

I haven't heard "Uso Da!" used to mean "Liar!" in any other anime from what I
can remember, and when I type the phrase into google, it seems to exclusively
be a _Higurashi_ thing. Why is this? If it were just a dramatic word that's
not really used in real conversation, which is common for media, I'd expect to
hear it more elsewhere in other anime too. I'd love to hear exactly why uso da
seems exclusive to _Higurashi_ , thank you ^^


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japanese-language higurashi-when-they-cry
Why is "Uso Da!" used in Higurashi?


だ is really just [there for emphasis](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-
grammar/da/), and would likely be there for emphasis in any other media or
show.

From the article:

> The most basic functions of だ are to mark nouns and な-adjectives as positive
> (true), and present tense (relevant to now or the future). だ is not used
> with word types that have their own way of telling us their tense or whether
> or not they’re true, such as verbs and い-adjectives.

So if you heard someone say "嘘{うそ}だ！", _phonetically_ it's no different than
if someone said, "You liar!"

As with natural speech, there is always nuance in how people speak certain
phrases. This example is no different, and the real answer as to why this form
is used over others is a bit beyond my completely non-native understanding to
assist you with.

I do hope that this can give you some enlightenment as to why it is the way it
is, though.


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**" _Uso da!_ " is not only used in _Higurashi_ but also appeared in other
anime & manga.**

Before the original _Higurashi_ VN was released in 2002, the same phrase was
used in

  * _YuYu Hakusho_ manga ( _Weekly Shonen Jump_ , 1993), volume 13, chapter 112:

> 幻海「 **嘘だ！！** 」([source](https://matome.usachannel.info/?p=104118))  
>  Genkai: **You're lying!!** (scanlation)

  * _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ (TV anime, 1996), episode 24, 16:55~ :

> 碇シンジ「 **嘘だ嘘だ嘘だ！** カヲル君が、彼が使徒だったなんて、そんなの **嘘だ！**
> 」([source](https://twitter.com/tokyo3_bot/status/1255427435417436160))  
>  Shinji: **No, no, no! It's impossible!** I won't believe that Kaoru is an
> Angel. **It's a lie!** ([dub](https://archive.org/details/neon-genesis-
> evangelion-1x-24-dc-the-beginning-and-the-end-or-knockin-on-heavens-
> door-1080px-265bk))

* * *

Literally, the meaning of " _[uso](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%98%98) da!_" is
"(it's a) lie!", while "liar" is "
_[usotsuki](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%98%98%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8D)_ ". Though,
the implication of " _uso da!_ " being "liar!" or "(you're) lying!" is also
valid. Here is some comparison for various versions of _Higurashi_
([Twitter](https://twitter.com/kamil198811/status/1317080322689978370),
[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Higurashinonakakoroni/comments/jbqxcq/renas_uso_da_comparison/),
[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwKLcXyhGDE)):

  * _Higurashi Hou_ (original VN, 2002, unofficial translation): LIES!/THAT'S A LIE!
  * _Higurashi_ (anime, 2006): Liar!
  * _Higurashi_ (manga, 2008): LIAR!
  * _Higurashi Hou_ (Steam VN, 2015): LIES!
  * _Higurashi Gou_ (anime, 2020): You're lying!

As for why it seems "exclusive", possibly it is because the impact of that
particular scene in _Higurashi_ is so memorable until it reaches a level of
[meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/uso-da-%E5%98%98%E3%81%A0).

* * *

Reference: [the comment thread about _Uso da!!!_ on _Nico Nico Pedia_
(Japanese)](https://dic.nicovideo.jp/b/a/%E5%98%98%E3%81%A0%E3%83%83%21%21%21/1-)


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