Beyond Vocabulary — Part 1
Power adverbs, sentence leaders, four-character compounds, sentence cues, and set phrases for advanced expression.
Power Adverbs
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| もう | already |
| まだ | still |
| まだ・・・ない | not yet |
| あいにく | unfortunately |
| 残念ながら | unfortunately |
| 幸い | fortunately |
| しばらく | for a while |
| とにかく | at any rate |
| 確かに | certainly/indeed |
| ちなみに | on a related note |
| ついでに | while you are at it |
| もちろん | of course |
| むしろ | on the contrary |
| とりあえず | for the time being |
| 今のところ | at the moment/currently |
| 今の内に | while the opportunity is here, |
| ある程度 | to a certain extent |
| 恐らく | most likely/I suspect |
| あくまでも | to the/without limitation |
| どちらかと言うと | if I had to say which |
Sentence Leaders
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| それで | And that's why... |
| それでは | If that's the case/Well then, |
| ところで | By the way, |
| ところが | But I was surprised to find that... |
| だったら | In that case, |
| そう言えば | Speaking of which, |
| かと言って | But even so, |
| 強いて言えば | If I had to say, |
| なんと言うか | How do I put this, |
| それよりも | More importantly, |
| となると | If that's the case, then... |
| 少なくとも | At the very least, |
| だからこそ | That's all the more reason... |
| それにしても | Despite that/Even so |
| いずれにしても | In any case, (>2) |
| どのみち/どっちみち | = いずれにしても |
| どちらにしても | In either case, (=2) |
| いざとなったら | If all else fails, |
| というわけで | In summary/conclusion, |
| 思えば, | Come to think of it, |
4-Character Compounds: 四字熟語
| Compound | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 自業自得 | You get what you deserve |
| 無理矢理 | By force |
| 無茶苦茶 | Absurd/messed up |
| 一石二鳥 | Two birds with one stone |
| 一生懸命 | With all one's might |
| 中途半端 | A poor/incomplete effort |
| 弱肉強食 | Survival of the fittest |
| 単刀直入 | Not beating around the bush |
| 油断大敵 | Negligence is a foe to be reckoned with |
| 十人十色 | Every person is unique. |
| 一期一会 | The encounter of a lifetime. |
| 自画自賛 | Praising one's own work |
| 一目瞭然 | Obvious at a glance |
| 一心不乱 | Completely focused on one thing |
| 無我夢中 | Lost in/absorbed in/enthralled |
| 一部始終 | The entirety (from start to finish) |
| 二者択一 | Trial and error |
| 試行錯誤 | An either/or choice |
| 三日坊主 | An early quitter (lit. "3-day monk") |
| 紆余曲折 | Many twists and turns/complications |
Sentence Cues
Cue Words
These "cue words" hint at the meaning/grammar which follows, but are not always paired exactly according to this chart.
| Cue Word | Expected Follow-up | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| もしも | 〜えば／〜たら | if... |
| もしかして | かもしれない | maybe... |
| ひょっとして | (a question) 1 | it's unlikely, but...? |
| なぜならば | からだ | the reason is that... |
| さぞかし | だろう | it sure sounds like... (expressing empathy) |
| 丸で | 〜のよう | it's as if/as though... |
| あたかも | 〜のよう | it's as if/as though... |
| いかにも | 〜らしい | it's very typical/characteristic of... |
| どうやら | 〜みたい | it would seem that... |
| 道理で | わけだ | well that sure explains why... |
| てっきり | 〜と思った | I was sure that... (but was wrong) |
| 一応 | けど／が | for what it's worth, ... (but even so...) |
| あまりにも | 〜すぎる | it's far too... |
| 果たして | だろうか | but when all is said and done, will it really... ? |
| 結局 | (some disappointment) | but unfortunately in the end,... |
| せめて | くらい（+ desire/command） | you should at least.../I at least want... |
| 〜からと言って | 〜ない | just because ~, doesn't mean... |
| よくも | したな！ | (expresses anger or surprise at someone's action) |
| ただでさえ | のに、 | even normally it's ~, so ... is out of the question. |
| 一層のこと | 〜えばいい、方がいい | in that case, might as well just... |
Note 1
ひょっとして can also be used with the same meaning as もしかして.
Set Phrases
| Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 仕方がない | it can't be helped |
| 念のために | just in case |
| 場合による | it depends on the situation |
| 時間の問題 | just a matter of time. |
| 遅かれ早かれ | sooner or later |
| どうしようもない | unable to be dealt with |
| 当てにならない | to be unreliable |
| 取り返しが付かない | can't be undone/reversed |
| 見当が付かない | haven't the slightest clue |
| 手間がかかる | requires great trouble/effort |
| 手間をかける | to go to great lengths |
| けりを付ける | to wind/finish things up |
| なるようになる | it will happen as it was destined to |
| やむを得ない | it can't be avoided |
| 高が知れている | something of little value. |
| 高が知れない | something of great value. |
| 途方に暮れる | to be in a difficult position |
| なす術もない | to have no way to counter |
| 立つ瀬がない | to have lost one's reputation |
| 腑に落ちない | something doesn't sit right |
| 埒が明かない | unable to reach an agreement |
| 理に適っている | to make sense/be logical |
Icons & Badges Reference
Usage Icons
話Used primarily in spoken Japanese
書Used primarily in written Japanese
男Used mostly by men
女Used mostly by women
子Used mostly by children
古Old / Archaic expression
硬Used in formal / stiff situations
!Use with caution (not for superiors)
!!Vulgar / expresses anger or disapproval
上Advanced (JLPT N2–N1)
★Reference-only (beyond JLPT scope)
↓Footnote
✕Incorrect usage
○Correct usage
Form Badges
NNoun
NONoun followed by the particle の
NANoun followed by な
TIMENoun indicating time
LOCNoun indicating location/place
ADJAdjective (i-adjective or na-adjective)
i-ADJi-Adjective (e.g. 高い)
na-ADJna-Adjective (e.g. 元気な)
VERB"Nounable" verb form
PASTPast-tense verb (〜た、〜ていた、etc.)
-U/-TAPresent or past verb (non-negative)
NAINegative form
-U/NAIPresent tense verb (regular or negative)
VERB+の"Nounable" verb form followed by の
SURUSuru-verb stem word (noun)
Verb Form Suffixes
-IVerb -I form (連用形)
-UVerb -U form (終止形)
-EVerb -E form (仮定形)
-OUVerb -OU form (意志形)
-TEVerb -TE form (て形)
-TAVerb -TA form (た形)
-TE+たVerb -TE form + past