“I’ll think about it”: what happens next?

A reply with a reason to wait

You ask to borrow a room for an event. The answer is kangaetokimasu: “I'll think about it.” Is that enough reason to stop looking for another room?

Here are two replies we wrote for this example.

考えときます。

KYOTOEIC translation

I'll think about it.

The other reply adds a check and a deadline.

考えときます。部屋の空きを確認して、金曜までに返事します。

KYOTOEIC translation

I'll think about it. I'll check whether the room is free and get back to you by Friday.

The second reply gives you a reason to wait: someone has a check to make and a deadline for answering. It still does not grant you the room. Friday's answer might be no. The first reply does not even identify that check or a date for a response.

A documented use as a refusal

In his 2024 paper on Kyoto and Semba speech, Kenichi Kadooka discusses a book by Koji Obuchi and presents the expression as an indirect refusal. The passage warns against taking a promise to consider something at face value. It does not report a measured rate of refusals among residents.

In a discussion whose subtitles Kyoto City publishes, Takaharu Matsui also gives the phrase as an indirect refusal he has experienced. Shoichi Inoue then argues against treating similar expressions as exclusive to Kyoto. Even within that discussion, an interpretation of an example and a claim about a whole region are separable.

These sources establish that a promise to consider something can stand in for a refusal. But replacing both opening replies with “No, you can't have the room” would erase the check and response promised in the second one.

What the person making the booking needs

If you need to book the room, try asking when to expect an answer and what it should cover. For example: “Should I wait until Friday? Please let me know then whether we can use the room.” If preparations are urgent, you could also explain that you will look for another room in parallel.

In the public travel invitation scene, thanks are followed by a statement that the speaker will not take part this time. Gratitude does not make that an acceptance: participation has been addressed separately.

The seat reservation scene does something different. The speaker leaves attendance open but says there is no need to reserve a seat. That gives the organiser enough information for the immediate booking task. Deciding that someone will not attend and deciding not to book their seat are different decisions.

Keep the deadline in the translation

Our invented reply starts with “I'll think about it” in English and 생각해 볼게요 in Korean. Both versions preserve the room check and Friday deadline. Replacing the whole reply with “That probably won't work,” in pursuit of a Japanese atmosphere, would make a decision on the speaker's behalf.

When a reply feels vague, try writing down what you are waiting for. A decision? A check of someone's schedule? Or has nobody promised a further answer at all? The difference matters to the person who has a timetable to arrange.