your own sentence, it is far gentler than a joke at someone else's expense, which is why it is such a common way to be funny without risk.

Nante ne is casual. Keep it for friends, family and relaxed workmates; with clients or in a formal meeting it sounds out of place.

Uso uso and uso da yo: correcting something untrue

Uso means a lie or something untrue, and doubling it, uso uso, is a quick way to say that the last thing you said was not true and you are taking it back. It is the right phrase when you stated a false fact on purpose to get a reaction: I got fired, I'm moving to Osaka, the meeting is cancelled. Once the other person's eyebrows go up, uso uso, jōdan brings them down again.

The difference from jōdan desu is the target. Jōdan desu labels the intention, it was meant as a joke, while uso uso labels the content, that was not true. They are often used together, and uso da yo is a slightly fuller casual form. In polite speech you would say uso desu, but it sounds a little blunt, so many people prefer jōdan desu at work and keep uso uso for friends.

Uso also has a separate life as a reaction, no way, really, when someone else says something surprising. That use is explained in the guide to the word uso on this site; here we only need the version where you correct yourself.

Honki ni shinaide and other ways to say don't take it seriously

Sometimes you do not want to say it was a joke exactly, only that it should not be taken to heart. Honki ni shinaide, or honki ni shinaide kudasai in polite speech, means do not take it seriously. Honki is seriousness or one's true intention, so honki ni suru means to take something as real. Ma ni ukenaide is similar and slightly more formal, and it is common with the polite ending kudasai.

Jōdan hanbun desu, I'm half joking, is useful when the joke had a grain of truth in it. Karuku itta dake, I only said it lightly, lowers the stakes after a remark that came out sharper than intended.

Tone, timing and the little signals that carry the joke

Japanese jokes rely less on the words and more on delivery, and the take-back phrases are no different. Three things matter. Speed: nante ne and uso uso work when they come quickly, almost in the same breath. The face: a smile or a small laugh tells the listener what to do. A gesture: many people wave a hand in front of the face, palm out, while saying jōdan jōdan, the same gesture used for no or it's nothing.

Listen for the reaction too. A laugh may be quiet, or a flat nani sore, what's that, said with a grin. Silence, a polite sō desu ka or a change of subject means the joke has not landed, and the recovery phrases in the last section are what you need.

• Say the take-back within a second, not after a long pause
• Smile or laugh lightly while saying jōdan or nante ne
• A hand waved in front of the face reinforces jōdan jōdan
• Start with jokes about yourself, not about the listener
• Watch for silence or a flat sō desu ka, which means it missed

With friends versus at work

Among friends, every phrase in this guide is available. Teasing a close friend with a false claim and then uso uso is normal, and nante ne appears constantly in casual chat and in text messages.

At work the range narrows. Jokes about a colleague's work, appearance, age or private life are risky in any language and more so in a Japanese office, where people may laugh politely and remember. Self-deprecating jokes, jokes about the weather, the trains or the office coffee are safe. Mark the joke immediately with jōdan desu or jōdan desu kedo, and keep nante ne and uso uso for colleagues you already joke with outside meetings. With clients, seniors you do not know well and in formal settings, the simplest advice is to skip the joke unless they joke first.

Common mistakes learners make

The first mistake is translating just kidding word for word with karakau. Karakau means to tease someone, so karakatta dake describes teasing rather than retracting a joke, and it can sound as if you are admitting you were making fun of the listener.

The second is using uso as the take-back for every kind of joke. If your joke was an exaggeration or a bit of sarcasm rather than a false claim, uso uso does not quite fit, because nothing untrue was said. Nante ne or jōdan desu is the better match.

The third is overusing nante ne until it becomes a verbal tic. If everything you say ends in nante ne, the listener stops knowing when you mean things.

When the joke lands badly

Every learner will at some point make a joke that does not land, and the recovery is more important than the joke. The pattern is short: apologise, state that it was a joke, say what you actually meant if it matters, and move on. Gomen, jōdan no tsumori datta with friends, or sumimasen, jōdan no tsumori deshita in polite speech, covers the first two steps. Do not explain why the joke was funny; explanations make the moment longer.

If the joke touched something sensitive, such as someone's work or family, add a real apology: fukai na omoi o sasete sumimasen, sorry for making you feel uncomfortable, then change the subject. If a colleague looks hurt, a quick sakki wa sumimasen deshita, sorry about earlier, later in the day repairs more than a long apology on the spot.

If you are the one who took a joke seriously, jōdan desu ka, was that a joke, checks lightly without making either of you look foolish.