Ending a sentence with さ


When is it appropriate to put さ at the end of a sentence? Do women say this
also? I think I remember seeing a female character say it in an anime.




In standard Japanese, ending with a さ is a colloquial way to make a statement
more playfully assertive. After a Hanshin victory over the Tokyo Giants, a
Hanshin fan might say:

> まあ阪神のほうが強いからな。

or

> まあ阪神の方が強いのさ。

To preserve the tone, I might translate the first version as a flat statement
of opinion, as in:

> Well, Hanshin _is_ the stronger team.

while the second version might be more of a playful burn, like

> Well, Hanshin is the stronger team: fact!

It's not rude, but it is assertive, and colloquial, so I wouldn't use it with
a superior. It's gender-neutral. If it seems to be employed slightly more by
Japanese men than by Japanese women, that's just true of assertiveness in
general.




In standard Japanese, ending with a さ is a colloquial way to make a statement
more playfully assertive. After a Hanshin victory over the Tokyo Giants, a
Hanshin fan might say:

> まあ阪神のほうが強いからな。

or

> まあ阪神の方が強いのさ。

To preserve the tone, I might translate the first version as a flat statement
of opinion, as in:

> Well, Hanshin _is_ the stronger team.

while the second version might be more of a playful burn, like

> Well, Hanshin is the stronger team: fact!

It's not rude, but it is assertive, and colloquial, so I wouldn't use it with
a superior. It's gender-neutral. If it seems to be employed slightly more by
Japanese men than by Japanese women, that's just true of assertiveness in
general.

