Meaning of “Dayo” in Japanese & English (How to Use)

Today’s blog post is all about the English meaning of the Japanese expression “dayo” (だよ). The phrase and its related expressions “Nandayo“, “Dame dayo“, and “Da yo ne” are often used in anime, but also casual conversations with friends. So let’s find out what “dayo” means in Japanese and English.

Dayo (だよ), also written as “da yo”, is best translated as the English phrase “…, you know”. It is used in informal situations and spoken Japanese to put more emphasis on what you just said and will make you sound more casual and friendly. However, it is too informal for business situations.

Read on if you want to know all meanings and possible translations of “dayo” (だよ) in English and learn how to use it in a Japanese sentence. We will also discuss the difference between “desu” (です), “dayo” (だよ), and “da” (だ).

The Meaning of “Dayo” in Japanese and English

Dayo (だよ) is a rather casual but natural Japanese expression or slang that is commonly used in informal situations. It adds emphasis to what you are saying very similar to the English expression “…, you know“.

It consists of the word da (だ), which is the casual form of the polite copula desu (です) and translates as “to be“, “is“, or “are“. The word is used to declare a state-of-being or in other words to say that “(something) is…“.

gakusei
学生
student

Gakusei da.
学生だ。
I’m a student
(or He/She is a student)

Sometimes the word “da” (だ) can not be translated, though, and it is easier to think of it just as an exclamation mark or a word that adds emphasis.

The other part of dayo (だよ), which is yo (よ) is a sentence ending particle that is also used for emphasis or when telling someone something new. It is often hard to translate sentence ending particles so again it is easier to see it as an exclamation mark.

neko
猫
cat

Neko yo!
猫よ！
A cat!

The biggest problem with dayo (だよ) seems to be that it is really hard to translate it into English. There is no specific word or expression because most of the time dayo just adds emphasis to what you are saying or changes the nuance of your sentence to make you sound more casual and friendly.

For example, when your friend is looking for something you can say:

Hidari.
左。
On your left.

If he keeps looking in the wrong direction, you can repeat the phrase and add “dayo” (だよ) to add more emphasis.

Hidari, hidari dayo!
左、左だよ。
Left, on your left!

When it is used to make you sound more casual and friendly dayo (だよ) can be translated as “…, you know“. Maybe your friend asked you why you moved to Japan. In that case, you could answer:

Maa, nihon ga suki dayo.
まあ、日本が好きだよ。
Well, I like Japan, you know.

My advice: Don’t try to translate it into English. Just understand that dayo (だよ) is a natural Japanese expression that adds emphasis and is used when talking casually with friends.

How to Use “Dayo” in a Japanese sentence

When used in a Japanese sentence dayo (だよ) is always added at the end of the sentence. However, it can not be used after “da” (だ), desu (です), desu yo (ですよ), etc. If there is another copula or sentence ending particle they need to be replaced with “dayo“.

The way how you use dayo (だよ) also depends on the word that comes right before it. There are different ways how to add the expression after nouns, na-adjectives, and i-adjectives.

If the last word of the sentence is a noun or na-adjective you can just add dayo (だよ) as it is.

noun + だよ
na-adjective + だよ

Here are a few examples:

After an i-adjective, you have to add an additional n (ん) before you can add dayo (だよ). Or in other words, you have to add ‘n dayo (んだよ)

i-adjectives + ん + だよ

Let’s look at a few examples:

It is usual to pronounce the “i” of the i-adjective and the “n” together, while dayo (だよ) follows after a short pause: samuin (pause) dayo, atsuin (pause) dayo, ookiin (pause) dayo and so on.

If the sentence ends in da, desu, yo ne, etc., they need to be replaced with dayo.

When to use “Dayo” in Japanese

So now let’s look at some specific situations when you can use dayo (だよ) in Japanese.

1. Telling Your Opinion to a Friend

You can use dayo (だよ) in Japanese when you want to tell your friend your opinion, but you don’t want to sound too strong or too direct.

Meccha samui yo,  iya dayo.
めっちゃ寒いよ、いやだよ。
It’s so cold, I hate it…

Kirei dayo.
きれいだよ。
This is beautiful~

2. To Add Emphasis

You can also just add dayo (だよ) at the end of your Japanese sentence to add emphasis. In this case, it functions just like a kinda soft exclamation mark.

Daijoubu dayo.
大丈夫だよ。
It’s okay, really!
(or: I’m okay, don’t worry!)

Watshi mo dayo.
私もだよ。
Oh, me too!!!

3. Point Something Out

Last but not least, dayo (だよ) can also be used when you want to point out something. Either something new (something the other person doesn’t know yet) or some other kind of special information.

Mite! Misa-chan dayo!
見て！みさちゃんだよ！
Oh look! It’s Misa!

Mou juuji dayo.
もう１０時だよ。
It’s already 10, you know.

Dayo vs. Desu – What’s the Difference?

Now that we know the meaning of dayo and also know how we can use it in Japanese, let’s have a look at what’s the difference between “dayo” and “desu”.

Desu (です) is added to the end of a sentence to make it more formal and polite. You can add it after nouns and adjectives like this:

Ku ji desu.
９時です。
It’s nine o’clock. (polite)

Nihon ga suki desu.
日本が好きです。
I like Japan. (polite)

You can’t really tell from the translations, but the sentences sound very polite and formal in Japanese because you added the desu (です) at the end.

So you should use desu (です) in formal situations and at work. Use the phrase when talking to your teacher, a client, or someone you don’t know well.

However, desu (です) sounds a bit stiff and it will make you sound too distant when chatting with a close friend.

So in casual situations, you want to use dayo (だよ) instead. The same sentences will sound more friendly and also more natural. Kinda like this:

Ku ji dayo.
９時だよ。
It’s nine. (casual)

Nihon ga suki dayo.
日本が好きだよ。
I like Japan, you know. (casual)

Dayo vs. Da – What’s the Difference?

Instead of dayo (だよ) including the sentence ending particle yo (よ), you can also just add the casual copula da (だ) at the end of a sentence. This will make your statement pretty strong, though, and might even sound a little bit rude and rather masculine.

Let’s take the previous examples, ９時だよ, and 日本が好きだよ.

When you say Ku ji da (9時だ) it means “It’s nine” or just “Nine”, but depending on how you say it, it could also be interpreted as “It’s nine. I already told you a second ago! So don’t ask me again!” or “At nine. I’ve already decided, so the time can’t be changed!”.

The casual phrase Nihon ga suki da (日本が好きだ) sounds like you really love Japan and could be translated as an exaggerated “I LOVE Japan!!!”. However, it could also be interpreted as a slightly annoyed “Because I love Japan! Why do you even ask?”.

Overall, it is no problem and quite normal to use da (だ) in Japanese, though. Just keep in mind that it is a casual expression that sounds pretty strong and sometimes a bit abrupt. Also note, that it is more commonly used men than by women.

Examples of “Dayo” in Japanese Sentences

When I studied Japanese, example sentences always helped me a lot to completely understand a phrase.

So to give you an even better idea of how to use”dayo” in Japanese I have put together more example sentences.

First some common and basic phrases, and then some more advanced sentences for the intermediates.

Note: Most of the sentences can be translated in more than one way. So instead of focusing on the exact translation, try to understand how and when “dayo” is used.

Genki Dayo – “I’m Fine” or “I Can’t Complain”

Genki dayo (元気だよ) means “I’m fine” or “I can’t complain”.

Genki dayo, kimi wa?
元気だよ、君は？
I’m fine, and you?

Ikaga desu ka。
いかがですか。
How’s it going?
Genki dayo.
元気だよ。
I can’t complain.

Genki dayo! Kaze nante hecchara.
元気だよ！風邪なんてへっちゃら。
I’m fine, you know! It’s just a cold.

Baka Dayo – “You Are Silly” or “You’re Such a Fool”

Baka dayo, which can be written hiragana as ばかだよ or in kanji as 馬鹿だよ means “You are such a fool” or “You are silly”.

Mattaku baka dayo.
まったくばかだよ。
You’re a fool for sure.

Sonna koto o iu nante kimi wa baka dayo.
そんなことを言うなんて君はばかだよ。
Saying such a fool for saying things.

Samui yo. Kooto o wasurete shimau nante kimi wa baka dayo.
寒いよ。コートを忘れてしまうなんて君は馬鹿だよ。
It’s cold. You are such a silly girl forgetting your coat.

Daisuki Dayo – “I Love You” or “I Love it”

Daisuki dayo (大好きだよ) means “I love you” or “I love it”.

Zutto daisuki dayo.
ずっと大好きだよ。
I’ll always love you.

Watashi mo kore daisuki dayo.
私もこれ大好きだよ。
I love this, too.

Mazu suki ja nakatta n dakedo, ima wa daisuki dayo.
まず好きじゃなかったんだけど、今は大好きだよ。
I didn’t like it in the beginning, but now I’m loving it.

If you want to learn more about “daisuki” and “daisuki dayo” check out my other blog post: The Meaning of “Daisuki” – How to Say “I Love You” in Japanese.

Nan Dayo – “What?” or “What is it?”

Nan dayo or nandayo (なんだよ) can be translated as “What do you want?”, “What is it?” or just “What?”. If used by itself this phrase can be a bit rude, so be careful.

Omae, nan dayo.
おまえ、なんだよ。
What do you want?

Ittai nan dayo?
一体なんだよ？
What the hell ?

Wasureta tte, nan dayo?
忘れたって、なんだよ？
You forgot what?

For a detailed guide, check out my other blog post “What Does “Nandayo” Mean in Japanese?“

Dayo Ne – “Yeah” or “You’re Right”

Dayo ne (だよね) is a little bit different from the previous phrases. You usually use it when you agree with someone and is best translated into English as “Yeah” or “You’re right~”.

Sou da yo ne.
そうだよね.
That’s right.

Kawaii da yo ne.
可愛いだよね。
Yeah, it’s so cute.

Taihen da yo ne.
大変だよね。
You’re right, it’s tough.

Hontou Dayo – “It’s true, I swear” or “Believe me”

 Hontou dayo (本当だよ) can either mean “It’s true!”, “Believe me!”, or “It’s true, I swear!”.

Shiranakattan da, hontou dayo.
知らなかったんだ，本当だよ。
I had no idea, I swear.

Kinou kanojo ni atta yo.
きのう彼女に会ったよ.
I met her yesterday.
Masaka!
まさか!
That can’t be true!
Iya, hontou dayo.
いや, 本当だよ.
No, really!

Waa, kono eiga wa kowakatta naa
わあ，この映画は怖かったなあ
Wow, this was such a scary movie!
Hontou dayo.
本当だよ
That’s true!

Joudan Dayo – “Just joking” or “I’m Kidding”

Joudan dayo (冗談だよ) means “Just joking”, “I’m kidding”, or “It’s a joke!”

Joudan dayo.
冗談だよ
Just kidding.

Hon no joudan dayo.
ほんの冗談だよ。
It’s just a joke.

Nani o Itten Dayo – “What Are You Saying?”

Nani o itten dayo (何を言ってんだよ) is a pretty strong phrase that means “What are you saying?” or “What?”. It can sound a little bit annoyed and might come across as very rude.

Kare wa nani o itten dayo.
彼は何を言ってんだよ。
What is he talking about?

Nani itterun dayo!
何言ってるんだよ！
What are you talking about?

More Phrases & Japanese Sentences With “Dayo”