Question
One morning, I saw my Japanese friend grinning from ear to ear as she approached me. When I asked her what happened, she told me that she had won 100 million yen at a lottery.
I was so surprised. I wanted to say “Really?” but I don’t know what’s it called in Japanese.
Answer by Professional Japanese Teacher
（1) ほんとうに？
Hontooni?
Really?
(2) ほんと?
Honto?
Really?
(3) まじで?
Majide?
Are you serious?
(4) 本当(ほんとう)ですか？
Hontoo desuka?
Really?
There are several ways of saying “Really?” in Japanese. The first three are casual expressions to use if you are on close terms with your friend.
If your friend is just an acquaintance, then you can use the last expression which is more polite. However, having said that, 100 million yen is a lot of money so it’s perfectly normal to be surprised at the news.
Thus, it is also acceptable to use a casual form when you’re surprised.
