Ask John: What Does “No Da” Mean?

Question:
Chichiri in Fushigi Yuugi ends every sentence with “no da” or “na no da,” which the subtitles occasionally translate as “y’know.” Does “no da” actually mean anything, or is it just to sound funny?

Answer:
Numerous anime characters end their sentences with odd verbalizations, including Fushigi Yuugi’s Chichiri. Some of these additional syllables have a literal meaning, but in context they are only intended to add characterization. Kurumi of Steel Angel Kurumi ends all of her sentences with “desu,” which is literally the verb meaning “to be.” Since “desu” is such a common verb form, it’s commonly ignored or implied in conversational Japanese. The fact that Kurumi intentionally adds “desu” to the end of every sentence, regardless of whether it should be there or not, implies that she is child-like and spontaneous and not bound by conventional rules. Himura Kenshin of the Rurouni Kenshin TV series adds to the end of most of his sentences some variation of “de gozaru,” an archaic substitute for the contemporary “desu,” to add an unusually polite tone to his speech. In Di-Gi-Charat, the cat themed Dijiko and Puchiko end their sentences with “nyo” and “nyu” respectively- both variations of the common Japanese sound for a cat’s meow, “nyan.” Their companion, the balloon-like Gemma, ends his (her?) sentences with “-gemma.” And the panda themed Pyokola Analogue III (Piyoko) ends her sentences with the made up sound “-pyo.” Chichiri’s “no da” is another variation of “desu” and, as it’s used in Fushigi Yuugi, has no real meaning, per se. It’s translated as “y’know” simply to alert viewers unfamiliar with listening carefully to spoken Japanese that Chichiri has a distinctive speech pattern.

The “No Da” Explanation page offers a carefully detailed linguistic explanation for the origin of Chichiri’s “no da” and “na no da.”