Grammar
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Grammar · Page 12
Ni Tsurete and Ni Shitagatte in Japanese: As X Changes, So Does Y
Ni tsurete and ni shitagatte both mean as, in the sense of one change bringing another with it: as it gets colder, the leaves turn red.
11 min readBakari ka and Dokoro ka in Japanese: Not Only... and Far From
Bakari ka means not only... but even, and dokoro ka means far from it or let alone; both take a sentence further than you might expect.
10 min readDake Atte and Dake ni in Japanese: As Expected and All the More
Dake atte praises a result that matches someone's status or effort, and dake ni explains why a feeling is all the stronger, and both are used a great deal in written and spoken Japanese.
11 min readKiri in Japanese: Only, Ever Since, and Kiri ga Nai Explained
Kiri is a small word with a strong sense of closure: just the two of us, the one and only time, left and never came back, and there is no end to it.
12 min readAgeku and Sue ni in Japanese: After All That, In the End
Ageku and sue ni both mean after a long process, in the end, but ageku usually ends in something bad, while sue ni can end anywhere.
11 min readNi Kakawarazu and Ni mo Kakawarazu: Regardless of vs Despite
One small mo turns regardless of into despite: ni kakawarazu says something does not matter, while ni mo kakawarazu says something happened in spite of it.
10 min readMono no and Mono nara in Japanese: Although, and If Only I Could
Mono no says I did it, but it didn't turn out as expected; mono nara says if I could, I would, or warns what happens if you dare.
10 min readKagiri in Japanese: As Long As, As Far As, Ni Kagiru and Ni Kagitte
Kagiri means limit, and almost every pattern built on it draws a boundary: as long as this holds, as far as I can see, only today, or nothing but this.
12 min readDarake, Mamire and Zukume: Three Ways to Say Full Of in Japanese
Darake means scattered all over with something unwanted, such as mistakes or mud, mamire means physically coated in a substance like blood or sweat, and zukume means made up entirely of one thing, which can be good news or bad.
13 min readNi Oite and Ni Okeru: The Formal In, At and Regarding in Japanese
Ni oite is the formal equivalent of de, marking the place, time or field in which something happens, and ni okeru is its noun-modifying form, so both replace de when you write a report, give a presentation or make an announcement.
14 min readNi Watatte, Ni Kakete and O Tsūjite: Talking About Spans in Japanese
Ni watatte says something covered a whole span of time or space, kara ni kakete says it ran from roughly one point to roughly another, and o tsūjite or o tōshite say it held throughout a period or happened via a channel.
12 min readTa Bakari vs Ta Tokoro: Saying You Just Did Something in Japanese
Ta bakari means you did something recently and it still feels fresh, whether that was five minutes or five months ago, while ta tokoro means you finished it at this very moment, so the two overlap only when the action really has just ended.
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