What does Sate mean in Japanese?

“Sate Sate Sate” is one of the famous expressions mentioned by Melodias in Nanatsu no Taizai. What would be the real meaning of the expression sate [さて] in the Japanese Language?

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What does Sate mean in Japanese?

Sate [偖, 扨, 扠] is a conjunction or interjection (kandoushi) that conveys the idea of well, now, and then. Generally used at the beginning of a sentence, before talking about a specific subject.

Often, sate can be used at the beginning of the sentence to focus on the subject in question, without necessarily having a significant translation in the text.

If the conversation strays from the focus, or if we need to change the topic, or if it is necessary to highlight information, we can use “Sate”.

In summary, it is a conjunction to indicate a change of topic or a transition in a conversation. It is usually written in hiragana as a particle, without the use of kanji.

What does Sate Sate Sate mean?

The repetition “Sate Sate Sate” and its translation closely resembles the English expression “well, well, well” used when discovering something surprising, catching someone in the act, or accomplishing something before others imagine.

It is not common in Japanese; the more common form would be the repetition twice (さてさて) used to express feelings of surprise or being impressed by something.

It can indicate something like No, no way. My God. The repetition is often used to increase the power and emphasis of the word, in Japanese it is called Jougo [畳語].

Alternatives and Variations of Sate

Below we will list some related words derived from or dependent on sate, their meanings, and also some alternatives.

• さては – and also, besides, then, in that case, if so;
• さて置く – to set aside;
• 扨も – My, dear me, wow, indeed, truly;
• さてこそ – Just as I thought; as expected;

Expressions that use さて

Here are some examples of sentences that use “さて”:

さて、それでは新しい話題に移りましょう。 
Sate, soredewa atarashī wadai ni utsurimashou.

Well, now let’s move on to a new topic.

さて、あの件について考えたことはありますか？ 
Sate, ano kudan ni tsuite kangaeta koto wa arimasu ka?

Well, have you thought about that matter?

さて、今度の週末は何か予定がありますか？ 
Sate, kondo no shūmatsu wa nani ka yotei ga arimasu ka?

Well, do you have any plans for the next weekend?

さてさて、今度の週末はどこに行こうかな
Sate sate, kondo no shūmatsu wa doko ni ikou ka na

Well, well, where should we go this weekend?

さてさて、話が変わって、あなたは最近どうしてるの？
Sate sate,-banashi ga kawatte, anata wa saikin dōshiteru no?

Well, well, changing the subject, how have you been recently?

さてさて、その話はもう十分だ。次の話題に移りましょう。 
Sate sate, sono-wa wa mō jūbunda. Tsugi no wadai ni utsurimashou.

Well, well, we’ve talked enough about that. Let’s move on to the next topic.