とか
I heard that… something like, They said ... or something
Structure
［い］Adjective + とか
［な］Adjective + とか
Noun + とか
Explanation
Formed by the particles と and か, とか is used to relay information that the speaker has heard but is not entirely sure about. It adds a nuance of uncertainty, similar to saying 'I heard that...' or '...or so I've been told' in English.
とか can be used following verbs, い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and nouns.
- 田中さんと山田さんが来月引っ越すとか。寂しくなるね。I heard that Tanaka-san and Yamada-san are moving next month or something. It's going to be lonely, isn't it?
- 最近、部長は新しいプロジェクトのせいで、すごく忙しいとか。I hear that the department manager is extremely busy lately because of the new project, or something to that effect.
- 新しい先生は学生にすごく親切だとか。次の授業が楽しみだね。I heard the new teacher is really kind to the students or something. I'm looking forward to the next class.
- あそこのカフェの店員さん、実は大学生だとか。I heard that the clerk at that cafe is actually a university student, or so they say.
Using とか to express hearsay like this is quite informal and is frequently used in casual, spoken Japanese.
Caution
This combination of と and か can appear identical to the とか used for listing examples. However, the grammar here is a fusion of the case-marking particle と and the adverbial particle か. The list-making version, conversely, functions as a single listing particle. Nevertheless, because both structures ultimately derive from と and か, some overlap in their underlying meaning can be perceived.
Examples
毎日ヨーグルトを食べると腸の調子が良くなるんだとか。
I heard that eating yogurt every day is good for your gut health or something like that.
あの店のコーヒーはすごくおいしいとか。
I hear that the coffee at that shop is amazing or something like that.
あの俳優さん、来年ご結婚されるとか。
I heard that that actor is getting married next year or something like that.
最近、若者の間でフィルムカメラがまた人気だとか。
I heard that film cameras are popular again among young people recently or something like that.
父が、この公園は静かだとか言っていた。
My dad was saying that this park is quiet or something like that.
友達は昨日の映画はあまり面白くなかったとか言ってたけど、本当かな？
My friend said the movie yesterday wasn't very interesting or something like that, but I wonder if that's true.
人は一日８時間寝ないと集中力が落ちるんだとか…。
It's said that if people don't sleep 8 hours a day, their concentration drops or something like that...
田中課長は来月から大阪支社へ転勤なさるとか。
I heard that Section Chief Tanaka is transferring to the Osaka branch starting next month or something like that.
彼は一人で全部終わらせられるとか言ってたけど、絶対無理でしょ。
He was saying that he could finish everything by himself or something like that, but that's absolutely impossible, right?
駅前の道が工事で混んでいるんだとか。それなら、別の道を通って行こう。
I heard the road in front of the station is congested due to construction or something like that. If that's the case, let's take a different route.
アニメを見るだけで日本語が上手になるとか…。でも、やっぱり文法の勉強も必要だ。
It's said that your Japanese can get good just by watching anime or something like that... But, as you'd expect, you still need to study grammar.
メガネちゃん：「彼女、電話で何て？」
ヤンキー君：「少し遅れるかもしれないとか言ってたけど、詳しくはわからない。」
Megane-chan: 'What did she say on the phone?'
Yankee-kun: 'She said she might be a little late or something like that, but I don't know the details.'