Connective Openers: じゃあ / では, ところで, そういえば, ちなみに | Japanese Grammar

Every turn in a conversation lands somewhere relative to the last one — it wraps things up, jumps to a new topic, circles back to something remembered, tacks on a footnote, pushes back, or picks up the thread. Japanese marks that relationship explicitly with a connective opener: a word or two at the very start of your turn that tells the listener how to fit what's coming into what came before. Choose the wrong signpost and the listener braces for the wrong kind of content. This page covers the four "topic-management" openers named above, then the reactive openers — でも, だって, それで／で, ていうか — that respond to what someone just said.

じゃあ / では: "well then, in that case"

じゃあ (casual) and では (formal/written) transition: they take what's just been settled and move to the next step, or wrap a matter up. The logic is "given that — so, now then."

じゃあ、始めましょう。

jā, hajimemashō

Okay then, let's get started.

では、これで終わります。

dewa, kore de owarimasu

Well then, we'll end here.

じゃあ、また明日ね。

jā, mata ashita ne

All right then — see you tomorrow.

では is the meeting-and-email register; じゃあ (and the even more clipped じゃ) is everyday speech. Both hinge on a shared premise: they only make sense as a response to something already on the table.

ところで: the clean topic switch

ところで means "by the way" — a deliberate jump to a new, unrelated topic. It announces "I'm changing the subject now," with no claim that the new topic grows out of the old one.

ところで、週末は何をするの？

tokoro de, shūmatsu wa nani o suru no?

By the way, what are you doing this weekend?

ところで、あの件はどうなりましたか。

tokoro de, ano ken wa dō narimashita ka

By the way, what happened with that matter?

The trap for English speakers is that "by the way" can also introduce a logical afterthought in English, but ところで is only a topic-switch — never a "therefore." For consequence you need だから or それで.

そういえば: "that reminds me"

そういえば also changes the subject, but with the opposite claim: the new topic was triggered by the current one. Literally "if [you] say it that way," it means "speaking of which / come to think of it" — an association just surfaced in your mind.

そういえば、田中さんは？

sō ieba, tanaka-san wa?

That reminds me — where's Tanaka?

そういえば、来週試験だったよね。

sō ieba, raishū shiken datta yo ne

Come to think of it, the exam's next week, isn't it?

💡

そういえば and ところで both change the subject, but the link is the whole difference. そういえば claims the new topic was sparked by the current one ("speaking of which…") — a smooth, natural pivot. ところで signals a deliberate, unrelated jump ("anyway, new topic"). Use そういえば when an association genuinely prompted you; use ところで when you're consciously setting the old topic aside. Swap them and the shift feels either falsely abrupt or falsely connected.

ちなみに: the footnote

ちなみに means "incidentally / for reference" — it appends a piece of related, supplementary information to the current topic, like a spoken footnote. Unlike ところで, it does not change the subject; it elaborates on it.

ちなみに、値段は千円です。

chinamini, nedan wa sen'en desu

Incidentally, the price is 1,000 yen.

この店、おいしいよ。ちなみに、予約はいらないから。

kono mise, oishii yo. chinamini, yoyaku wa iranai kara

This place is good. And for reference, you don't need a reservation.

ちなみに is comfortable in both polite and casual registers, which makes it a handy way to slip in a useful detail without derailing the conversation.

The reactive openers: でも, だって, それで / で, ていうか

The four above manage your own topic flow. These next ones react to what the other person just said — they're how you open a turn that pushes back on, protests, continues, or reframes the previous speaker.

でも — "but, however." A straightforward objection or contrast opening your turn.

でも、それはおかしいよ。

demo, sore wa okashii yo

But that's weird, though.

だって — "but…! / because…!" A protesting, emotionally-charged rebuttal, the classic partner of the excuse-particle もん (see もん / もの: justifying with a reason). Where でも calmly contrasts, だって whines or defends.

だって、時間がなかったんだもん。

datte, jikan ga nakatta n da mon

But there was no time — that's why!

それで — "so, and then?" A continuer that both prompts the speaker onward and links a consequence. As a listener you use it to say "go on"; as a speaker, to draw a result.

それで、どうなったの？

sorede, dō natta no?

So then — what happened?

で — the same それで with the front filed off. Clipped で at the start of a turn is an extremely common casual continuer, "so…?"

で、結局買ったの？

de, kekkyoku katta no?

So, did you end up buying it?

ていうか (＝というか) — "or rather / actually / I mean." Built on the quotative という (see って: the casual quotative), it walks back or overrides what was just said, often to redirect to what really matters. Very casual, common among younger speakers.

ていうか、それより先に謝ってよ。

te iu ka, sore yori saki ni ayamatte yo

Actually — never mind that, apologize first.

💡

それで and それから both translate as "and then," which is why English speakers blur them. それで is consequence — "so, as a result." それから is sequence — "after that, and next." 高かった。それで買わなかった "It was expensive, so I didn't buy it" vs. 買い物して、それから帰った "I shopped, and then went home." Reach for それで when the second event follows from the first; それから when it merely follows it in time.

Common mistakes

Using ところで for logical "therefore." ところで is a topic-switch, never a consequence.

❌ 高い。ところで、買わない。

Wrong connector — 'it's expensive, by the way I won't buy it' makes no sense. The second clause is a consequence, so you need だから or それで.

✅ 高い。だから、買わない。

takai. da kara, kawanai

It's expensive, so I won't buy it.

Using abrupt ところで when the topic was actually triggered by association. It makes a smooth pivot sound like a jarring subject-change.

❌ (花の話をしていて) ところで、庭に花を植えたんだ。

Off — the new topic was prompted by the current one, so the associative そういえば fits; ところで falsely signals an unrelated jump.

✅ (花の話をしていて) そういえば、庭に花を植えたんだ。

sō ieba, niwa ni hana o ueta n da

Speaking of which, I planted flowers in the garden.

Confusing それで (consequence) with それから (sequence).

❌ ご飯を食べた。それで、お風呂に入った。

Odd — bathing isn't a *consequence* of eating, just the next thing you did. Sequence needs それから.

✅ ご飯を食べた。それから、お風呂に入った。

gohan o tabeta. sorekara, o-furo ni haitta

I ate, and then took a bath.

Opening a turn with で in formal speech. The clipped で continuer is casual-only; in a meeting or with a superior it sounds careless.

❌ (会議で) で、次の議題ですが。

Too casual for a meeting — clipped で sounds offhand with a superior or a client. Use それでは or では.

✅ (会議で) それでは、次の議題に移ります。

soredewa, tsugi no gidai ni utsurimasu

Now then, let's move to the next item on the agenda.

Key takeaways

Connective openers are signposts: they tell the listener how your turn relates to the last one — pivot, aside, recollection, footnote, objection, continuation.
じゃあ／では transition ("well then"); ところで jumps to an unrelated topic; そういえば pivots to an associated one; ちなみに appends a footnote without changing the subject.
The そういえば vs ところで difference is the associative link: triggered-by-this vs. deliberately-unrelated.
Reactive openers respond to the other speaker: でも contrasts calmly, だって protests emotionally, それで／で continues or draws a consequence, ていうか reframes.
Don't use ところで for "therefore," don't blur それで (consequence) with それから (sequence), and keep clipped で out of formal speech.

Now practice Japanese

Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.

Start learning Japanese→