N3 Reasons, Causes, and Results

つまり: meaning, usage and examples

つまり means: in other words / that is to say.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 彼かれは兄あにの息子むすこ。つまり、私わたしのおいです。

   He's my older brother's son. In other words, he's my nephew.

2. 母ははの姉あね、つまり私わたしのおばは、医者いしゃです。

   My mother's older sister, in other words my aunt, is a doctor.

3. 明日あしたは会社かいしゃが休やすみ、つまり3連休れんきゅうです。

   The office is closed tomorrow, so in other words, it's a three-day weekend.

4. このアプリは無料むりょう、つまりお金かねはかかりません。

   This app is free. In other words, it costs nothing.

When to use it

つまり introduces a restatement or a summary: "in other words," "that is to say," "so basically." Use it to say the same thing in simpler or more exact words, or to draw a conclusion from what was just said. It can start a sentence or sit between two nouns: 母ははの兄あに、つまりおじ.

Nuance

Neutral and very common in both speech and writing. In conversation, つまり？ on its own asks "So what you mean is...?" It sounds natural in explanations, meetings, and class.

Compare

すなわち means the same but is formal and mostly written. 要ようするに sums up more bluntly, "in short," and can sound impatient. ということだ often ends a つまり sentence: つまり、明日あしたは休やすみということだ.

Tip: Use つまり with ということ as a set to restate cleanly: つまり、無料むりょうということですね ("So it is free, right?").