Japanese for Talking About a Surprising Ending: Plots, Characters and Recommendations
Learn elementary Japanese to describe a story's plot and characters, say an ending was surprising, and recommend a narrative work such as a film, drama or novel.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
When you talk about a film, drama, anime or novel in Japanese, you need a small set of patterns: how to say what happens, how to describe a character, how to react to an ending, and how to recommend the work. This lesson gives you those patterns at elementary level. You will practise the topic marker は (wa), the subject marker が (ga), and the polite past tense ending 〜ました (mashita). You will also learn why Japanese often leaves out 'I' and 'you' when the meaning is clear.
By the end, you can…
- describe a plot and a character in simple Japanese.
- say that an ending was surprising and recommend a narrative work.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
この話はおもしろいです。
This story is interesting.
kono hanashi wa omoshiroi desu
Use は (wa) to mark この話 (this story) as the topic. おもしろい is an い-adjective; in the polite present tense it takes です, as in おもしろいです.
主人公はとても優しいです。
The main character is very kind.
shujinkō wa totemo yasashii desu
主人公 (shujinkō) means 'main character' or 'protagonist'. とても (totemo) means 'very'. Use this pattern for personality descriptions.
結末は意外でした。
The ending was surprising.
ketsumatsu wa igai deshita
結末 (ketsumatsu) is a formal word for 'ending'. 意外 (igai) is a な-adjective; before でした it appears without な. For a more casual tone, say 結末は意外だった (ketsumatsu wa igai datta).
この映画をおすすめします。
I recommend this film.
kono eiga o osusume shimasu
Use を (o) to mark the thing you recommend. おすすめします is the polite verb 'recommend'. In casual speech, people often say おすすめだよ (osusume da yo).
音楽より物語が大切です。
The story is more important than the music.
ongaku yori monogatari ga daiji desu
より (yori) means 'than' in comparisons. 物語 (monogatari) means 'story' or 'narrative'. が (ga) marks 物語 as the subject of 大切です.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To describe a past reaction, use an adjective plus でした (deshita). For example, 結末は意外でした (ketsumatsu wa igai deshita) means 'the ending was surprising'. 意外 is a な-adjective, so it does not take な before でした. With an い-adjective, do not use でした; instead use the plain past form plus です, as in おもしろかったです (omoshirokatta desu), 'it was interesting'. Compare 主人公は優しかったです (shujinkō wa yasashikatta desu), 'the main character was kind'.
When to use it
Use は (wa) when the item is already the topic of conversation, and が (ga) when you introduce new information or mark the subject of an adjective like 大切 (taisetsu, important). For example, after someone asks about a film, you can say この映画はおもしろいです (kono eiga wa omoshiroi desu), 'this film is interesting'. If you then add a new detail, say 主人公が特にいいです (shujinkō ga toku ni ii desu), 'the main character in particular is good'. Japanese often omits 'I' and 'you' when context makes them clear, so おすすめします (osusume shimasu) can mean 'I recommend it' without adding 私は (watashi wa).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
昨日、新しい映画を見ました。
Yesterday I watched a new film.kinō, atarashii eiga o mimashitaどんな話ですか。
What kind of story is it?donna hanashi desu ka家族の話です。結末は意外でした。
It is a story about a family. The ending was surprising.kazoku no hanashi desu. ketsumatsu wa igai deshitaいいですね。物語は音楽より大切ですか。
That sounds good. Is the story more important than the music?ii desu ne. monogatari wa ongaku yori taisetsu desu kaA little context goes a long way
意外 (igai) is a neutral word for 'unexpected' or 'surprising' and is safe in polite conversation. If you want to sound more emotional, you can say びっくりしました (bikkuri shimashita), 'I was surprised', but it focuses on your reaction rather than on the ending itself. In reviews and conversation, Japanese speakers often soften a strong opinion with 〜と思います (to omoimasu), 'I think', as in 結末は意外だと思います (ketsumatsu wa igai da to omoimasu).
One thing to watch for
Using でした with an い-adjective, as in おもしろいでした (omoshiroi deshita).
Try this instead: Use the past form of the い-adjective: おもしろかったです (omoshirokatta desu), 'it was interesting'. For な-adjectives such as 意外, use 意外でした (igai deshita).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'The ending was surprising' politely?
Show a sample answer
結末は意外でした。 (ketsumatsu wa igai deshita)
This uses 結末 (ending) plus は (topic marker) plus 意外でした (was surprising). 結末は意外だった is also correct in casual speech.
2Which particle marks 'this film' as the topic in この映画___おもしろいです?
Show a sample answer
は (wa)
は marks この映画 as the topic: この映画はおもしろいです (kono eiga wa omoshiroi desu). が would introduce the film as new information, which is possible in some contexts.
3How do you say 'I recommend this drama' politely?
Show a sample answer
このドラマをおすすめします。 (kono dorama o osusume shimasu)
を marks the drama as the object of おすすめします. In casual speech, このドラマ、おすすめだよ (kono dorama, osusume da yo) is also natural.
Use は for the topic, が for new or emphasized subjects, and 意外でした for a surprising ending. Add おすすめします to recommend a film, drama or novel.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Japanese into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr