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“look!” / “see?” / “here” · Reactions and comebacks
見てください→ほら

ほら is a one-word way to get attention: “look!”, “here, take it”, or “see? I was right.” It often doubles as ほらほら to hurry someone, or comes as ほら見ろ (“see, I told you”).

Use it withFriends OKCoworkers carefulBoss / teacher avoid

Casual. Points at something, or says “I told you so.” It can sound pushy toward a boss or someone older.

320 lines with ほら from 131 comedians in the library · Counts updated 2026-10-07
Audience laughter in this scene0:22
Aisho wa Ii yo ne · The Previous Tenant

In a skit about a previous tenant, one performer keeps pushing the others, including 'Dad,' to hurry inside and carry on.

Culture note '穴兄弟' is crude slang for men who have slept with the same woman; '鍵穴' ('keyhole') plays on it.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Come on, come on, you too, Dad, come on!

Textbookさあ、さあ、お父さんも早く行ってください。'ほら' here urges someone on ('come on'), replacing polite 'さあ' + '〜てください'; 'お父さん' also becomes casual 'お父ちゃん'.

Speed: normal
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:17
Ebi Calendar · The Street Barker

Pretending to call in customers on the street, one performer tries out different ways to advertise a comedy show.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Come on, come on, come on!

Textbookさあ、こちらを見てください。Polite '見てください' shrinks to the call 'ほら', repeated three times to grab passersby's attention.

Speed: normal
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:16
Flag-Raising Game

Two people argue about someone using the gym without asking, with lines echoing flag-game commands like "raise your hand".

Culture note 旗上げゲーム is a Japanese party game where players quickly raise or lower flags on shouted commands like "raise the red flag".

The words appear when the audience laughs.

See?

Textbook見てください。A lone "ほら" does the job of "見てください": a quick call pointing at what's happening right now.

Speed: slow
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:17
Pentamaru · The Smuggler

Someone talks with their friend Kenji about backing out of a shady delivery job.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

Look, the money's in this envelope.

Textbook見てください、この封筒の中にお金があります。「ほら」 replaces 「見てください」 to show the envelope; plain 「ある」 replaces polite 「あります」.

Speed: normal
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:15
Otasa no Hime · Cleopatra Returns

A scientist argues with someone who wants to pretend the whole matter never happened, and insists they understand women's feelings better than anyone.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

See? Girls cry at times like this, right?

Textbook見てください、女の子はこういう時に泣いてしまうんですよね。「ほらな」 = 「ほら」 ("see?") + rough 「な」, standing in for polite 「見てください」; 「泣いちゃう」 contracts 「泣いてしまう」, and 「〜んだよね」 is plain for 「〜んですよね」.

Speed: fast
All lines
Audience laughter in this scene0:19
Magokoro Touch · No Confidence

Someone who lacks confidence is told there's one simple solution for them.

The words appear when the audience laughs.

"Get a job"? Why?! — Come on, come on, come on!

Textbook就職してください。どうしてですか。さあ、さあ、さあ。Repeated "ほら" is a pushy "come on / here, look", a casual stand-in for "見てください" or "さあ".

Speed: slow
All lines

More lines with ほら

From other routines in the library. Automatic transcripts, not yet checked line by line.

Quick answers

What does ほら mean?

ほら means “look!” / “see?” / “here”. ほら is a one-word way to get attention: “look!”, “here, take it”, or “see? I was right.” It often doubles as ほらほら to hurry someone, or comes as ほら見ろ (“see, I told you”).

Is ほら rude? Who can you say it to?

With friends: OK. With coworkers: careful. With a boss or teacher: avoid. Casual. Points at something, or says “I told you so.” It can sound pushy toward a boss or someone older.

How common is ほら in real speech?

In 1,905 live comedy routines, ほら appears in 320 lines from 131 comedians.

Reactions and comebacks

すいませんちょっと待って違う／ちげえやめて／やめろうるさい／うるせえすげえ／すご！うそ！／うそでしょじゃあめっちゃもういいなにそれっていうか／てかおいあれ？そっかやだありがと／あざす別にだってまさかえっ？／えー！バカ／アホうん／ううん