Yappari can work as a topic shifter in Japanese, explained

What does “yappari” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “yappari” to mean ‘as I thought’, ‘on second thought’, or such in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word well as it is quite often used in Japanese daily conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain its definition, meanings, and usages in detail with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “yappari” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “yappari”
  • Example #1: how to say “as I thought” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “yappari”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “yappari”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “yappari”.

• yappari – やっぱり : an adverb often used as a topic shifter mainly in casual situations. This is often translated into English as “as I thought”, “on second thought”, or such.

Grammatically, this is the colloquial version of “yahari”. Japanese native speakers use this adverb in a sentence which states the condition or situation in which something continues to be. In daily conversations, however, they often use this as a topic shifter to go back to the previous topic from the current one. Furthermore, interestingly, many of them today are using this to move to a very different idea as well. So, “yappari” is often translated into English as: “as I thought” as a topic shifter to the original topic; “on second thought” to move to a very different idea.

Then, let me explain how to use “yappari” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “as I thought” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject word in a sentence.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone takes an action. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say whom “kare” has been dating.
• tsukiat – 付き合っ (つきあっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsukiau”, which means ‘to date’, ‘to be together’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is use after “tsukiat” to make its te form, “tsukiat te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “tsukiat te”, to express the continuity of its action. This has been reflected as “has been dating” in translation.

This is a typical usage of “yappari”. In this example, it works at the beginning of the sentence to say “as I thought”. Due to its role, we can see from the sentence that the speaker thought or knew that “kare” and “kanojo” were dating and recognized that their relation still continues.

Example #2: another usage of “yappari”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “shuumatsu” to say “this weekend” in Japanese.
• shuumatsu – 週末 (しゅうまつ) : a noun meaning ‘weekend’ in Japanese.
• umi – 海 (うみ) : a noun meaning ‘sea’ or ‘ocean’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “umi” to say where “boku” will go this weekend.
• iku – 行く (いく) : a verb meaning ‘to go’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “yappari”. Again, it works at the beginning of the sentence, but means ‘on second thought’. When we want to move to a different idea or when we change our minds, this adverb is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yappari” in detail with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• yappari – やっぱり : an adverb often used as a topic shifter mainly in casual situations. Grammatically, this is the colloquial version of “yahari”. Japanese native speakers use this adverb in a sentence which states the condition or situation in which something continues to be. In daily conversations, however, they often use this as a topic shifter to go back to the previous topic from the current one. Furthermore, interestingly, many of them today are using this to move to a very different idea as well. So, “yappari” is often translated into English as: “as I thought” as a topic shifter to the original topic; “on second thought” to move to a very different idea.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.