About cutting the sentences short I've been told during my Japanese classes, and I've also observed in anime and Japanese dramas & movies, that sometimes when talking Japanese people tend to stop halfway and omit the end of sentence especially when the sentence has some negative connotation (e.g refusal etc). For example: > : > : > > Suzuki: kore wo motto yasuku shimasen ka nee. > Tanaka: sore ha chotto .. Another example: > : > : > > Suzuki: buraun-san no nihongo ha naka naka jouzu desu nee. > Brown: iya, watashi ha mada mada .. So is there a cultural reason for this behavior? What is term for it? And how should non-Japanese interpret or react if our questions or invitations are replied with such responses? Meta note: I notice myself that the last question is a bit subjective. Should we or should we not allow this kind of subjective questions in Japanese SE?

Omission of syntax to allow the user to infer meaning (for politeness or whatever reason) is one of the many characteristics of Japanese. What remains unsaid is often stronger than what is actually said. The Japanese abhor "spelling things out" for you, because it is not "harmonious" and puts them in a position of having to be direct. If you've read by , you may recall a passage where the narrator feels revulsion for a Westerner he met, in part because the man does not understand the Japanese feeling that what can be said in a look may be vulgar to put into words, etc