“hora”: Look! / See? (grab attention or say “told you so”) [JLPT N3]
By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026
An interjection to draw someone's attention or say “I told you so”
“hora”: Look! / See? (grabbing attention or “I told you so”)
「ほら」 is a colloquial interjection with two main uses: ① grabbing attention — “Look!”, “Here!”: 「ほら、見て!虹が出てるよ」 (Look! There's a rainbow); ② “I told you so” — smug when things turn out as you predicted: 「ほらね、だから言ったでしょう」 (See? That's what I said). It can also urge: 「ほら、早く行くよ」.
🧠 Core nuance: the sound of pointing something out to you
ほら is like the sound a speaker makes when pointing somewhere to turn your attention there. The core is “pull the other person's attention over here” — pointing something out, urging you to hurry, or saying “see?” when a result comes true. It's full of immediacy and emotion, a lively word that animates conversation.
📌 Usage Overview
| Use | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| grab attention | Look! Here! | ほら、あそこに猫がいるよ |
| urge / remind | Hurry! Watch out! | ほら、急がないと遅れるよ |
| “told you so” | ほらね (smug) | ほらね、言った通りでしょ |
💬 Example Sentences
- ほら、見て！虹が出ているよ。(Look! There's a rainbow.) — grab attention
- ほら、急がないと遅刻するよ。(Come on, hurry or you'll be late.) — urging
- ほらね！私の予想通りだった。(See?! Just as I predicted.) — “told you so”
- ほら、もう少しで完成だよ、頑張って。(Look, almost done — keep it up.) — encouragement
- ほら、落とさないように気をつけて。(Here, be careful not to drop it.) — drawing attention
🔄 Compare: ほら vs さあ vs ねえ vs ほらほら
| Expression | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ほら | point it out / told you so | ほら、見て |
| さあ | “come on / let's” (urging, or uncertainty) | さあ、行こう |
| ねえ | “hey / um” (calling out to chat) | ねえ、聞いて |
| ほらほら | doubled — a more urgent prod | ほらほら、危ないよ |
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- Using it in formal settings: ✗ 「ほら、この度は申し訳ございません」 → ほら is casual; not for formal apologies or keigo.
- Treating it as a conjunction: ほら is an interjection at the start to grab attention, not a connector.
- The smug feel of ほらね: fine when a result comes true; saying it after someone fails can sound gloating.
- Confusing it with さあ: use ほら to grab attention, さあ to urge action or show hesitation.
💡 Nuance & When to Use
ほら is a vivid everyday interjection — for pointing something out, urging someone to hurry, or smugly saying “see?” Full of immediacy and warmth, very common among friends and family. But it's casual — avoid it in formal or keigo conversation. Master it and your spoken Japanese instantly livens up. A practical word at N3.
🎯 JLPT Exam Tips
- Common at N3: distinguish the three senses — grab attention / urge / “told you so.”
- Distinction: ほら (look/attention) vs さあ (urge action/uncertainty).
- Not for formal/keigo settings — a colloquial interjection.
🖊️ 練習題（5 題）
Q1. 「___、見て！虹が出ているよ。」（你看！出現彩虹了）
(A) ほら (B) さあ (C) もし (D) では
Q2. 「___ね、だから言ったでしょう。」（看吧，所以我就說了吧）
(A) ほら (B) まだ (C) もう (D) ぜひ
Q3. 「ほら、急がないと遅刻するよ。」這句的「ほら」表達什麼語感？
(A) 提醒、催促對方注意
(B) 表示鄭重的道歉
(C) 表示由衷的感謝
(D) 表示疑問與不確定
Q4. 「ほらね！」が表す気持ちとして最も適切なものは？
(A) 「我就說吧」——事情果然如自己所料的得意
(B) 完全沒料到的驚訝
(C) 對對方的歉意
(D) 對未來的不安
Q5. 「ほら」の使い方として不自然な文は？
(A) ほら、あそこに猫がいるよ。 (B) ほら、もう少しで完成だ、頑張って。
(C) ほらね、私の予想通りだった。 (D) ほら、この度は誠に申し訳ございませんでした。
答案解析
1. (A) ほら ── 「ほら」用來吸引對方注意（你看）。
2. (A) ほら ── 「ほらね」＝看吧（結果果然如自己所料）。
3. (A) 提醒、催促對方注意 ── 此處的「ほら」帶催促+提醒語氣。
4. (A) ── 「ほらね！」表示「我就說吧」的得意，事情如預期發生。
5. (D) ── 「ほら」是引起注意・催促的口語感嘆詞，不用於正式鄭重的道歉場合。