connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
つまり — in other words
つまり
Meaning
- in other words / that is to say / in short — restates what was just said as a clearer or more concise conclusion
Key sentence
彼は父の弟、つまり私の叔父だ。
He's my father's younger brother — in other words, my uncle.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence-initial (restating the previous statement) | [statement]。つまり、[restatement]。 | 返事がない。つまり、断られたんだ。 |
Examples
終電は出てしまった。つまり、今夜は帰れない。
The last train has gone. In other words, I can't get home tonight.
売上が三割減った。つまり、対策が必要だということだ。
Sales dropped by thirty percent — that is to say, we need to do something about it.
Easily confused with
というのは というのは picks up a term to define it or opens a sentence to give a reason; つまり sums up the preceding point into a single clearer conclusion. 要するに 要するに boils a long or complicated explanation down to its essential point ('to sum up'); つまり simply rephrases the immediately preceding statement and is more conversational.
Notes
- Often ends with 〜ということだ to spell the conclusion out (つまり、〜ということだ). Speakers also use it as a filler while reaching for a tidy restatement.
See つまり in real sentences
Jengo shows つまり the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo