Chinese Filler Words: 那個, 就是, 然後

The Mandarin fillers you will hear most are 那個 (nèige), 就是 (jiù shì), 然後 (rán hòu), 對啊 (duì a) and 嗯 (en). They do the work of “um”, “like”, “so” and “yeah” in English: they fill a pause, signal that you are still talking, or show you are listening. To buy time yourself without sounding stuck, swap your English “um” for 嗯 or 那個, and keep a few full phrases ready, such as 讓我想一下 (ràng wǒ xiǎng yí xià, “let me think for a moment”).

Every filler on this page is general colloquial Mandarin as heard in Taiwan. In Taiwan they sit alongside the particles and interjections around them, such as 對啊 and 對呀, 然後咧, 就是啊, a hesitating 欸……, and a sentence-opening 齁, and textbooks leave out the casual nèige and zhèige readings. This page describes what each filler does, and how to use them without leaning on them.

Why learners should care

Two reasons. The first is comprehension. Fillers are the “noise” in real speech, and a learner who has only heard clean textbook audio hears 那個那個那個 and wonders what the word means. Once you know it often means nothing, you can let it pass and hear the sentence behind it.

The second is your own speaking. Silence feels long when you are searching for a word, and the instinct is to say “um” in English. A native Mandarin filler keeps your turn and sounds natural. If this sounds like you, see I Understand Chinese but Can’t Speak: How to Fix It.

The core fillers

Filler	Pinyin	Zhuyin	What it does
那個	nèige	ㄋㄟˋ ˙ㄍㄜ	Stalling, or “that thing” when you cannot find the word
這個	zhèige	ㄓㄟˋ ˙ㄍㄜ	Similar stalling, often “well…”
就是	jiù shì	ㄐㄧㄡˋ ㄕˋ	”I mean”, clarifying or restarting
然後	rán hòu	ㄖㄢˊ ㄏㄡˋ	”And then”, also a sentence connector
對啊	duì a	ㄉㄨㄟˋ ˙ㄚ	”Yeah, right”, agreeing
嗯	en	˙ㄣ	”Mm”, listening or thinking
呃	è	ㄜˋ	”Uh”, a pure hesitation sound (written 呃; the dictionary has no entry for this use)
其實	qí shí	ㄑㄧˊ ㄕˊ	”Actually”
好像	hǎo xiàng	ㄏㄠˇ ㄒㄧㄤˋ	”Sort of”, “it seems”

The Ministry of Education dictionary lists the standard readings of 那 as nà and, as a colloquial form, nèi (a contraction of 那 and 一), and 這 as zhè and zhèi in the same way. In careful speech or a recording for learners you will hear nàge and zhège. In everyday talk, nèige and zhèige are what people say. Learn to recognise both.

那個 and 這個: the pause that holds the floor

那個 (nèige) begins as “that one”, as in 我要那個 (wǒ yào nèige, “I want that one”). As a filler it is the sound of a speaker who is looking for the next word. “我昨天去了那個……那個……夜市。” (Wǒ zuótiān qù le nèige… nèige… yèshì., “Yesterday I went to that… that… night market.”) A single nèige at the start of a request also softens it, much like “um, excuse me” in English: “那個，請問洗手間在哪裡？” (Nèige, qǐngwèn xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?, “Um, where is the restroom?”).

這個 (zhèige) behaves the same way, leaning more toward “well” when someone thinks over an answer: “這個……我再想一下。” (Zhèige… wǒ zài xiǎng yí xià., “Well, let me think a bit more.”)

Do not stack them endlessly. One or two in a sentence sounds natural. Five in a row makes it hard to follow you.

就是: the clarifier

就是 (jiù shì) literally means “it is exactly”, and as a filler it signals “I mean” or “the thing is”. It comes before an explanation or a restart: “我不是不喜歡，就是有點累。” (Wǒ bú shì bù xǐhuān, jiù shì yǒudiǎn lèi., “It is not that I do not like it, I’m just a bit tired.”) It also adds emphasis, as in “就是很好吃” (jiù shì hěn hǎochī, “it’s just really good”). Both uses are normal. The risk is the third use, where it lands between every clause as a tic.

然後: the story connector

然後 (rán hòu) means “and then”, and that is how learners are taught it. In conversation, speakers often use it as a link between any two thoughts, narrated step by step, and it can appear very often when someone is telling a long story. This is normal. For your own speaking it is a good tool: when you cannot see the end of the sentence, “然後……” lets you keep going.

If you notice yourself saying it too much, you have options. 接著 (jiēzhe) is “next”. 後來 (hòulái) is “later”, used about a past sequence of events, and is explained in Chinese Time Expressions. 之後 (zhīhòu) is more formal.

對啊, 對對對 and 嗯: showing you are listening

Mandarin conversations are full of small agreement sounds. 對啊 (duì a, “yeah, right” or “that’s true”) agrees with what someone said. 對對對 (duì duì duì) is the same, fast and repeated, showing strong agreement or that the speaker is following along. 嗯 (en) is the quietest version. 對喔 (duì ō, “oh, right”) is for realising something. The last belongs with the sounds in Taiwanese Interjections Explained, and sentence-final 啊 and 喔 are covered on the particles page.

A caution on 對啊. Spoken with a flat or falling tone it means “right”. The same words can also carry irritation or sarcasm depending on delivery, as English “yeah, right” does. Tone of voice carries that difference. You will hear it in context before you can use it.

Buying time without sounding sloppy

When you need two seconds, use a full phrase in preference to a long filler:

• 讓我想一下 (ràng wǒ xiǎng yí xià, “Let me think for a moment”)
• 我想想看 (wǒ xiǎngxiǎng kàn, “Let me think about it”)
• 怎麼說呢 (zěnme shuō ne, “How should I put it”)
• 等一下 (děng yí xià, “Hold on a moment”)
• 我的意思是…… (wǒ de yìsi shì…, “What I mean is…”)

These are polite, complete and clear. They also give you something natural to say while you search for words. Mix them with a single 嗯 or 那個, and you will sound like someone thinking and not like someone lost.

What to avoid

• Importing English “um”, “like” or “you know”. English “um” is understood, but it sticks out.
• Using 那個 as a substitute for a word you could look up. Hold the pause, then ask: 這個怎麼說？ (Zhège zěnme shuō?, “How do you say this?”)
• Copying the fillers of someone in a very casual setting into a formal one. In a job interview or an exam, a clean pause is better than “那個那個”.

Related reading

• Taiwanese Interjections Explained: 欸, 喔, 齁, 蛤
• I Understand Chinese but Can’t Speak: How to Fix It
• Chinese Time Expressions: 以前, 以後, 的時候, and More
• Taiwanese Sentence-Final Particles