JLPT N4 Grammar

The Complete JLPT N4 Grammar List - All 133 Grammar Points

133 Grammar Points • Click any link below to jump directly to it

Table of Contents

 

あいだ (aida) - while; during; between

Introduction:
間 (に) can be used to express something occuring for a duration of an action or period, as well as during an action or period.

Structure:
Verb + 間 (に)
I-Adj + 間 (に)
Na. Adj + な + 間 (に)
Noun + の + 間 (に)

Meaning:
間（あいだ） / 間に（あいだに）both mean “during a time period,” but they are used in different ways depending on whether something lasts the whole time or happens once inside that time.

Examples:
1. 間（あいだ） = “during the whole time”

Use this when something happens for the entire duration of another action or period.

The action continues throughout the whole period

9時から5時までの間
“Between 9 and 5”
散歩している間、ずっと雨が降っていた
“It rained the whole time I was walking.”
しばらくの間、村には戻れない
“I can’t return to the village for a while.”

It is often paired with words like ずっと (“all the time”) to emphasize continuity.
“For the entire time X is happening…”

2. 間に（あいだに） = “sometime during that time”

Use this when something happens once inside a time period, not for the whole duration

Something happens inside the time window, at a specific moment
散歩している間に、雨が降り始めた
“It started raining while I was walking.”
迷っている間に、お店が閉まっちゃった
“The shop closed while I was hesitating.”

“At some point during X…”
As に marks the point where the action occurs, IN that interval of time

Notes:
Easy way to remember
間 = the whole time (continuous background)
間に = one event happens inside that time

雨の間、家にいた。
“I stayed home during the rain.”
雨の間に、買い物した。
“I went shopping while it was raining / during the rain.”

Summary:
間 (に) has two uses, the first 間 to express something throughout a whole time, and 間に to express something occuring INSIDE that time frame marked by 間に.

あまり～ない (amari nai) - not very; not much; not really

Introduction:
あまり is used with negative forms to say that something is done or felt only a small amount.

In casual speech, it can become あんまり.

Structure:
あまり + Verb Negative form
あまり + Noun + じゃない / ではない
あまり + I-Adj. (－い) + くない
あまり + Na.Adj. + じゃない / ではない

(あんまり is casual / spoken)

Meaning:
あまり～ない is used to mean “It’s not very much / not really / not often”

Examples:
あまり好きじゃない
“I don’t really like it.”
あまり上手くない
“Not very good at it.”
クラウド、スラムのことはあまり知らないんだよね
“Cloud doesn’t really know much about the slums, right?”

Summary:
So you can use あまり〜ない to say something is not very much, not often, or not really the case.

後で (ato de) - after~; later

Introduction:
後で（あとで）is a grammar point used to express “after” or “later.”

It is used to show that one action happens after another action is completed, or simply at a later time.

Structure:
Verb (past tense) + あとで
Noun + のあとで

Can also be used by itself: あとで = “later”

Meaning:
あとで is used to indicate sequence in time, where the first action is completed and the second action follows afterward.

Examples:
授業が終わったあとで、友達と話した
“I talked with my friends after class ended.”

会のあとでゆっくり話したい
“I want to talk slowly after the meeting.”

Here:

会のあとで = after the meeting

It can also be used on its own:

じゃ、あとで
“Alright, later.”

Summary:
あとで is a straightforward way to express doing something after another event, or doing something later in time.

ば (ba) - conditional form; If [A] then [B]

Introduction:
The ば conditional form, is used to express “if A happens, then B will happen.”

The ば form expresses a condition that leads to a result.

Structure:
To make the ば form with verbs, start from the dictionary form, change the final “u” sound to the corresponding “e” sound, then add ば:

Verb (ば form)
I-Adj.: Change い to ければ
Na-Adj. + ならば / であれば
N + ならば / であれば

(Negative Use)
Verb: Change ない to なければ
I-Adj.: Change ない to なければ
Na-Adj. + じゃなければ / でなければ
N + じゃなければ / でなければ

Verbs (う sound to え sound + ば):

食べる → 食べれば
"eat" -> “if you eat...”
飲む → 飲めば
"drink" -> “if you drink...”
行く → 行けば
"go" -> “if you go...”

Meaning:
The ば conditional form, is used to express “if A happens, then B will happen.”

Examples:
仕事が終われば　他人だ。
“If the job ends, then we’re strangers.”

い-Adjective (replace the final い with ければ):

大きい → 大きければ
"big" -> “If it’s big…”

な-Adjectives and Nouns (Add ならば / であれば):

便利ならば
“If it’s convenient…”

Negative Verbs (change ない into なければ):

勉強しない → 勉強しなければ
“If you don’t study…”

行かない → 行かなければ
“If you don’t go…”

Negative い-Adjectives (change ない to なければ)

大きくない → 大きくなければ
“If it’s not big…”

Negative な-Adjectives / Nouns: (Add じゃなければ / でなければ:

便利じゃなければ
“If it’s not convenient…”

Summary:
The ば form is an extremely important grammar point, but don’t worry too much about memorizing every rule immediately. With practice, the patterns become natural. The key thing to remember is that everything works toward an “eba” sound. 終われば, 食べれば, 飲めば, 行けば etc

場合は (baai wa) - in the event of; in the case that

Introduction:
場合は = “in the case of / if / in the event that”

場合は is used to present a specific situation (a “case”) and explain what action or outcome applies in that situation.

Structure:
Verb (casual) + 場合は
い-adj + 場合は
な-adj + な + 場合は
Noun + の + 場合は

Meaning:
場合は means “If this situation happens, then…”

It’s often used for rules, warnings, instructions, or explanations.

Examples:
火事の場合は119をかけます
“In case of fire, call 119.”
地震が起きた場合はテーブルの下に潜ってください
“In the event of an earthquake, please go under the table.”
女の場合はもっと面倒だ
“In the case of women, it’s more complicated.”

Summary:
You use 場合は to set up a situation and explain what applies or should be done in that case. “if/in the case that this situation happens, then…”

ばかり (bakari) - only; just; nothing but~

Introduction:
ばかり, is used to express: “only…”, “nothing but…”, “just doing the same thing over and over…”

Structure:
Verb (て-form) + ばかり
Noun + ばかり

Meaning:
The key idea is repetition or limitation, as in something happening repeatedly or being the same thing again and again. It can be neutral, but often carries a slightly negative nuance like frustration, surprise, or judgment.

Examples:
知ってることばかりだろうけど。
“It’s probably nothing but things you already know…”

否定ばかりじゃイイ男が台無し。
“If all you do is criticize, it ruins a good man.”

Notes:
One important note is pronunciation:

ばかり (written form / standard speech)
ばっかり (casual spoken form)

They mean the same thing, but ばっかり is very common in conversation.

Summary:
ばかり emphasizes repetition or restriction to one thing, often highlighting frustration or emphasis depending on context.

だけで (dake de) - just by; just by doing; with only

Introduction:
だけで, is used to express: “just by…”, “only by doing…”, “with just…”

Structure:
Verb + だけで
Noun + だけで

Meaning:
だけで is formed by combining:
だけ = “only” + で = “with / by means of”

So the meaning of だけで becomes something like:
“only with…” or “just by doing…”

Examples:
次は、ふたりだけで勝負をしよう。
“Next, let’s have a match just between the two of us.”

So here:

ふたりだけで = “just the two of us / only the two of us”
勝負をしよう = “let’s have a match”

Summary:
だけで is commonly used to emphasize that something happens or is possible with very little, sometimes even unexpectedly little effort or limitation.

出す (dasu) - to begin to; to start to; to burst into; ... out (e.g. to jump out, to carry out)

Introduction:
〜出す, is used to express suddenly starting an action, bursting into an action, something moving outward or even something coming out into existence

Structure:
Verb (Masu Stem) + 出す

Meaning:
〜出す often adds the feeling that an action suddenly begins or bursts outward.

Examples:
笑い出す = “to burst out laughing”
飛び出す = “to jump out”
走り出す = “to suddenly start running”

駆け出す興奮に、激しく震えている。
“My engine trembles violently with the excitement of bursting forward.”

Here:

駆け出す combines 駆ける “to run” with 出す
giving the feeling of suddenly dashing out or launching forward

Notes:
Another similar piece of grammar はじめる can be used to express 'to begin'. However だす often has a nuance of being unintentional or involuntary. Where as はじめる often expresses a direct intention to do the action.

Summary:
〜出す is commonly used in Japanese for expressing sudden emotional reactions, movement, or the start of an action.

でございます (degozaimasu) - to be (honorific です)

Introduction:
でございます = “is / are / am” (very polite honorific です)

でございます is the extremely polite form of です, used in formal speech such as customer service, announcements, or very respectful conversation.

Structure:
です → でございます
ではありません → でございません

Meaning:
でございます is used to state something very respectfully.

It can be used to create a strong sense of formality, distance, and politeness.

Examples:
ただいま準備中でございます
“We are currently preparing.”
こちらは新商品でございます
“This is a new product.”
お席は満席でございます
“All seats are taken.”

Summary:
You use でございます to say “is/are” in a very polite/honorific and formal way to say です, especially in customer service or official speech.

でも (demo) - ... or something; how about~

Introduction:
でも（suggestion use） = “or something / how about / maybe”

When でも comes after a noun, it is used to softly suggest something as one possible example, not the only option.

It makes the sentence sound less direct and more casual.

Structure:
Noun + でも + phrase

Meaning:
Noun + でも means “How about X?” / “X or something (as an example)”

Examples:
ゲームでもしましょう
“Let’s play a game or something.”

コーヒーでも飲む？
“Wanna grab some coffee or something?”

地面に亀裂でも入ってんじゃないかって
“Some people are even saying it’s like there might be cracks forming in the ground or something.”

Here, 亀裂でも shows it’s not a confirmed fact, just a possible explanation being casually suggested.

Summary:
You can use Noun + でも to give an option or an example, 'or something'.

ではないか (dewanaika) - right?; isn't it?

Introduction:
〜ではないか and 〜じゃないか are used to seek confirmation, agreement, or emphasis, like “isn’t it?” / “right?”.

The literal meaning is: “Is it not?”

Structure:
Phrase + ではない + か
Phrase + じゃない + か
Phrase + ではありませんか

Formality levels:
じゃん very casual
じゃないか casual
ではないか formal
ではありませんか very polite

Meaning:
ではないか expresses that the speaker strongly feels something is true and is asking the listener to agree or acknowledge it.

Examples:
遅かったじゃないか
“You were late, weren’t you?”
ハデにやってるじゃないか
“You’re really going all out, aren’t you?”
カーゴシップではないか！
“Isn’t that a cargo ship?!”

Summary:
Use 〜ではないか / 〜じゃないか to express “isn’t it?” or “right?” when seeking agreement, emphasizing a point, or confirming something strongly.

が必要 (ga hitsuyou) - is needed; is necessary

Introduction:
が必要だ is a grammar pattern used to express that something is needed or necessary.

Structure:
Noun + が + 必要だ / です
Verb (dictionary form) + こと + が + 必要だ / です
(は can also replace が for emphasis)

Meaning:
が必要だ is used to indicate that something must exist, be done, or be present in order for a situation to be valid or complete.

Examples:
1. Noun + が必要だ
Used when something tangible or abstract is needed.

カードキーが必要です
“A key card is necessary.”

2. Verb + ことが必要だ
Used when expressing that an action is necessary. The verb must be nominalized using こと.
勉強することが必要だ
“It is necessary to study.”
行くことが必要だ
“It is necessary to go.”

Summary:
が必要だ is used to clearly state necessity or requirement, whether for objects, actions, or abstract changes.

必要がある (hitsuyou ga aru) - need to; it is necessary to

Introduction:
必要がある is a grammar pattern used to express that something is needed or necessary.

Structure:
Verb (dictionary form) + 必要がある
(は can also replace が for emphasis)

Meaning:
必要がある is used to indicate that something must exist, be done, or be present in order for a situation to be valid or complete.

Examples:

There is also 必要がある which is much more natural to use verb 必要がある than ことが必要
This is a more natural/common variant used especially with verbs:

行く必要がある
“There is a need to go / You need to go.”
変える必要がある
“There is a need to change it.”
そういう連中の意識を変える必要がある
“There is a need to change the mindset of those people.”

Notes:
More common than が必要だ

Summary:
必要がある is used to clearly state necessity or requirement, whether for objects, actions, or abstract changes.

がする (ga suru) - to smell; hear; taste

Introduction:
Noun + がする / がします is a grammar pattern used to express sensory impressions or sensations.

Structure:
Noun＋がする
Noun＋がします (Polite)

Meaning:
It attaches to nouns that relate to the five senses or subjective feelings, such as: sound (音, 声), smell (匂い), taste (味), feeling (感じ, 気配, 予感).
It can be used to mean: “to have the smell/taste/sound of…”, “to feel like…”, or even “to get the impression of…”.

Examples:
いい匂いがする
“It smells good.”
音がする
“There’s a sound.”
変な感じがする
“It feels strange.”
そんな予感がしてね。
“I have a bad feeling / premonition.”

So 予感がする 'to have a bad feeling/premonition' is made up of
予感 = “premonition” + がする = “to have that sensation”

Summary:
がする is used when you experience something through your senses or intuition, rather than describing it objectively.

がる (garu) - to show signs of; to appear; to feel, to think

Introduction:
がる / がっている, is a grammar pattern that turns adjectives into observable behavior verbs, it describes how someone seems to feel based on their actions.

Structure:
It’s typically formed by taking an adjective and attaching がる:
い-adjective → remove い + がる
な-adjective → attach がる

怖い (kowai, “scary / afraid”) → 怖がる
= “to act scared / show fear”

Meaning:
がる / がっている means that something 'show signs of', 'appears', or 'feels' a certain way.

Examples:
子どもが怖がっている
“The child looks scared / is showing fear”
連中の悔しがる顔が見えるぜ。
“I can see their frustrated faces.”
そう恐がるな。
“Don’t be scared.”

悔しい (kuyashii, “frustrated / regretful”) → 悔しがる = “to show frustration”
恐い (kowai “scary / frightening”) → 恐がる = “to appear/act afraid”

Notes:
It’s important to note that this doesn’t directly describe someone’s inner feelings. Instead, it describes external signs of emotion, as in how someone appears to feel from the outside.

Summary:
がる / がっている is used to describe outward emotional behavior in others, turning adjectives into actions you can observe.

がり (gari) - someone tends to; has a tendency to; has a sensitivity to~ (used with personalities)

Introduction:
がり is closely related to がる, but instead of describing behavior, it describes a personality trait or tendency.

Structure:
い-adjectives → remove い + がり
な-adjectives → attach がり

Meaning:
This creates a noun-like expression meaning:
“someone who tends to…”
“a person who is sensitive to…”
“someone with a tendency toward…”

Examples:
怖い (kowai, “afraid / scary”) → 怖がり = “a timid person / scaredy-cat”

Unlike がる, which describes outward behavior (“acting scared”), がり describes a general personality tendency.

It is often used to describe recurring traits like:

寒がり = someone sensitive to cold
暑がり = someone sensitive to heat
恥ずかしがり = shy person
寂しがり = someone who hates being alone

It can also combine with や to emphasize personality more strongly:

恥ずかしがりや = “a very shy person”

Like in the line:

酒飲んでないと寂しがりやさんなわけよ
“Basically, when I’m not drinking, I end up getting kind of lonely.”

Here the sentence is casually explaining a personality tendency:
without alcohol, the speaker becomes more aware of loneliness or feels more socially sensitive.

Notes:
It’s a quite natural, slightly self-aware casual Japanese way of describing a pattern in behavior or mood.

Summary:
がり turns adjectives into personality nouns, describing someone’s natural tendency or sensitivity rather than a momentary emotion or behavior.

ございます (gozaimasu) - to be, to exist (honorific ある)

Introduction:
ございます, is the honorific polite form of ある / あります

Structure:
ある → ござる
あります → ございます

Meaning:
It means: “to be”, “to exist” or, “there is / there are”.

It is used to show respect and formality, especially in customer service, business, and polite speech.

Examples:
問題がございます
“There is a problem (polite).”
こちらの商品はございますか？
“Do you have this product available?”
なにかお探しの商品がございますか？
“Are you looking for any particular product?”

Summary:
ございます is the honorific polite way to express existence or availability, commonly used in formal and service-oriented Japanese.

始める (hajimeru) - to start to; to begin to~

Introduction:
Verb (masu-stem) + 始める is a grammar pattern used to express the beginning of an action, activity, or change.

Structure:
Verb (masu-stem) + 始める

Meaning:
It attaches to the masu-stem of a verb to means: “to start doing…”, “to begin to…”, “to start (verb-ing)”

This pattern focuses on expressing an action or process beginning.

It is commonly used for: actions people begin doing, ongoing activities, and natural changes or events.

Examples:
子どもが走り始めた
“The child started running.”
雨が降り始めた
“It started to rain.”

Notes:
A useful contrast is with verbs like 出す:

飛び出す “jump/fly out suddenly”
→ emphasizes a sudden or abrupt action

飛び始める “start flying”
→ emphasizes the beginning of the activity or process

So while both can describe something beginning, 〜始める usually focuses more on intentionally starting an ongoing action or state.

Like in the example:

まだ人が住み始める前で
“Before people had started living there…”

住み始める = “start living”
前 = “before”

So the sentence describes a time before people began living there.

Summary:
〜始める is the standard way to express beginning to do an action, especially when the action or state continues afterward.

はずだ (hazu da) - it must be; it should be (expectation)

Introduction:
はずだ, conveys a strong expectation or logical assumption that something is true, even if the speaker cannot directly confirm it.

Structure:
Since はず is a noun, it behaves like one grammatically.
It can be used with:

Verbs (dictionary form) + はずだ
い-adjectives + はずだ
な-adjectives + なはずだ
Nouns + のはずだ

Meaning:
はずだ is used to express: “it must be…”, “it should be…”, “I expect that…”

Examples:
駅は包囲されているはずだ。
“The station should be surrounded.”

So here:

包囲されている = “is being surrounded”
はずだ = “should be / must be (based on expectation)”

Summary:
はずだ is very commonly used in dialogue and narration when the speaker is confident something is true based on logic, information, or prior knowledge, even if it isn’t directly confirmed.

はずがない (hazu ga nai) - cannot be (impossible); should not be the case

Introduction:
〜はずがない is used when the speaker strongly believes something is impossible or cannot be true based on logic, knowledge, or expectations.

Structure:
Verb + はず + が + ない
I-Adj. + はず + が + ない
Na-Adj. + な + はず + が + ない
Noun + の + はず + が + ない

(For polite speech use ありません)

Meaning:
〜はずがない is a strong negative version of はずだ (should be / expected to be).

It means “There is no way that X is true / X cannot be”.
It expresses strong disbelief or denial.

Examples:
こんな状態が長く続くはずがない
“There’s no way this situation will last long.”
バレットたちが簡単にやられるはずがない
“There’s no way Barret and the others would be easily defeated.”

Summary:
〜はずがない is used when the speaker is confident that something is impossible or cannot be true.

よう (you) - volitional form; let's do～

Introduction:
The volitional form, 意向形（いこうけい）, is used to express the speaker’s intention or willingness to do something, often translated as “let’s do~.”

Structure:
Ichidan (る) Verbs: Replace final る syllable with よう
食べる → 食べよう

Godan (う) Verbs: Change the final sound to the お row + う
読む → 読もう
買う → 買おう

Polite Form:
Ichidan (る) Verbs: Replace final る syllable with ましょう
食べましょう

Godan (う) Verbs: Change final vowel to い + ましょう
行きましょう

Irregular verbs:
する → しよう
来る → こよう

Meaning:
The volitional form is how to express intention or invitation in Japanese, kind of like "let's" or "I will."

It turns a verb into a statement of will. Depending on context, it can mean the speaker is proposing to do something together with someone else ("let's go," "let's eat"),

“Let’s eat!” 食べよう
“Let’s go!” 行こう

or it can mean the speaker is expressing their own resolve or plan to do something ("I'll do my best," "I think I'll go to bed early").

明日のテストのために頑張ろう。
"I'll do my best for tomorrow's test."

早く寝ようと思う。
"I think I'll go to bed early."

It carries a nuance of a decision, suggestion, or willingness to act.

Examples:
The volitional form is used to say things like:

ね、屋根のうえ行こう。
“Hey, let’s go onto the roof.”
最初の入力、行ってみよう。せーの！
“Let’s try the first input. Ready?”
がんばろうね、せーの！
“Let’s do our best, okay? Ready?”

Notes:
The polite version of the volitional form is 〜ましょう, which was covered in the N5 level.

Summary:
The volitional form can be used to express volition/will to do an action and is used constantly in everyday Japanese.

ろ (ro) - imperative form (命令形)

Introduction:
The imperative form, 命令形, used to give strong, direct commands.

Structure:
る / Ichidan verbs: replace る with ろ
食べる "To eat" → 食べろ "Eat!"

う / Godan verbs: change the final う sound to the え row
行く "To go" → 行け "Go!"
止まる "To stop" → 止まれ "Stop!"

Irregular verbs:
する "To do" → しろ "Do it!"
くる "To come" → こい "Come!"

Meaning:
The imperative form is much stronger and more forceful than forms like 〜てください or even V-stem + なさい. It’s commonly used in urgent situations, commands, action scenes, or when there’s a strong power difference between speakers.

Examples:
止まれ！
“Stop!”

慎重に行け。
“Go carefully.”

これで沈め！
“Sink with this!” / “Take this!”

おい、ちょっと待て！
“Hey, wait a second!”

All of these use the imperative form to give direct, forceful commands, which is why they sound urgent and intense.

Notes:
It can sound very rude or aggressive, so it’s not something normally used in everyday polite conversation.

Summary:
The imperative form is used to give direct commands or orders in Japanese.

いらっしゃる (irassharu) - to be; to come; to go (honorific form of いる)

Introduction:
いらっしゃる is the sonkeigo (respectful honorific) verb used to elevate the status of the person you are talking about.

Structure:
いる・くる・いく into いらっしゃる
Verb［ている］ into Verb［ていらっしゃる］

Conjugations
いらっしゃる (dictionary form)
いらっしゃいます (polite)
いらっしゃらない (negative)
いらっしゃった (past)

Meaning:
It is the honorific form of:

いる (to be / exist)
くる (to come)
いく (to go)

So depending on context, いらっしゃる can mean:

いる → いらっしゃる “to be (here/there)” (honorific)
くる → いらっしゃる “to come” (honorific)
いく → いらっしゃる “to go” (honorific)

It is used when speaking respectfully about someone else’s actions or presence, never your own or your in-group.

Examples:
いいところにいらっしゃいました。
“You came at a good time.” / “You’re here at just the right time.”

Here, the speaker is politely acknowledging the other person’s arrival.

Summary:
いらっしゃる is a respectful way to describe someone’s existence, movement, or presence, used to elevate the listener or the person being talked about.

いたします (itashimasu) - to do (humble form of する); to venerably do

Introduction:
〜いたす is the humble (kenjōgo) form of する, used when you talk about your own actions or your in-group’s actions in a respectful way toward the listener.

Structure:
する → いたす / いたします
お + verb stem + いたす
ご + (noun/verb stem) + いたす

Meaning:
〜いたす / 〜いたします = humble “to do” (する).

It lowers your own position to show politeness and respect to the other person like “We/I humbly do X (for you / for the situation)”.

It is commonly used in customer service, business, and formal speech.

Examples:
ご提供いたします
“We will humbly provide (this for you).”
お待たせいたしました
“We have kept you waiting (very politely).”

Summary:
〜いたします is used to humbly say “I/we will do X” in a very polite respectful way toward the listener. (kenjōgo form of する).

かどうか (ka douka) - whether or not～; if...or not

Introduction:
かどうか is used to express uncertainty between two possibilities, like “whether X is true or not”.

Structure:
Verb + かどうか + phrase
I-adj + かどうか + phrase
Na-adj + かどうか + phrase
Noun + かどうか + phrase

Meaning:
かどうか = “I don’t know if X is true or not / whether X happens or not”

Examples:
正しいかどうかわからない
“I don’t know whether it is correct or not.”
その場所がスラムエンジェルのアジトかどうか
“Whether that place is the Slum Angels’ hideout…”
とにかく列車が動くかどうかよ
“Anyway, it’s whether the train will move or not…”

Summary:
かどうか can be used to express uncertainty whether something is A or B.

かな (kana) - I wonder~

Introduction:
かな is used to express “I wonder…” in Japanese.

Structure:
Phrase + かな

Meaning:
かな is commonly used when someone is wondering about something, thinking to themselves, expressing uncertainty, and considering what to do

Examples:
どうかな？
“I wonder…” / “How about it?”

アバランチに逃げ場などあるかな？
“I wonder if Avalanche even has anywhere to escape…”

かな adds a feeling of uncertainty, contemplation, or thinking out loud.

Notes:
かな can also imply things like:

- doubt
- hope
- hesitation
- asking for advice
- making a soft suggestion
- expressing intention or desire

It often gives sentences a softer, more thoughtful feeling.

Summary:
かな is used to express a feeling of uncertainty, contemplation, or thinking out loud, “I wonder…”.

かしら (kashira) - I wonder~ (feminine)

Introduction:
かしら, a sentence-ending particle used to express: “I wonder…”.

Structure:
Phrase + かしら

Meaning:
かしら is placed at the end of a sentence or phrase to express a soft self-questioning or thinking aloud.

It can be used in two main ways:

- Asking a gentle question (soft tone)
- Expressing inner thought or doubt aloud

Examples:
どういう意味かしら
“I wonder what it means…”
どうしてこんなに楽しいのかしら
“I wonder why this is so fun…”

Notes:
It is similar in meaning to かな, but:

かな = gender-neutral (casual “I wonder”)
かしら = softer, more feminine speech style

Summary:
かしら is a soft, reflective way of saying “I wonder,” often associated with feminine speech and a gentle tone of curiosity or thought.

かい (kai) - turns a sentence into a yes/no question (casual)

Introduction:
かい, is a casual sentence-ending particle used to turn a statement into a yes/no question.

Structure:
It attaches to the end of a sentence:

Verb + （の） + かい
I-Adj. + （の） + かい
Noun/Na-Adj. + （なの） + かい
(の contracts into ん and なの into なん)

Meaning:
It is essentially a more informal version of か, and is mainly used in:

- casual speech
- older or rough male speech styles
- talking to children or people of lower status (in tone or context)

Examples:
そうかい。
“Is that so?” / “Oh, really?”

今夜のうちに出ていってくれないかい？
“Could you leave by tonight?”

Notes:
When it becomes more natural in speech, contractions often occur:

の → ん
なの → なん

For example:

行くのかい → 行くんかい
元気なのかい → 元気なんかい

Summary:
かい is a direct, casual way to ask a yes/no question, often carrying a slightly old-fashioned or rough conversational tone depending on who is speaking.

かもしれない (kamoshirenai) - might; perhaps; indicates possibility

Introduction:
かもしれない is used to express possibility, uncertainty, or speculation.

Structure:
Verb / I-Adj. + かもしれない
Na-Adj. / Noun + かもしれない
(Also: かも, かもしらん, かもしれません)

Meaning:
It’s often translated as:

“might”
“maybe”
“perhaps”

Examples:
高いかもしれない。
“It might be expensive.”

面白いかもしれない。
“It might be interesting.”

実は、生きているのかもしれない。
“They might actually still be alive.”

お客さんたち、怖がってるかも。
“The customers might be scared.”

ああ、いいかもね。
“Yeah, that might be nice.”

Notes:
There are also more casual and polite variations:

かも casual shorthand
かもしれません polite
かもしれん / かもしらん rough/casual dialectal variation

Summary:
かもしれない is one of the most common ways in Japanese to express uncertainty or possibility without sounding too direct, "It might be".

から作る (kara tsukuru) - made from; made with

Introduction:
〜から作る is used to describe the materials or ingredients something is made from, focusing on the origin or source substance.

Structure:
Noun + から作る

Meaning:
〜から作る = “made from / made with” (source/material)

It expresses the origin or raw material that something comes from.

Examples:
コーヒーは豆から作られる
Coffee is made from beans.

太陽石は陰石と黒水晶から作られる
“The sun stone is made from shadow stone and black quartz.”

Notes:
It often overlaps with 〜で作る, but there is a subtle difference in nuance.

Summary:
〜から作る is used to express that something is made using certain materials, focusing on what it comes from originally.

きっと (kitto) - surely; undoubtedly; almost certainly; most likely

Introduction:
きっと is an adverb used to express a high degree of certainty or strong expectation.

Structure:
きっと + event / action

Meaning:
きっと means things like: surely; undoubtedly; most likely; definitely (I believe)

It is placed before the event or action you are making a prediction about.

Examples:
明日はきっと雨でしょう。
“Tomorrow will surely be rainy, right?”

Here, きっと shows the speaker’s strong expectation that it will rain, even though it’s still a prediction rather than a confirmed fact.

Or like:

きっと大丈夫さ。きっと…。
“She’ll definitely be okay… definitely…”

Summary:
きっと strengthens the speakers guess or hope, expressing confidence in what they expect to happen.

頃 (koro / goro) - around; about; when

Introduction:
頃 can be used to express something occurring 'around' a particular time, or 'when' something happened.

Structure:
Noun (time) + ごろ (around; about)
Verb (casual) / I-Adj. + ころ (when)
Noun + の + ころ (when)
Na-Adj + な / だった + ころ (when)

Meaning:
頃 can be read as either ころ or ごろ depending on how it’s used. Both relate to time, but the usage is different.

ごろ is used with specific time nouns and means:“around” or “about”.

Example:

５時ごろ = “around 5 o’clock”
今ごろ = “around now”

So ごろ is specifically used for approximate times.

ころ, on the other hand, means: “when” or “around the time that…”.
It refers to a period or point in time when something happened.

Example:

若いころ = “when I was young”

Examples:
子供の頃からダンサーになるのが夢で。
“Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a dancer.”

でも、俺がソルジャーになった頃には…。
“But around the time I became a SOLDIER…”

Summary:
ごろ = around a specific nouns of time ころ = around the time when something happened

こと (koto) - Verb nominalizer

Introduction:
こと can be used to nominalize verbs (turn them into nouns).

Structure:
Verb (casual, non-past) + こと

Meaning:
When こと follows a verb, it turns that verb into a noun. You can think of it as meaning “the act of” or “the thing of” doing that action.

Examples:
食べる = “to eat”
食べること = “the act of eating”

Now the verb is being treated like a noun.

This works similarly to using “-ing” in English, where a verb can function as a noun:

ゲームをすることが大好きです。
“I love playing games,” or literally, “I love the act of playing games.”

So by adding こと to a verb, you can talk about actions as nouns.

More Examples:

倒せることはわかった。
“We understood that it can be defeated.” lit "The act of it being able to be defeated, we understood"

声が聞こえることがあるだろ？
“There are times you can hear voices, right?” lit "there are times when you can do the act of hearing voices right?"

Summary:
こと can be used as a verb nominalizer to treat/talk about verbs, as nouns.

ことがある (koto ga aru) - sometimes do; there are times when

Introduction:
ことがある is used to describe something that happens occasionally, not regularly.

Structure:
Verb (dictionary form / negative) + ことがある
I-adjective + ことがある
Na-adjective + な + ことがある
(Also: こともある = “sometimes (emphasis on occasional nature)”)

Meaning:
It is used to express that something happens from time to time.

ことがある = “sometimes do / there are times when”

Examples:
声が聞こえることがあるだろ？
“There are times when you can hear voices, right?”

Here:
聞こえることがある = “you sometimes hear (it)”

声が聞こえる = “voices can be heard”
ことがある = “sometimes happens”
だろ？ = “right?”

Notes:
Important rule:
If you use non-past form → “sometimes happens”
If you use past form (たことがある) → “have experienced (doing it)”

ことがある = occasional action
たことがある = past experience

Summary:
ことがある is used to say something happens sometimes or occasionally. "There are times when..."

ことができる (koto ga dekiru) - can; able to

Introduction:
ことができる is used to express ability or possibility to do an action. It works similarly to the potential form of verbs.

Structure:
Verb (dictionary form) + ことができる

Meaning:
It is used to express that it is possible to do an action.

Verb + ことができる “It is possible to do X / I can do X”

Examples:
召喚獣を呼び出すことができます
“You can summon a summon beast.”

Lit. You can do the act of summoning a summoned beast.

Summary:
So you can turn a verb into a noun-like phrase by following the verb with ことができる to show that the action is possible.

ことになる (koto ni naru) - It has been decided that..; it turns out that..; it will end up being...

Introduction:
ことになる is used when something is decided or happens due to external circumstances, not because the speaker personally decided it.

Structure:
Verb (dictionary form / negative form) + ことになる
(More formal: こととなる)

Meaning:
ことになる means “it is decided that / it turns out that / it will end up that”, It often feels passive or indirect, like “it has been arranged that…”

The key idea is that “Something is decided / ends up happening due to circumstances or outside factors (not by my own decision)”

Common past forms:
ことになった = it ended up being decided
ことになりました = polite version

Examples:
さて　どっちが制裁されることになるのかな
“Now then… I wonder which one will end up being punished.”

Here:

制裁される = “be punished / receive punishment”
ことになる = “will end up happening / will be decided”

The speaker is not talking about a personal decision, but about the outcome or result that circumstances will lead to.

The nuance is: “Which one is it going to end up being decided for punishment?” or more naturally: “Which one is going to end up getting punished?”

Summary:
ことになる is used to show that something is decided or ends up happening due to outside factors, not personal choice.

ことにする (koto ni suru) - to decide on; have decided to

Introduction:
ことにする is used when you personally decide to do or not do something. It expresses your own intention or decision.

Structure:
Verb (dictionary form) + ことにする → decide to do
Verb (ない form) + ことにする → decide not to do

Meaning:
ことにする when used following a verb means “decide to / have decided to" do that action. It expresses a personal decision/intention to do that action.

Verb + こと = The act of (verb)
にする = Decide to do

Examples:
次はオレたちだけでやることにする
“Next, we’ll decide to do it just by ourselves.”
もっと日本語を勉強することにしましょう
“Let’s decide to study Japanese more.”
夜はスマホを使わないことにした
“I decided not to use my phone at night.”

Notes:
Important contrast:
ことになる = something is decided for you (external decision)
ことにする = you decide it yourself (personal decision)

Summary:
ことにする is used to express making a personal decision about what the speaker will / wont' do. (decide on doing)

くする (ku suru) - to make something/someone (more)

Introduction:
くする is used to express actively changing something into a desired state.

Structure:
I-Adj. replace［い］with［く］+ する
Na-Adj + に + する

Meaning:
くする / にする is a grammar pattern meaning:

“to make something become…”
“to change something into…”
“to make something more (adjective)”

It is used to express causing a change in state or quality.

Examples:
速い → 速くする = “to make fast / speed up”
小さい → 小さくする = “to make small”
きれい → きれいにする = “to make clean/beautiful”
静か → 静かにする = “to make quiet”

So this pattern is about actively changing something into a desired state.

喪失が おまえを強くする。
“Loss makes you strong.”

Here:

強い (strong) → 強くする = “to make strong”

Summary:
くする / にする is used when someone is actively causing a change in quality or state, basically “making something become X.”

急に (kyuu ni) - quickly; immediately; hastily; suddenly; abruptly; unexpectedly~

Introduction:
急に is an adverb used to describe something that happens suddenly, without warning, or unexpectedly.

Structure:
急に + Phrase

Meaning:
急に means “suddenly / all of a sudden / unexpectedly”. Describing something occurring all of a sudden or without expecting it to.

Examples:
なんだよ、急に興味出たか
“What? Did you suddenly become interested?”
息子が急に旅立つと言い出しましてね
“My son suddenly said he was going to leave.”

Summary:
急に is used when something happens abruptly or without warning, often surprising the speaker.

までに (made ni) - by ～; by the time that ～; until / up to the point... (indicates time limit)

Introduction:
までに is used to set a time limit or deadline for an action.

Structure:
Verb (Dictionary) + までに
Noun (Time / Date) + までに

Meaning:
までに can be used to express “by / by the time / before (deadline)”.
As in to do something before the point in time before it.

Examples:
30歳になるまでに結婚したいです
“I want to get married by the time I turn 30.”
明日までに終わらせてください
“Please finish it by tomorrow.”
Ｇくらいまでには　着くようにしねえとな
“We should try to arrive by around Plan G.”

Here:

Ｇくらいまでに = “by around G”
着くようにしねえとな = “we should make sure to arrive / better try to arrive”

The speaker is setting a target point or limit before something happens.

Notes:
までに focuses on a deadline (the point you must complete something by), not the duration.

Summary:
までに to used to express a deadline or “by the time” limit for completing an action.

まま (mama) - as it is; left in a state; without changing; while

Introduction:
まま is used to express something remaining 'as it is', 'unchanged', or 'left in the current state'

Structure:
Noun + のまま
Verb / I-Adj. + まま
Na-Adj. + な + まま
Demonstrative adjective + まま

Meaning:
You can think of まま as meaning “without changing from that condition.”

Examples:
It can be used with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and demonstratives.

For nouns:
Noun + のまま

昔のまま
“The same as long ago.”

For verbs:
Verb past form + まま
Verb negative form + まま

開けたまま
“Left open.”

しないまま
“Left undone.”

One important rule:
With verbs, まま is generally only used with the past form or negative form, not the normal present tense.

For adjectives:
い-adjective + まま
な-adjective + なまま

熱いまま
“While still hot.”

きれいなまま
“Remaining beautiful.”

And with demonstratives:
そのままでいい。
“It’s fine as it is.”

Like we saw in the clip:

このまま続けたら、星はどうなる？
“If this keeps going like this, what will happen to the planet?”

このまま = “like this” / “in this current state”
続けたら = “if it continues”
星はどうなる = “what will happen to the planet?”

Summary:
まま expresses something continuing in the same state without changing.

または (mata wa) - both; or; otherwise; choice between [A] or [B]

Introduction:
または is a formal connector used to present alternatives or options between two things.

Structure:
Noun-1 + または + Noun-2

Meaning:
または can be used between two nouns to express:
1) Choose one option (A or B)
2) Sometimes used in formal contexts where both options are acceptable depending on situation

Examples:
ハニーガールまたはハニーボーイのご指名はありますか？
“Do you have a request for a Honey Girl or a Honey Boy?”
電話またはメールで返事してください
“Please reply by phone or email.”

Notes:
It is similar to あるいは, but slightly more formal/written.

Summary:
または is used to present formal alternatives between two nouns, like “A or B.”

みたいだ (mitai da) - it seems that / like; as if

Introduction:
みたいだ is used to express, “looks like…”, “seems like…”, “as if…”. “similar to…”.

Structure:
Verb / い-adjective + みたいだ
Noun / な-adjective + みたいだ

Meaning:
みたいだ is the casual, conversational version of ようだ "it seems like'' and is commonly used when making a judgment or guess based on what you see, hear, or sense directly.

Examples:
ハムみたいだぞ。
“It looks like ham.”

テレビに映ってた八番街、映画みたいだった。
“Sector 8 on TV looked like a movie.”

Here, the speaker is making a judgment based on direct observation.

Notes:
Unlike ようだ, みたいだ sounds much more casual and natural in everyday conversation with friends, family, or people close to you.

Summary:
みたいだ is used when something appears or feels a certain way based on the speaker’s impression or reasoning.

みたいな (mitai na) - like, similar to~

Introduction:
みたいな is another use of みたい this time used to modify a noun.

Structure:
Noun + みたい + な + Noun
Verb (Casual) + みたい + な + Noun

Meaning:
Unlike みたいだ, which comes at the end of a sentence, みたいな is used in the middle of a sentence to modify a noun.
Meaning “A (noun) like…” or “A (noun) similar to…”.

Examples:
あなたみたいな人はすごいと思う。
“I think a person like you is amazing.”

彼が持っているみたいなパソコンが欲しい。
“I want a computer like the one he has.”

みたいな expresses similarity or resemblance between:

- one noun and another noun
- or a noun and a situation, manner, or action described in a clause.

It is used to show that something is like / resembles / behaves as if it were something else, without stating identity or literal equivalence.

As seen in the examples:

コルネオはヘビみたいな男。
“Corneo is a snake-like man.”
→ Corneo is being described as having qualities or behavior resembling a snake.

これで終わりみたいな言い方をするな。
“Don’t talk like this is the end.”
→ The speaker is saying the manner of speaking resembles “this is the end,” even though it is not literally the end.

Summary:
みたいな is very commonly used to describe something as being like something else, often in a metaphorical or figurative way.

みたいに (mitai ni) - like; similar to~

Introduction:
The final use of みたい is みたいに which is used to modify verbs and adjectives. Used to mean “like…”, “similar to…”, “as if…”.

Structure:
Noun + みたいに + Verb / Adjective
Verb + みたいに + Verb / Adjective

Meaning:
みたいに means 'to do an action like X' or "to be... like X"

Examples:
子どもみたいに遊んだ。
“We played like children.”

Here:

子どもみたいに = “like children”
遊んだ = “played”

Further Examples:

あなたみたいに美しい人は初めてだ。
“This is the first time I’ve met someone as beautiful as you.”

いつもみたいにボコられて。
“Getting beaten up like always.”

Summary:
So to compare the uses, みたいだ ends a sentence, みたいな modifies nouns, みたいに modifies verbs and adjectives, describing how something is done or appears.

な (na) - don’t ~ (order somebody to not do something)

Introduction:
Verb + な is used as a strong prohibition meaning: “don’t do…” or “stop doing…”.

Structure:
Verb + な

Meaning:
Verb + な is a very direct and forceful way of telling someone not to do something, so it is usually used:

- between close friends
- in emotionally intense situations
- or in media like games, anime, and manga

It can feel quite strong or commanding depending on context, so it’s not commonly used in polite everyday speech.

Examples:
俺のことなら気にするな。
“Don’t worry about me.”

気にするな = “don’t mind / don’t worry”

Sometimes it can be slightly softened with よ:

行くなよ= “Don’t go, okay?”

Summary:
Verb + な is a straightforward and powerful way to forbid an action.

など (nado) - such as, things like~

Introduction:
など is used to mean: “such as”. “and so on”, “things like…”.

Structure:
Noun + など
Noun + など + の + Noun

Meaning:
など follows nouns and is used to give examples while implying there are more things in the same category.

Examples:
魔晄の本質など、誰もが知っている。
“Everyone knows things like the true nature of Mako.”

魔晄の本質など = “things such as the true nature of Mako”

ベンチやベッドなど「休憩ポイント」で休むと
Things like benches and beds, when you rest there as a ‘rest point’...

Notes:
など is often similar in meaning to とか, but tends to sound a bit more formal or written, while still being very common in speech.

Summary:
など is frequently used to soften statements or avoid listing everything explicitly, leaving room for additional examples.

ながら (nagara) - while; during; as; simultaneously

Introduction:
ながら is a grammar pattern used to express doing two actions at the same time.

Structure:
Verb (stem) + ながら + Main action (Verb)

Meaning:
ながら attaches to the masu-stem of a verb and means:

“while doing (A), do (B)”
“as (A), (B) happens”
“simultaneously”

Examples:
音楽を聞きながら勉強する
“Study while listening to music.”
歩きながら話す
“Talk while walking.”

So here in this clip:

使いながらいろいろ試してみるんだな
“Try various things while using it.”

Here:

使いながら = while using (secondary action)
試してみる = try doing (main action)

Notes:
A key rule is that:

the subject must be the same for both actions
(A) is the background or secondary action
(B) is the main action

So it often feels like:

A = “while…”
B = “the important thing happening”

Summary:
ながら expresses doing one action while also doing another action.

なかなか～ない (nakanaka nai) - not easy to; struggling to; not able to~

Introduction:
なかなか〜ない is a very useful expression for describing difficulty or lack of progress.

Structure:
なかなか + Verb (Negative form)

Meaning:
なかなか～ない often translates as: “can’t seem to…”, “not easily…”, “having a hard time…”, “not able to…”.

It combines:

なかなか = “easily / readily” + Negative verb = “not do / cannot do”

It expresses the idea that something:

- is not happening easily
- is taking time
- is hard to achieve or complete
- or the speaker is struggling to make it happen

Examples:
なかなか寝られない
“I can’t seem to fall asleep.”
なかなか終わらない
“It just won’t finish.”

In the example:

なかなか上まで行けないね
“Getting to the top isn’t easy, huh.” / “We can’t really make it up there.”

Notes:
At the N3 level, なかなか can also appear without a negative verb in casual speech to mean “quite” or “surprisingly”

なかなか可愛い
“Pretty cute, actually.”

Summary:
So depending on context, なかなか～ない can either emphasize difficulty (with negative verbs) or unexpected degree (positive evaluation), but in the grammar focus here at the N4, it’s mainly the “not easily / struggling to” pattern.

なら (nara) - if; in the case that~

Introduction:
なら is another way to say “if” in Japanese.

Structure:
Verb (casual) + (の)なら
I-Adj. + (の)なら
Noun / Na-Adj. + (であるの)なら

Traditionally, verbs and adjectives could use の before なら, like:

行くのなら
“If you’re going…”

But in modern Japanese, the の is often dropped:

行くなら
“If you’re going…”

Meaning:
なら is used when bringing up a condition, topic, or situation and then responding to it with advice, commentary, or a result.

Examples:
ただの金目当てなら、ここまで来ないッスよね。
“If it was just about money, you wouldn’t come this far, right?”

Notes:
One important restriction with なら is that it’s generally used for uncertain situations or conditions.

For example:

暑いなら = “If you’re hot…”
欲しいなら = “If you want it…”

These work because the condition is uncertain.

But something like:

秋になるなら
“If it becomes autumn…”

sounds unnatural, because autumn becoming autumn is guaranteed to happen every year. なら is not usually used for certain, automatic events like that.

Summary:
なら is commonly used to: 'respond to something another person said', 'give advice or suggestions', 'narrow the topic to one specific case or situation' なら has a feeling of: “if that’s the case…” or “if we’re talking about that…”.

なさい (nasai) - do this (soft/firm command)

Introduction:
なさい is a soft but firm command form meaning: “do (this)”, or “make sure to do (this)”.

Structure:
It is attached to the verb stem (ます-stem):

Verb (ます-stem) + なさい

Meaning:
なさい is a way to express soft, firm command meaning: “do X”, or “make sure to do X”.

Examples:
食べなさい = “Eat”

勉強しなさい = “Study”

約束しなさい～
“Promise me (do it)~”

Here, 約束しなさい is a direct instruction softened by tone, making it feel more guiding than aggressively commanding.

In casual speech, it can even be shortened further to: な

like 約束しな～
“Promise me (do it)~”

Notes:
Although it comes from the honorific verb なさる, in this form it is not polite toward superiors. Instead, it is typically used:

- by parents to children
- teachers to students
- or in situations where someone has authority over another person

It sounds less harsh than the plain imperative, but still clearly carries instruction or authority.

Summary:
なさい is a controlled, instructive command, firm, but not as harsh as the imperative form.

なさる (nasaru) - to do (honorific)

Introduction:
〜なさる is the honorific (sonkeigo) form of する, used to show respect toward someone else’s actions. It is never used for your own actions.

Structure:
する → なさる

Honorific form often appears as: なさいます / なさいました / なさらない

Meaning:
〜なさる means “to do” (honorific form of する)
It elevates the listener or the subject, commonly in formal speech, customer service, or respectful warnings/instructions.

“(You / they) do X” = respectfully elevating the other person

It replaces する when speaking politely about someone else’s actions.

Examples:
会議でそのような発言は決してなさらないように
“Please do not make such remarks in the meeting.”

Summary:
〜なさる is use when you want to respectfully say “to do” about someone else’s actions in formal or polite situations.

に気がつく (ni kigatsuku) - to notice; to realize

Introduction:
〜に気がつく is used when someone becomes aware of something they didn’t notice before, or realizes something after understanding or observation.

Structure:
Verb + こと + に気がつく
Verb + の + に気がつく
Noun + に気がつく

Meaning:
に気がつく means "notice / realize X”

It focuses on the moment of becoming aware of something important.

Examples:
鞄を忘れたことに気がついた
“I realized that I forgot my bag.”
間違いに気がつく
“I notice a mistake.”
エネルギーの存在に気がついていた
“They had noticed the existence of the energy.”

Summary:
So you can use 〜に気がつく when you become aware of something or realize something you didn’t notice before.

に見える (ni mieru) - to look; to seem; to appear

Introduction:
に見える is used when you judge something based on appearance or observation, meaning it seems or looks a certain way.

Structure:
Verb + ようにみえる
I-Adj.(-い) + そうに / く + みえる
Na-Adj. + (そう）+ に + みえる
Noun +（の + よう）+ に + みえる

Meaning:
に見える is used to mean “From what I can see, it looks like X”

Examples:
顔見知りに見えた
“He looked like someone I’ve seen before.”
疲れて見える
“You look tired.”
元気そうに見える
“You seem energetic.”
子どものように見える
“He looks like a child.”

Summary:
So you can use に見える to describe how something appears based on visual judgment or impression. That it seems or looks a certain way,

にする (ni suru) - decide on; to go with

Introduction:
〜にする, used to express deciding on or choosing something from multiple options.

Structure:
Noun + にする

Meaning:
Noun + にする is often translated to “I’ll go with…”, “I’ll choose…”, “I’ve decided on…”

It’s commonly used when selecting one thing from several choices.

Examples:
Like choosing an item in a shop.
次、どれにする？
“So, which one will you pick?”

Or like choosing flowers.
さあ、どれにする？
“Alright, which one will you choose?”

Summary:
〜にする is very common everyday Japanese expression used when deciding between options, ordering food, picking items, or making choices.

にくい (nikui) - difficult to do~

Introduction:
〜にくい is used to describe an action that is hard, inconvenient, or difficult to perform.

Structure:
Verb (Masu stem) + にくい

Meaning:
〜にくい means for an action to be “difficult to do / hard to do”

It focuses on the difficulty of performing the action itself.

Examples:
食べにくい
“Difficult to eat.”
見にくい
“Hard to see.”
列車を止めちゃえば逃げにくいじゃない
“If we stop the train, it’ll be hard to escape, right?”

Summary:
〜にくい is used when an action is physically, mentally, or practically difficult to do.

の中で (no naka de) - in; among~

Introduction:
の中で is used to show something is inside something or among a group of things.

Structure:
Noun + の + 中で

Meaning:
の中で（のなかで） means “in / inside / among”.

It depends on context, but the core idea is “inside X” or “within X”

Examples:
1. Physical “inside”
Used for literal inside a place or thing.

心の中で
“in my heart / in my mind”
箱の中で
“inside the box”

2. “Among” a group
Used when choosing or talking about something within a set.

この中でどれが欲しい？
“Which of these do you want?”
This example clip:
まだ頭の中で響いてるよ
“It’s still echoing in my head.”

頭の中で = “inside my head”
響いてる = “is echoing”

So it literally means: it’s still echoing inside my mind.

Summary:
So a simple way to remember: の中で = “inside X”. Which can refer to physical inside (box, room) or abstract inside (heart, mind, group)

のに (noni) - although, in spite of, even though~

Introduction:
The key function of のに is to express that despite a certain action/thing/state the result goes against what would normally be expected.

Structure:
Verb (casual) + のに
Noun + なのに
I-Adj. + のに
Na-Adj. + なのに

Meaning:
のに is used to mean: “even though…”, “although…”, “despite…”.

Examples:
約束したのに。
“Even though I promised…”

日曜日なのに、働かなければなりません。
“Even though it’s Sunday, I have to work.”

安いのに。
“Even though it’s cheap…”

面白いのに。
“Even though it’s interesting…”

In all of these examples, the second part contrasts with what you would normally expect.

More examples:

報酬、すっごく高いのに。
“Even though the reward is really high…”

知り合ったばかりなのに、とてもよくしてくれて。
“Even though we just met, you’ve been really kind to me.”

Summary:
のに is used to express that despite something, the result is different to what would be expected. Often expressing disappointment, surprise, frustration, or emotional contrast.

のに (noni) - to (do something); in order to~

Introduction:
This next use of のに actually has another completely different use to mean “to do…”, or “in order to…”.

Structure:
Verb + のに

Meaning:
This use of のに is used to mean “to do…”, or “in order to…”
.
For this usage, のに follows a verb in the dictionary form.

Examples:
家に帰るのに３時間かかりました。
“It took 3 hours to get home.”

Here:

家に帰る = “to return home”
のに = “for/in order to”
３時間かかりました = “took 3 hours”

So literally:
“For returning home, it took 3 hours.”

Like we saw in the clip:

開けるのに、ちょっとコツがいるの。
“It takes a bit of technique to open it.”

Summary:
So depending on the context, のに can mean either: “even though” or “in order to / for doing something”.

のは〜だ (nowa...da) - [A] is [B]; the reason for [A] is [B]; the one that...is...

Introduction:
のは〜だ is a grammar structure used to strongly emphasize or identify something in a sentence.

Structure:
Verb (Dict.) + のは
Noun / Na-Adj. + なのは
I-Adj. + のは

Meaning:
It often follows this pattern:
( fact or action ) + のは + ( explanation / reason / thing being emphasized ) です

To express “The one who… is…”, “What… is…”, “The reason for… is…”.

Examples:
吸い上げているのは、確かに我々だ。
“The ones pumping it up are indeed us.”

Here, のは emphasizes who is doing the action.

頼んだのは、私です。
“The one who requested it was me.”

Summary:
のは〜だ places strong focus on the information after のは, making the statement feel more direct and emphatic.

お～ください (o kudasai) - please do (honorific)

Introduction:
お〜ください, a polite honorific expression used to make requests.

Structure:
お + Verb (ます-stem) + ください
(or ご + certain Sino-Japanese nouns/verbs + ください)

Meaning:
お〜ください means “please do (A)”
or “please kindly do (A) for me”.

Examples:
書きます → お + 書き + ください
→ お書きください
“Please write.”

連絡する → ご連絡ください
“Please contact (me/us).”

本日はお帰りください。
“Please return home today.”

Notes:
It is the honorific request form of くださる (to give/ do for someone), which itself is the honorific version of くれる. Because of this, it sounds polite and respectful toward the listener.

Summary:
お〜ください is commonly used in: - customer service - formal instructions - polite requests in everyday honorific speech お〜ください is a standard honorific way to ask someone to do something politely and respectfully.

お～になる (o ni naru) - to do (honorific)

Introduction:
お〜になる is a sonkeigo (honorific language) pattern used to describe someone else’s actions respectfully.

Structure:
お + Verb (stem) + になる
ご / お + する verb + になる
Special verbs: いく・くる・いる → おいでになる

Meaning:
お〜になる is an honorific/respectful way to say “someone does X”.

It elevates the other person and makes the sentence more polite and indirect.

Examples:
社長は先ほどお帰りになりました
“The president went home a short while ago.”
お近づきになりたい
“I would like to become closer (to you).”
お困りになっているのではないかと
“I wonder if you might be troubled…”

Notes:
Instead of saying the verb directly, you wrap it in お〜になる to show respect toward the person doing the action.

Summary:
お〜になる is used to respectfully describe someone else’s actions in honorific Japanese.

おきに (oki ni) - repeated at intervals, every~

Introduction:
〜おきに is used to express that something happens repeatedly at fixed intervals of time, distance, or position.

Structure:
Number + unit + おきに

Meaning:
〜おきに means “at intervals of ~ / every ~ with gaps in between”

It is used with measurable units such as:

分 - minutes
時間 - hours
日 - days
年 - years
メートル - meters

Meaning “At every X interval”

Examples:
おきに vs ごとに

４年ごとに
= “every 4 years”
３年おきに
= “with a 3-year interval in between”

These describe the same spacing:

Year 1 → [3 year gap] → Year 4

So:

４年ごとに = every fourth year
３年おきに = after leaving a 3-year interval

This difference is often more noticeable with larger time units like years or days.

With smaller units like minutes or hours, the meanings are often practically very similar in everyday conversation.

Notes:
The key nuance of おきに is that there is a gap or interval between each occurrence.

Because of this, おきに is slightly different from ごとに.
おきに gives an impression of leaving a space or gap of the unit it follows.

Summary:
You use 〜おきに to describe something that repeats regularly at fixed time or distance intervals.

おります (orimasu) - Humble polite いる

Introduction:
おります is the humble polite (kenjōgo) equivalent of いる.

Structure:
Replace いる with おります
食べている　→　食べております

Meaning:
おります is used to:

- humble your own actions/state
- lower your position relative to the listener (polite speech style)

Examples:
食べている → 食べております (humble form of “is eating”)

And as it is replacing いる you can also combine it with 〜ている grammar:

勉強している → 勉強しております

Like we saw in the clips:

はい、承知しております。
“Yes, I understand (humble/polite).”

Summary:
おります is the humble polite version of いる, used to show respect by lowering yourself in conversation, especially in formal or hierarchical situations.

終わる (owaru) - to finish; to end~

Introduction:
〜終わる is used when you want to say that an action has been completed or finished.

Structure:
Verb Stem + 終わる

Meaning:
〜終わる means “to finish doing ~"

It focuses on the completion of an action.

Examples:
食べ終わる
“to finish eating”
話し終わる
“to finish talking”
着替え終わったか?
“Have you finished changing clothes?”

Summary:
〜終わる is used when you want to say an action is fully completed or finished.

らしい (rashii) - it seems like; I heard; apparently~

Introduction:
らしい is used to express that something appears to be a certain way based on heard or learned information from another source.

Structure:
Verb + らしい
I-Adj. + らしい
Na-Adj. + らしい
Noun + らしい

Meaning:
らしい means: “it seems…”, “apparently…”, “I heard…”.

One major nuance of らしい is that it’s often based on information you’ve heard or learned from somewhere else.

Examples:
雨らしい。
“Apparently it’s going to rain.”

寝すぎるのは、体に悪いらしいです。
“I heard oversleeping is bad for your body.”

よほど大事な用らしい。
“It seems to be something really important.”

古代種の生き残りらしい。
“Apparently they’re a surviving Ancient.”

Summary:
So らしい can be used to express that something appears to be a certain way based on heard or learned information from another source. It means 'It seems/Apparently/I heard'

らしい (rashii) - -like; typical of; -ish

Introduction:
This use of らしい's core feeling is: “that something matches the image or expectations of that person or thing.”

Structure:
Noun + らしい
Noun + らしく + Phrase
Noun + らしい + Noun

Meaning:
Next up is another use of the N4 grammar point RASHII, but this time specifically the use meaning “like someone” or “typical of something.

To use it, simply follow a noun with らしい or らしく

Examples:
So if someone says something that sounds exactly like something they would say, you might respond:

君らしいね。
“That’s so like you.”

To express that their behavior, words, or actions feel very characteristic of them.

Or like this example:

学生らしくもっと勉強しなさい。
“Study more like a student should.”

Here, 学生らしく means “in a student-like way.” The speaker has a certain image or expectation of how students normally behave, and wants that person to match that image more closely.

This use of らしい is extremely common in Japanese because people very often comment on whether someone is acting “like themselves” or “not like themselves.”

So if your very energetic friend suddenly becomes quiet, you might even say:

君らしくないね。
“That’s not like you.”

Or like here in Nier Automata:

２Bさんらしいですね。
“That’s very like 2B.”

After hearing her response, the speaker feels it perfectly matches the kind of person 2B is.

And another example:

おまえらしいな　その答え…
“That answer is so like you…”

Again, the speaker feels the response matches the other person’s personality perfectly.

Or like this clip from FFVII Remake
“You have to live true to yourself.”
だから　正しく　ちゃんと　自分らしく　生きなくちゃ

Here 自分らしく means living in a way that genuinely matches who you are as a person, rather than pretending to be someone else or living according to others’ expectations.

Notes:
So unlike other grammar points that express appearance or hearsay, this version of らしい is specifically about whether something matches the expected characteristics or image of a person or thing.

Summary:
Use Noun + らしい to express that something is “typical of,” “characteristic of,” or “very much like” that person or thing."

られる (rareru) - potential form; ability or inability to do something

Introduction:
The potential form is used to express the ability or inability to do something.

Structure:
Ru-verb: る -> られる
U-verb: change "u" to "e" + る
やる -> やれる
する -> できる
くる -> こられる

Meaning:
The potential form of a verb means that that verb is possible / able to do.

Examples:
For る / Ichidan verbs, replace る with られる:

食べる → 食べられる
“Can eat”

For う / Godan verbs, change the final う sound to the え row and add る:

話す → 話せる
“Can speak”

やる → やれる
“Can do”

There are also two irregular verbs:

する → できる
来る → こられる

あの部屋から、あけられる。
“It can be opened from that room.”

Notes:
One important thing to note is that with る verbs, the ら in られる is very often dropped in casual Japanese:

食べられる → 食べれる

This shortened form is extremely common in conversation, even though traditional grammar rules may mark it as incorrect. In fact, many people prefer using it because it helps avoid confusion with the passive form, which we covered earlier.

Summary:
The potential form is one of the most useful verb forms in Japanese since it allows you to express things like: “can do” “able to” “unable to” “possible to”

られる (rareru) - passive form; passive voice

Introduction:
The passive form expresses that an action is done to someone or something. Instead of focusing on who performed the action, the focus is placed on the person affected by it.

Structure:
U/Godan verb (passive): Replace the final う sound with あ then れる
Ru/Ichidan verb (passive & potential): Replace る with られる
Irregular: する → される, くる → こられる

Meaning:
The passive form is used to express: "to be done to...", "to get...", "to have something happen to one," placing emphasis on the person or thing affected by an action.

Examples:
オレたち、殴られるかも。
“We might get punched.”

Here, the focus isn’t on who does the punching, but on the people receiving the action.

Be careful not to confuse the passive form with the potential form. Some conjugations look similar, especially with る verbs, but the meanings are completely different.

To form the passive:

Ichidan / る verbs: replace る with られる
食べる → 食べられる

Unlike casual potential form speech, you cannot drop the ら here.

Godan / う verbs: change the final う sound to the あ row + れる
買う → 買われる
言う → 言われる

One way to think about this is by starting from the negative form:

買わない → 買われる
言わない → 言われる
Irregular verbs:
する → される
来る → こられる

Summary:
The passive form shifts attention away from the do-er of the action, often making speech sound more indirect, distant, or emotionally detached, like "To have that action done to you...".

さ (sa) - -ness; nominalizer for adjective

Introduction:
さ (-ness / making adjectives into nouns)

Structure:
I-Adj.［-い］+ さ
Na-Adj. + さ

Meaning:
さ is used to turn an adjective into a noun form.
In other words, it expresses “the state or quality of being X”, similar to “-ness” in English.

It turns describing words into “things/concepts”

Examples:
美しい (utsukushii = beautiful) → 美しさ
“beauty”
長い (nagai = long) → 長さ
“length”
静か (shizuka = quiet) → 静かさ
“quietness”

Adjective = describes something
さ = turns that description into a noun (a concept or quality)

神羅の素晴らしさを広める伝道師として
“As an evangelist spreading the greatness of Shinra…”

So here:

素晴らしい = great / wonderful
素晴らしさ = “greatness”

Summary:
So the さ particle at the JLPT N4 level is used to turn an adjective into a noun meaning “-ness” / “the quality of being…”

さっき (sakki) - some time ago; just now

Introduction:
さっき is used to refer to something that happened very recently relative to the present moment.

Structure:
さっき + verb / phrase

Meaning:
さっき means:
“just now”
“a short while ago”
“some time ago (recent past)”

It commonly appears before verbs or phrases to anchor the action in the near past.

Examples:
さっき起きたばかり。
“I just woke up.”

Here:

起きたばかり = “just woke up”
さっき emphasizes that it happened very recently

Extra Examples:
さっき言った通り。
“As I just said.”

さっき見つけたッス。
“I just found it.”

Summary:
さっき is a simple time marker used to refer to actions that happened in the immediate past, usually still fresh in the speaker’s mind.

させる (saseru) - causative form; to make/let somebody do something

Introduction:
させる is the causative form in Japanese.

Structure:
Ru-verb: replace る -> させる
U-verb: (ない form) replace ない -> せる
する -> させる
やる -> やらせる
くる -> こさせる

Meaning:
The causative form, させる, is used to express:

- 'making someone do something'
- 'letting someone do something'

Which meaning it has depends on the context.

Examples:
Ichidan / る verbs: replace る with させる
食べる → 食べさせる
Godan / う verbs: change to the negative stem and replace ない with せる
聞く → 聞かない → 聞かせる
Irregular verbs:
する → させる
やる → やらせる
来る → こさせる

For example:

食べさせる = “make/let someone eat”
聞かせる = “make/let someone listen”

Like we saw in the clip:

がっかりさせるなよ。
“Don’t disappoint me.”

Here, がっかりさせる literally means:
“to make someone disappointed.”

Summary:
The causative form is an important Japanese verb form that is used to express 'permission', 'force an action', 'allow an action'.

させられる (saserareru) - causative-passive; to be made to do something

Introduction:
させられる is the causative-passive form

Structure:
Verb (causative form させる) -> させられる
くる -> こさせられる
やる -> やらせられる

Meaning:
させられる means “to be made to do / forced to do”

It combines:

causative (させる = make/let someone do)
passive (られる = be done to)

To express that “someone makes X do something (often against their will)”

It often has a feeling of:

- being forced
- being made to do something unwillingly

Examples:
仕事で残業をさせられた
“I was made to do overtime at work.”
なにをさせられるのかもわからない
“I don’t even know what I’m going to be made to do.”

Summary:
So you can use させられる when you are forced or made to do something by someone else.

させてください (sasete kudasai) - please make / let someone X

Introduction:
〜させてください is used when you politely ask permission to be let to do something, or to request someone or something be made to do something or be in a certain condition.

Structure:
Verb (causative て form) + ください

Meaning:
〜させてください means “please make / let someone / something X.

It comes from the causative form (させる) combined with ください.

Verb (causative) て-form + ください
→ させてください

“Please let someone do X” or ""Please make someone or something do X""

It expresses humble permission-seeking, often sounding polite and respectful.

Examples:
見つけたらこれを食べさせてください
“If you find it, please let them/make them eat this.”
マテリアを完成させてください
“Please make complete the materia.”

Summary:
So 〜させてください is used when you politely ask someone to allow you to do something or make someone do something like: “Please let someone do X” or "Please make someone or something do X".

さすが (に) (sasuga ni) - as expected; just what you’d expect; naturally; be that as it may, that’s a bit much (when something exceeds reasonable limits)

Introduction:
さすが is an expression used when something turns out exactly as expected based on someone’s ability, reputation, or character.

Structure:
さすが + （に）+ Phrase
さすが + （の）+ Noun / Name
さすがの + Noun + も／でも

Meaning:
さすが means ”as expected”; ”just what you’d expect”; ”naturally”, “impressive, as always”.

It’s commonly used when the speaker is impressed or acknowledges that the result matches someone’s known skill or qualities.

Examples:
さすが
さすが usually has a positive nuance, showing admiration or respect, though depending on the context it can sometimes be used sarcastically as well.

さすが、クラウド。
“Just what you’d expect from Cloud.”

さすが、元ソルジャー。
“As expected of a former SOLDIER.”

--------------------------------------------------------

さすがに
There is also another use of さすがに. that is often used in a negative context, where the speaker feels that, given the situation or being said that, something opposite happens under a certain condition, usually the condition when something has gone too far or reached a limit.

A simple way to think about it is:
“ lit. As expected / that being said, be that as it may … there’s a limit. or that’s a bit much”

You use it when reacting to something unreasonable, excessive, exhausting, surprising, or hard to accept.

For example:
えっ、その恰好で戦う気か？さすがにそれは…
“Uh, you’re going to fight in that outfit? That’s a bit much…”

The nuance is: “Given the situation, or as could be expected, that’s pushing it.”

クラウドは運動神経がいい。けど、こんなにレーザーがあると、さすがに通れない。
You could look at like “Cloud is an athletic guy. But if there’re too many laser beams like this, (as expected or given the situation, there is a limit) he can’t pass” or ''despite him being good at athletics, no matter how good he is, with this many lazers he can't pass''

The feeling is: “even with him being athletic, given the situation, he can't pass”


--------------------------------------------------------

さすがの
さすがの is used to emphasize that even someone with a strong reputation or ability is affected by a situation.

It means: “even someone as capable as…; even (noun) with such a reputation”

It is often used to highlight that a situation is exceptional or overwhelming.
like 'even NOUN that is expected of ability/greatness etc cant do something or have a hard time...'

For example:

さすがのクラウドでも苦戦した。
“Even Cloud had a hard time.”

The nuance is:

“Normally he’d handle it easily, but this time was different.”
lit. even cloud who has high expectations on him for ability, had a hard time.

Summary:
Key distinction さすが = “as expected” さすがに = “as expected / given the situation, there’s a limit” さすがの = “even someone as capable as…”

し (shi) - and; and what’s more; giving reasons

Introduction:
し is commonly used to list multiple things, similar to “and”

Structure:
Verb (casual) + し
Noun + だし
Na-Adj. + だし
I-Adj. + し

Meaning:
し can be used in lots of different ways like:

'listing reasons'
'connecting ideas like “and”'
'adding emphasis'
'showing multiple examples or contrasts'

Examples:
彼女は料理は上手いし、性格はいいし、理想の奥さんだ。
“She’s good at cooking, and she has a great personality, so she’d make the ideal wife.”

And sometimes し is simply used to add emphasis or justification at the end of a sentence:

そんなこと言ってないし！
“I never said that!”

Like we saw in the clips:

とおり道だし。
“It’s on the way anyway.”

どうせ軽いヤケドだし。
“Besides, it’s just a minor burn anyway.”

Summary:
し gives speech a very natural conversational flow and is extremely common in casual Japanese to give reasons, connect ideas, add emphasis, etc.

しか～ない (shika nai) - only, nothing but

Introduction:
The core meaning of しか〜ない is exclusivity, it emphasizes that there is nothing else except what is mentioned.

Structure:
Noun + しか + Verb［ない］

Meaning:
しか〜ない, is used to express: “only…”, “nothing but…”, “no choice but to…”.

Examples:
ピザしか食べない。
“I only eat pizza.”

So:

ピザしか = “nothing but pizza”
食べない = “don’t eat (anything else)”

Like we saw in the clip:

いつもは子供しか入れないんだけど…。
“Normally only children can enter, though…”

Notes:
There is also another important N3-level use when しかない follows a verb, meaning:

“there’s no choice but to…”
“we can only…”

For example:

別のルートを探すしかないな。
“We have no choice but to find another route.”

Summary:
しか〜ない strongly limits possibilities to just one option, whether describing habits, restrictions, or unavoidable decisions.

そんなに (sonna ni) - so much; so; like that

Introduction:
そんなに is often used to emphasize the degree or amount of something.

Structure:
そんなに + Verb / Adjective
(Also: こんなに this much, あんなに that much, どんなに how much)

Meaning:
そんなに, is a super common expression meaning: “so much”, “so”, “like that”.

Examples:
どうしてそんなに強いの？
“How are you so strong?”

Here, そんなに modifies 強い, giving the feeling of “strong like that” or “that strong.”

As an adverb, そんなに can come before: verbs, い-adjectives, な-adjectives.

Like we saw in the clips:

そんなにひっぱるなって！暴力反対！
“Don’t pull that much! Violence is wrong!”

どうしてそんなに強いの？
“How are you so strong?”

Notes:
There are also related forms:

こんなに = “this much”
あんなに = “that much over there”
どんなに = “how much” / “how…”

Summary:
そんなに, こんなに, あんなに, and どんなに are used to emphasize or question the degree or amount of something.

それでも (sore demo) - but still; and yet; even so~

Introduction:
それでも is used to connect two ideas where the second one happens despite the first one.

Structure:
Phrase 1 + それでも + Phrase 2

Meaning:
それでも means “but still / even so / and yet” like “Even though X is true, Y still happens”

It shows contrast + persistence.

Examples:
テストの準備をしていなかった。それでも合格した。
“I didn’t prepare for the test. Even so, I passed.”
雨が降っている。それでも行く。
“It’s raining. even so, I’m going anyway.”
でも、それでもいいの
“But still, (or even so), that’s fine.”

Summary:
So you can use それでも to show that something happens or continues even though the previous situation would normally prevent it.

それに (sore ni) - besides; in addition; also; moreover~

Introduction:
それに is used to add extra information to what has just been said.

Structure:
Sentence 1。 それに + Sentence 2

Meaning:
それに means “besides / in addition / also / moreover”

It builds additional reasons or points.

Examples:
これはとても美味しい。それに値段もいい。
“This is very delicious. Also, the price is good.”
お母さん、それにお父さんまで私の留学に反対だ。
“My mom and on top of that my dad also are against me studying abroad.”

Or like in the clip:
そんな時間はない。それに…
“We don’t have time. Besides that…”

Summary:
So you can use それに to add extra information or reasons, meaning “besides that / also / in addition”

そうだ (sou da) - I heard that; it is said that~

Introduction:
This version of そうだ is used to relay information you heard from another source.

Structure:
Verb (casual form) + そうだ / そうです
Noun + だ + そうだ / そうです
な-adjective + だ + そうだ / そうです
い-adjective + そうだ / そうです

Meaning:
The first use of そうだ, is used to mean: “I heard that…” or “It is said that…”.

Examples:
彼は仕事をやめるそうだ。
“I heard he’s quitting his job.”

彼は金持ちだそうだ。
“I heard he’s rich.”

With verbs and い-adjectives, you use the casual form directly before そうだ.

With nouns and な-adjectives, add だ before そうだ:

金持ちだそうだ
“I heard he’s rich.”

Like we saw in the clip:

それに勝利すれば、賞金を払うそうだ。
“I heard that if you win it, they pay prize money.”

Summary:
This そうだ is used whenever you want to pass along information you’ve heard from someone else.

そうだ (sou da) - looks like; appears like; seeming~

Introduction:
Instead of relaying information you heard, this use of そうだ describes how something appears from observation or impression.

Structure:
Verb ますstem + そうだ
I-Adj. (remove い) + そうだ
Na-Adj + そうだ

Exception: よい => よさそう

Meaning:
The second use of そうだ is different from the hearsay version. This time, it means:

“looks like…”
“seems…”
“appears…”

The good news is that you can tell the two apart by how they’re conjugated.

Examples:
For verbs:
use the ます stem + そうだ

寝る → 寝そうだ
“Looks like they’re about to sleep.”

For い-adjectives:
remove the final い and add そうだ

面白い → 面白そうだ
“Looks interesting.”

Compare that to:

面白いそうだ
“I heard it’s interesting.”

That extra い completely changes the meaning.

For な-adjectives:
simply add そうだ

元気そうだ
“Looks healthy.”

Like we saw in the clip:

読みが当たったな。まだ動きそうだ。
“Looks like my prediction was right. It still seems to be moving.”

You can also make this form negative with なさそうだ to say something does not appear a certain way.

For example:

雨は降らなさそうですね。
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to rain.”

And like we saw in the clip:

ひとたまりもなさそうだな。
“Doesn’t look like they’ll stand a chance.”

Summary:
Plain form + そうだ = “I heard that…”
Stem/modified form + そうだ = “looks like…”

そうに (sou ni) - seems like; looks like~

Introduction:
そうに・そうな is used to describe something that looks or seems a certain way based on visual impression.

Structure:
Verb ますstem + そうに + Verb
Na-Adj. + そうに + Verb
I-Adj. (remove い) + そうに + Verb
(Use そうな to modify nouns)

Meaning:
そうに / そうな means “looks like / seems like” (appearance-based)

It is used to modify either a verb or a noun depending on what comes next.

Examples:
1. Verb stem + そうに + Verb
Describes how an action is being done (appearance)

Example:
疲れそうに歩いている
“He is walking like he looks tired.”

2. い-adj (remove い) + そうに + Verb
“doing something in a ___-looking way”

楽しそうに話す
“Talk like they’re having fun”
つまらなそうに映画を見ている
“He is watching the movie looking bored.”

3. な-adj + そうに + Verb
Same idea for な-adjectives

静かそうにしている
“Acting like it’s quiet / being quiet-looking”

4. そうな + Noun
When it directly describes a noun

面白そうな映画
“A movie that looks interesting”

Clip example:
でも説明できそうにない
“But it doesn’t look like I can explain it.”

So it means: It doesn’t seem possible to explain.

Notes:
Simple way to remember:

- そうに = “looks like (doing something)”
- そうな = “looks like (thing/noun)”

Summary:
Use そうに / そうな to describe something based on visual impression, meaning “looks like / seems like” depending on whether it modifies a verb or noun."

たばかり (ta bakari) - just finished; something just occurred

Introduction:
〜たばかり is used when something has very recently happened, or feels like it has just finished from the speaker’s perspective.

Structure:
Verb (た-form) + ばかり

Meaning:
〜たばかり means “just finished / just happened.

Giving a feeling of “It has just happened (feels very recent)”

It depends more on the speaker’s feeling than exact time.

Examples:
食べたばかりだ
“I just ate.”
今年入ったばかりの先生
“A teacher who just joined this year.”
まだ始まったばかりッス
“It’s only just started.”

Summary:
So you can use 〜たばかり when something has just happened or feels very recent to the speaker, even if some time has passed.

たところ (ta tokoro) - just finished doing, was just doing

Introduction:
ところ here means a situation or stage of an action, and this grammar is used to describe something very recent or in progress at a specific moment.

Structure:
Verb［た］+ ところ
Verb［ていた］+ ところ

Meaning:
〜たところ / 〜ていたところ means “just finished doing / was just doing”

Examples:
1) Verbた + ところ
“just finished doing”

食べ物を買いに行ったところです
“I had just gone to buy food.”

2) Verbていた + ところ
“was in the middle of doing / was just doing”

電話をしていたところに友達が来た
“My friend came while I was on the phone.”

- It focuses on the exact timing of an action right after or during its occurrence

終わったところだったのにな
“I had just finished… but still…”

- Shows something happened right at that moment, but was interrupted or affected immediately

Notes:
This is for very recent or immediate situations only
It does not describe general states or long-past actions

Summary:
〜たところ / 〜ていたところ is used to describe an action that was just completed or was happening at that exact moment.

他動詞 & 自動詞 (tadoushi jidoushi) - Transitive & Intransitive Verbs

Introduction:
Transitive and intransitive verbs are two verb classifications that show whether an action was done by a clear actor, or happened by itself.

Structure:
Transitive: Person は/が Object を Verb
Intransitive: Noun が/は Verb

閉める (transitive) vs 閉まる (intransitive)

Meaning:
他動詞, transitive verbs express an action done BY someone or something.

自動詞, intransitive verbs describe a state, event, or action occurring without expressing a clear actor.

Examples:
First are 他動詞, transitive verbs. These express an action done BY someone or something.

For example:
私はドアを閉める = “I close the door.”

閉める is transitive because there’s a clear actor performing the action. These verbs often use the particle を, the direct object marker, to show what the action is done to.

Like:
ドアを閉める = to close the door
でかぶつを止める = to stop the big guy

The other type is 自動詞, intransitive verbs. These describe a state, event, or action occurring without expressing a clear actor, and are often used with the particle が.

For example:
ドアが閉まった = “The door closed.”

Who closed it isn’t stated or important. The focus is on the state of the door: it’s closed.

The same applies to 止まる, “to stop,” like with an elevator stopping:
エレベーターが止まった = “The elevator stopped.”

Summary:
So, transitive verbs like 閉める and 止める express a clear actor doing something TO an object, often marked with を. Intransitive verbs like 閉まる and 止まる describe something changing state or happening on its own, often marked with が.

たがる (tagaru) - wants to do~ (third person)

Introduction:
〜たがる is used when you describe what someone else appears to want to do.

Structure:
Verb (たい form) (−い) + がる

Forms:
Present: 〜たがる
Continuous: 〜たがっている
Past: 〜たがった
Negative: 〜たがらない

Meaning:
〜たがる means “to want to do (third person)”

It comes from the たい form (want to do), but is used for other people, not yourself to express “he/she seems to want to do X”

Because you can’t directly know someone’s thoughts, it describes observable desire or behavior.

Examples:
友達がパーティに行きたがっている
“My friend seems like they want to go to the party.”
子どもが遊びたがっている
“The child wants to play.”
ゴテゴテと飾りだがるんだ？
“He really wants to decorate it all flashy and over-the-top, huh?”

Summary:
You can use 〜たがる to describe what someone else seems to want to do based on their behavior or expression.

たら (tara) - if; after; when~

Introduction:
たら, is another extremely common conditional form.

Structure:
Verb (Past)［た］+ ら
I-Adj. (Past)［た］+ ら
Na-Adj. (Past) だった + ら
Noun + だった + ら

Meaning:
Like ば, たら can mean “if,” but it’s much more flexible and natural in everyday conversation. It can also mean:

“when”
“after”
“once”

Unlike ば, which focuses more on hypothetical conditions and rules, たら can be used with intentions, suggestions, commands, and many casual situations.

Examples:
To form たら, first put the word into its past tense form, then add ら:

行く → 行ったら "If you go"
おいしい → おいしかったら "If delicious"
ピザ → ピザだったら "If it's pizza"

Like we saw in the clips:

合図の照明弾があがったら
“When the signal flare goes up…”

下に戻ったら、ウチまで来て。
“When you get back down, come to my place.”

列車が来たら、そっからが作戦だ。
“When the train comes, that’s when the operation starts.”

Summary:
Because たら is so flexible, it’s one of the safest and most useful conditional forms to learn first. If you’re ever unsure which conditional to use, たら will work naturally in a huge number of situations.

たらどう (tara dou) - why don't you?; how about? (used to give advice)

Introduction:
たらどう is used when the speaker is gently recommending an action to someone else, often in a conversational or slightly informal tone.

Structure:
Verb［たら］+ どう + だ？
Verb［たら］+ どう + （か）？
Verb［たら］ ？

Meaning:
たらどう is a grammar pattern used to give advice or make a suggestion meaning:

“why don’t you…?”
“how about…?”
“you could try…”

It is built from the conditional たら form:

Verb［たら］ + どう（だ／か）

Examples:
チャンネル登録したらどうですか？
“How about subscribing to the channel?”
でも、明日にしたらどうだい？
“Why don’t you do it tomorrow instead?”

Notes:
This structure is specifically used for suggestions or advice directed at someone else’s actions. It is not used for statements about yourself, and it always implies a proposed alternative or recommendation rather than a direct command.

Summary:
たらどう softens advice into a natural-sounding suggestion like “why don’t you give it a try?”

たらいいですか (tara ii desu ka) - what should I do?; speaker seeking instructions from listener

Introduction:
〜たらいいですか is used when you are asking for advice, instructions, or guidance about what action to take.

Structure:
Verb (た-form) + らいい (ですか)

Meaning:
〜たらいいですか means “what should I do?” / “what would be good to do?”

It expresses a hypothetical situation + request for the best option.

“If I do X, would that be good?” → “What should I do?”

It shows uncertainty and asking for help or direction.

Examples:
何を食べたらいいですか
“What should I eat?”
俺、これからどうしたらいいんでしょう
“What should I do from here…?”

Summary:
You can use 〜たらいいですか when you don’t know what to do and ask someone for advice or instructions. literally asking what action would be best.

て (te) - conjunctive particle; and; so; because of [A], [B]...; and (then)

Introduction:
The core meaning of て/で is connection, it links words, clauses, or actions together so they can be expressed as a single, flowing sentence.

Structure:
Verb (て form)
Noun + で
Na-Adj. + で
I-Adj, (remove い) + くて

Meaning:
て/で is used to express: "and," "then," "because," joining actions, states, or reasons in sequence.

Examples:
古くて開けにくいです。
“It’s old and difficult to open,” or “Because it’s old, it’s difficult to open.”

Here, 古い becomes 古くて, connecting it to 開けにくい.

To use this grammar, simply put the word into its て form:

Verbs use the て form
Nouns and な-adjectives use で
い-adjectives replace the final い with くて

This can connect actions or events together, like “and” or “then,” such as:

そのお金狙って　悪い人　集まって
“Aiming for that money, bad people gathered…”

Summary:
て/で connects parts of a sentence smoothly, whether describing a sequence of actions, a reason behind a result, or simply linking descriptive qualities together.

～て (～te) - please do for me (casual request)

Introduction:
The core meaning of て (as a request) is a casual command, it asks or tells someone to do something without sounding overly formal.

Structure:
Verb (て form)

Meaning:
て is used to express: "please do...", "do...", a soft, conversational way of telling someone to act, often shortened from てください.

Examples:
ちょ～っと　待って！
“Wait a sec!”

Here, 待つ becomes 待って, and instead of fully saying something like 待ってください, it’s used casually on its own. This makes it sound more direct, natural, and conversational.

Summary:
Using a verb in the て form can function as a natural request or instruction, which is common in casual speech between friends or family.

てあげる (te ageru) - to do for; to do a favor

Introduction:
〜てあげる, is used when doing something for someone else, basically doing someone a favor.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + あげる
(casual = やる / formal = さしあげる)

There are also different levels of politeness:

やる rough/casual
あげる normal
さしあげる very polite

Meaning:
〜てあげる is used to express: "I'll do... for you," "do... for someone," giving an action to another person, much like giving a gift.

Examples:
To use it, attach あげる to the て form of a verb:

買ってあげる
“I’ll buy it for you.”

The person receiving the favor is usually marked with に, though this is often omitted in casual conversation.

あげる itself means “to give,” so 〜てあげる has the feeling of “giving the action” to someone else.

Like we saw in the clip:

じゃ、とっておきのピザ焼いてあげる。
“Alright then, I’ll make you a special pizza.”

Notes:
One important thing to remember is that 〜てあげる can sometimes sound patronizing if used toward someone of higher status, especially elderly people, since it can imply “I’m doing this for you.”

Summary:
〜てあげる describes an action done out of kindness for someone else, with politeness levels ranging from やる (casual) to あげる (normal) to さしあげる (very polite), though care is needed since it can sound condescending toward people of higher status.

て欲しい (te hoshii) - I want you to; need you to~

Introduction:
〜てほしい is a wish for another's action, it expresses wanting someone else to do something.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + ほしい

Meaning:
〜てほしい is used to express: "I want you to...", "I'd like you to...". It expresses a desire directed at another person's behavior rather than your own.

Examples:
It’s formed by taking the て-form of a verb and adding ほしい.

For example:

教えてほしい = “I want you to teach me”
助けてほしい = “I want you to help me”

Like we saw in the clip:

リーフハウスに寄ってほしいって。
“They said they want you to stop by the Leaf House.”

You can also express the negative form by using the ない-form of the verb + でほしい:

忘れないでほしい。
“I want you not to forget.”

Summary:
〜てほしい conveys hope or desire for someone else's action, whether in requests, emotional appeals, or everyday dialogue, and can be negated with ない-form + でほしい to express "I want you not to..."

ていく (te iku) - to start; to continue; to go on

Introduction:
〜ていく expresses an action or change continuing or progressing forward from the present moment into the future.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + いく

Meaning:
〜ていく, used to express:

- continuing on
- gradually changing over time
- going on to do something moving forward

It expresses changes or actions that move away from the present and carry on from here.

Examples:
To use it, attach いく to the て form of a verb.

For example:

これから、どんどん暑くなっていく。
“From here on, it’s going to keep getting hotter.”

Here:

暑くなる = “to become hot”
暑くなっていく = “to continue becoming hotter”

So 〜ていく often expresses change progressing away from the present moment and continuing into the future.

Like we saw in the clip:

七番街までクラウドを送っていくから。
“I’ll go along taking Cloud to Sector 7.”

Summary:
〜ていく describes ongoing change or continuing action that progresses outward into the future, whether gradual transformation, an action carrying on, or going somewhere while doing something.

ていた (te ita) - was doing something (past continuous)

Introduction:
〜ていた, is used to express the past continuous, that an action or state was ongoing at some point in the past.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + いた

Meaning:
〜ていた is used to express: "was doing...", "had been doing...", an action or state that continued over a period of time in the past, rather than a single completed event.

Examples:
心配する = “to worry”
心配していた = “was worried” / “was worrying”

This is different from 心配した, which is simply the past tense: “worried.”
〜ていた emphasizes that the action or state was continuing over a period of time in the past.

Like we saw in the clips:

うん、毎日ニュースを見てた。
“Yeah, I was watching the news every day.”

状況が変わっていたんだ。
“The situation had been changing.”

憧れていたような仕事はなくて。
“There wasn’t the kind of job I had dreamed of.”

To form this grammar, simply take the て form of a verb and add いた:

食べる → 食べていた
行く → 行っていた
見る → 見ていた

In casual speech, ていた is also very commonly shortened to てた

見ていた → 見てた
行っていた → 行ってた

Summary:
〜ていた is the past progressive form, "was doing", and is often shortened to てた in casual speech.

～ていただけませんか (te itadakemasen ka) - could you please...; won't you (humble request)

Introduction:
〜ていただけませんか is a very polite humble way to ask someone to do something for you. It comes from いただく (humble “to receive”), so it expresses respect and humility.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + いただけませんか
Verb (て form) + もらえませんか


Levels
てくれ
てくれる
てくれない
てもらえる
てもらえない
てくれますか
てくれませんか
てください
てもらえますか
てもらえませんか
てくださいますか
てくださいませんか
ていただけますか
ていただけませんか

Meaning:
〜ていただけませんか means “could you please…?” a very polite, humble way of requesting an action from someone else.

It is commonly used in formal situations, customer service, and polite requests.

Lit. “Would it be possible for me to receive you doing X?” → “Could you please do X?”

It is a soft, respectful request that lowers the speaker.

Examples:
見せていただけませんか?
"Could you please show me?"
説明していただけませんか?
"Could you please explain to me?"
教えていただけませんか
"Could you please teach me?"

Summary:
〜ていただけませんか is one of the most polite ways to make a request, built from the humble verb いただく, and is commonly used in formal situations, customer service, and business speech. (“could you please do…?”)

てくれる (te kureru) - to do a favor; do something for someone

Introduction:
〜てくれる, is used when someone does something for you or for someone within your in-group.

Structure:
Verb (て-form) + くれる

Meaning:
〜てくれる is used to express: "(someone) does... for me," "(someone) will... for me," an action directed inward, toward the speaker or their circle.

Examples:
You can think of it as receiving a favor from someone.

This grammar is often taught alongside 〜てあげる:

〜てあげる = doing something for someone else
〜てくれる = someone doing something for you

So:

あげる = giving outward
くれる = receiving toward you

To use it, attach くれる to the て form of a verb.

Like we saw in the clips:

我々を導いてくれるのです。
“They will guide us. (for us)”

このお兄さんが探してくれるって。
“They said this guy will look for it for us.”

ヒーローが助けてくれるの。
“A hero will help/save you.”

Summary:
〜てくれる expresses an action is received from someone else, often carrying a sense of gratitude, and pairs as the inward counterpart to the outward-directed 〜てあげる.

て来る (te kuru) - to do… and come back; to become; to continue; to start~

Introduction:
〜くる is used after a verb in the て form to express something coming toward the speaker, a change developing over time, or something beginning and continuing.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + くる

Meaning:
〜てくる means: "to come to...", "to start to...", "to become...", it expresses a change or action that approaches, develops, or returns toward the speaker.

Examples:
分かってきた。
“I’ve come to understand.”

Here, understanding gradually developed up to the present moment.

Another common example is:

お腹が空いてきた。
“I’m getting hungry.”

Literally, the feeling of hunger has “come” toward you, a hunger gradually developed and became noticeable.

And like we saw in the clip:

まだ帰って来ないの？
“Still not coming back?”

Here, 帰ってくる literally means “to come back to return”

Summary:
〜てくる describes a change or action that gradually develops up to now or physically comes toward the speaker, being the inward counterpart to the outward-moving 〜ていく.

てみる (te miru) - try doing

Introduction:
〜てみる, is used to express trying to do something.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + みる

Meaning:
〜てみる meanas: "to try doing...", "to give it a try," doing an action experimentally, giving it a go.

Examples:
To form it, simply take the verb in the て form and add みる:

食べてみる = “try eating”
行ってみる = “go and try”

This grammar is used when attempting something to see what happens or what it’s like.

Like we saw in the clip:

ちょっと行ってみる？
“Want to go check it out?” / “Want to try going?”

Summary:
〜てみる is extremely common in everyday Japanese when suggesting trying something new or experimenting with an action.

てもらう (te morau) - to get somebody to do something

Introduction:
〜てもらう is used to express receiving an action, it expresses having someone do something for you, with the focus placed on the receiver's perspective.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + もらう

Meaning:
〜てもらう, the third of the giving and receiving expressions learned at N4.

〜てあげる = doing something for someone else
〜てくれる = someone doing something for you

And now:

〜てもらう = receiving someone’s action

So with 〜てもらう, the focus is on receiving the favor or action from someone.

The person you receive the action from is usually marked with に.

Examples:
先生に日本語を教えてもらった
(I received from/ I had sensei teaching me Japanese)

道を教えてもらえますか？
(Would you / could I have you teach me the way?)

Like we saw in the clips:

相棒の借り、返させてもらう。
“I’ll make you repay what you owe my partner.”
I'll (have) you be made to repay the debt you owe my partner.

じっくり聞かせてもらうぜ。
“I’m gonna have you explain it to me thoroughly.”

Summary:
The giving and receiving expressions are extremely important in Japanese because they show perspective and social relationships: あげる → giving outward くれる → someone gives toward you もらう → receiving from someone

ておく (te oku) - to do something in advance

Introduction:
〜ておく, is used to express doing something in advance or preparing beforehand.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + おく
Verb (て form)［-て］ + とく (casual contraction)

Meaning:
〜ておく means "to do... in advance," "to do... beforehand," "to leave... as is," preparing or setting something up for the future.

Examples:
To form it:

Verb て form + おく

For example:

勉強しておく。
“To study in advance.”

Like we saw in the clip:

言っておくけど、リスクがあるよ。
“I’ll tell you beforehand, there’s a risk.”

It can also be used to leave something in that state

Like ドアを開けておく(leave the door open)
明日の朝ごはん用にスープを残しておく(leave the soup for tomorrow’s breakfast)

In casual speech, ておく is very often shortened:
〜とく
勉強しておく → 勉強しとく

Summary:
〜ておく describes proactive preparation, warning, or leaving things in place for later use, and is commonly shortened to とく in casual speech.

てしまう (te shimau) - to do something by accident, to finish completely

Introduction:
〜てしまう/〜ちゃう expresses completion or regret, it expresses finishing an action completely or doing something unintentionally with a sense that it can't be undone.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + しまう
Verb (て form) (-て) + ちゃう*

*じゃう is used when Verb［て］ends with で

Meaning:
〜てしまう can be used to mean "to end up doing...", "to accidentally do...", "to finish completely doing...", often carrying regret, finality, or irreversibility.

Examples:
To use it, attach しまう to the て form of a verb:

食べてしまう
忘れてしまう

In casual speech, this is very often shortened:

〜てしまう → 〜ちゃう
〜でしまう → 〜じゃう

For example:

寝ちゃった。
“I accidentally fell asleep.”

This gives the feeling of “I ended up falling asleep.”

Like we saw in the clips:

私たちの星が消えてしまうのだ。
“Our planet will disappear.”

and

どんどん魔晄をくみ上げちまうから
“Because they keep pumping up more and more mako…”

Here, てしまう adds a feeling of regret, finality, or that the action cannot be undone.

Notes:
It’s also where the expression しまった! comes from.

しまった！
“Damn it!” / “Oops!”

Summary:
〜てしまう often carries emotional weight, especially when something unfortunate, regrettable, or irreversible happens.

てすみません (te sumimasen) - I’m sorry for

Introduction:
〜てすみません is used to apologize for a specific action you did, especially something that affected or inconvenienced someone else.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + すみません

Casual variants: すまない / すまなかった

Meaning:
〜てすみません means “I’m sorry for doing…”. It directly connects an apology to a specific action that caused trouble/issue, etc.

“I’m sorry for doing X”

Examples:
巻き込んですまなかったね
“Sorry for getting you involved.”
かんちがいで騒いで、すまなかったよ
“Sorry for making a fuss due to a misunderstanding.”

Summary:
〜てすみません connects an apology to a concrete action rather than a general feeling of regret, with casual variants like すまない and すまなかった often used in spoken Japanese.

てやる (te yaru) - to do for; to do a favor (casual form of てあげる) also used roughly 'give or do to an inferior'.

Introduction:
〜てやる, the casual form of 〜てあげる. (To do for...)

Structure:
Verb (て form) + やる

Meaning:
Just like 〜てあげる, it means to do something for someone or give someone a favor, but it sounds much rougher and more casual.

Examples:
仕方がない、私がサポートしてやろう。
“It can’t be helped, I’ll support you.”

Here:

サポートしてあげる would sound more polite
サポートしてやる sounds casual and tougher

Like we also saw in the clips:

ティファに顔見せて、安心させてやれ。
“Go show your face to Tifa and put her at ease.”

派手にドカンとかましてやるぜ。
“I’m gonna blow them away in style!”

Notes:
It’s also commonly used when talking about doing things for animals, plants, or people below you in status.

Summary:
〜てやる conveys doing a favor with a casual, tough, or rough tone, often used between close friends, toward animals or plants, or toward those of lower status, with the polite version being 〜てあげる.

てよかった (te yokatta) - I’m glad that...

Introduction:
てよかった is used to express relief or happiness about something that happened.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + よかった
Verb (なくて) + よかった

Meaning:
てよかった means “I’m glad that X happened / didn’t happen”

Examples:
1. Verb て + よかった
Used when something happened and you’re happy it did.

会えてよかった
“I’m glad I was able to meet you.”
本当にあってよかった
“I’m glad it was really there / it existed.”

2. Verb なくて + よかった
Used when something didn’t happen and you’re relieved.

行かなくてよかった
“I’m glad I didn’t go.”
雨が降らなくてよかった
“I’m glad it didn’t rain.”

Summary:
You can use てよかった to show relief or gratitude about a past outcome, whether something happened or didn’t happen.

ているところ (teiru tokoro) - in the process of doing

Introduction:
〜ているところ is used to describe the exact moment when an action is happening right now.

Structure:
Verb［ている］+ ところ

Meaning:
〜ているところ means “in the middle of doing ~ / in the process of doing ~

It focuses on the scene / stage / moment of an ongoing action.

“right in the middle of doing X”

Examples:
勉強しているところ
“(I am) in the middle of studying.”
その剣を使っているところを見たことがない
“I’ve never seen you in the process of using that sword.”

Summary:
〜ているところ is used when you want to describe an action happening at that exact moment in progress.(“in the middle of doing X”).

ても (temo) - even; even if; even though~

Introduction:
〜ても/〜でも expresses that the result stays the same regardless of the condition or situation mentioned.

Structure:
Verb (て form) + も
I-Adj. + くても
Na-Adj. + でも
Noun + でも

Meaning:
〜ても / 〜でも, is used to mean things like:

“even if”
“even though”
“even”

Examples:
To use it, put the word into its て form and add も.

For verbs:
Verb て form + も

食べても、お腹が空きます。
“Even if I eat, I still get hungry.”

For い-adjectives:
replace い with くても

安くても、買わない。
“Even if it’s cheap, I won’t buy it.”

For な-adjectives and nouns:
でも

子どもでもできることよ。
“That’s something even children can do.”

仮にそうだとしても
“Even if that were true…”

どんな夜中に訪ねても
“Even if you visit in the middle of the night…”

原因は、どう考えてもそれ。
“No matter how you think about it, that’s the cause.”

Summary:
〜ても is an extremely useful piece of N4 grammar that expresses that the result stays the same regardless of the condition / situation / action.

と (to) - whenever [A] happens, [B] also happens

Introduction:
と is the conditional particle.

Structure:
Verb (dictionary / ない form) + と
Noun + だ + と
Na-Adj. + だ + と
I-Adj. + い + と

Meaning:
The と particle connects two statements to show a very strong relationship between them, whenever the first thing happens, the second thing naturally or automatically happens as well.

Examples:
毎日ピザを食べると、太ります。
“When you eat pizza every day, you get fat.”

Here, と shows a strong connection between:

毎日ピザを食べる = eating pizza every day
太ります = getting fat

It’s often translated as:

“Whenever A happens, B happens”
“If A, then naturally B”

Like we saw in the clip:

よく見ると、かわいいの～！
“When I look closely, I realize you’re cute!”

As soon as the first action happens, looking closely, the second realization naturally follows.

Summary:
The と particle is very commonly used for general truths, automatic results, habits, and things that naturally happen when a certain condition is met.

と言ってもいい (to ittemo ii) - you could say; one might say; I'd say~

Introduction:
〜と言ってもいい is used when you want to offer a possible interpretation or description, while acknowledging that it’s not the only way to say it.

Structure:
Phrase + と言ってもいい

Meaning:
〜と言ってもいい = “you could say / one might say / I’d say”

It softens your statement and presents it as a reasonable way of describing something.

“You could describe it as X” / “One might say X”

It introduces a careful or flexible judgment, not an absolute fact.

Examples:
歪んだ欲望が具現化した世界と言ってもいい
“You could say it’s a world where distorted desires have taken form.”

ネイティブと言ってもいいくらい日本語が上手だ。
Their Japanese is so good you could say they are a native speaker.

Summary:
You can use 〜と言ってもいい when you want to offer a polite, soft or flexible way of describing something, like “you could say…

という (to iu) - called; named; that~

Introduction:
The core meaning of という is naming or defining, it expresses what something or someone is called, linking a name to the thing it describes.

Structure:
Noun / Phrase + という
Noun / Phrase + といいます (polite)

Meaning:
Next up is という, a grammar point with many different uses in Japanese.

At the N4 level, the main use to focus on is using it to say what something is called or named.

Examples:
日本という国
“The country called Japan.”

Here:

日本 comes before という= the name
国 comes after = the thing being described

The same pattern works with people and titles:

マットという人
“A person called Matt.”

ゲーム言語というチャンネル
“A channel called Game Gengo.”

Like we saw in the clips:

ミレイユという、おばあさんに聞いてみな。
“Try asking an old woman called Mireille.”

俺の方が神羅という組織を知っている。
“I know the organization called Shinra better.”

Notes:
という can also have many other meanings depending on context, including:

- quoting what someone said
- defining something
- emphasizing information
- “they say…”

Many higher-level grammar patterns also come from という, so getting comfortable with this basic “called/named” usage is very important.

Summary:
という at this N4 use labels something as "called X," but it can also be used in many other ways at higher levels as core building block for many higher-level grammar patterns.

ということ (to iu koto) - that means...; convert phrase into noun

Introduction:
〜ということ is used to turn a full statement into a noun-like concept, often to summarize, explain, or conclude what something means.

Structure:
Verb (casual) + ということ
Noun + だ + ということ
Na-Adj. + だ + ということ
I-Adj. + ということ

Meaning:
〜ということ means “that means… / the fact that…” (turns phrase into a noun idea)

It turns a sentence into a single idea or conclusion you can comment on.

Examples:
この人数でじゅうぶんに対応できるということなんでね
“That means this number of people is enough to handle it.”

Summary:
So 〜ということ is used when you want to turn a statement into a noun-like meaning and explain or summarize it as a conclusion like 'that means'.

と言われている (to iwareteiru) - it is said that~

Introduction:
〜と言われている is used to express general beliefs, common opinions, or widely repeated information without clearly stating who said it.

Structure:
Phrase + と言われている

Meaning:
〜と言われている means “it is said that ~ / people say that ~”

It is the passive form of 言う (to say) combined with いる, so it describes something that is commonly said or believed.

It removes the speaker and presents information as general or widely accepted.

Examples:
彼は強いと言われている.
"It is said that he is strong."

日本は治安がいいと言われている
"many people say Japan is safe"

納豆は健康にいいと言われている
"Many people/ many studies say Natto is good for your health"

この村ではツバメは幸せの象徴だと言われている
"In this village, it’s been said that sparrows are a symbol of happiness"

Summary:
〜と言われている uses the passive form of 言う to detach a statement from any specific speaker, making it useful for describing general opinions, common knowledge, or widely held beliefs in a passive way “it is said that…”.

と聞いた (to kiita) - I heard...

Introduction:
と聞いた, is a simple but very useful grammar pattern for reporting heard information.

Structure:
Phrase + と聞いた
Verb / I-Adj. + と聞いた
Na.Adj. / Noun +（だ）+ と聞いた

Meaning:
と聞いた is used when you want to say:

“I heard that…”
“I was told that…”
“I heard (someone say) that…”

It works by attaching と to a quoted statement, followed by 聞いた (past form of 聞く, “to hear”).

The idea is that the entire preceding clause is treated as something you heard from another source, not something you are directly confirming yourself.

Examples:
このゲームが面白いと聞いた
“I heard that this game is interesting.”
彼は来ないと聞いた
“I heard that he’s not coming.”
彼は有名だと聞いた
“I heard that he is famous.”

Notes:
In casual speech, と is often shortened to って:

ケガしたらしいって聞いたよ
“I heard he got injured.”

Summary:
と聞いた is a straightforward way to pass along information you received from someone else, clearly marking it as hearsay rather than direct knowledge.

と思う (to omou) - to think…; I think…; you think…

Introduction:
と思う is how to express a personal opinion, expressing one's own thoughts, assumptions, or feelings about something.

Structure:
Verb / I-Adj. + と思う
Na.Adj. / Noun + だ + と思う

Meaning:
と思う means "I think...", "I believe...".

To use it, state what is being thought, then follow it with the quoting particle と and the verb 思う, “to think.”

Examples:
日本に留学しようと思っています。
“I’m thinking of studying abroad in Japan.”

Like we saw in the clips:

動きやすそうでいいと思う。
“I think it looks easy to move around in.”

これならマリンも怖がらないと思う。
“I think Marin won’t be scared of this.”

Notes:
In casual speech, the と is also very often shortened into って:

〜って思う
“I think…”

Summary:
と思う is one of the most common ways to express opinions or assumptions in Japanese.

とか～とか (toka toka) - among other things; such as; like~

Introduction:
とか～とか is used when giving examples without listing everything completely, implying there are other examples too.

Structure:
Verb (A) + とか + Verb (B) + (とか)
Adjective (A) + (だ) + とか + Adjective (B) + (だ) + (とか)
Noun (A) + とか + Noun (B) + (とか)

Meaning:
とか is used to express: "such as...", "things like...", "among other things...", casually listing examples while implying there are more.

Examples:
私はファイナルファンタジーとかポケモンとかが好きです。
“I like (games) like Final Fantasy and Pokemon.”

These aren’t the only games being talked about, they’re just examples of the kinds of games the speaker likes.

とか can be used with:

verbs
adjectives
nouns

And sometimes it’s even used only once, still implying there are other examples.

Like we saw in the clips:

チョコボの鳴き声を聞いたとか
“They heard a chocobo crying, for example…”

陥没道路でチョコボを見かけたとか
“They spotted a chocobo on the collapsed highway, and things like that…”

教会のほうへ向かうチョコボを見たとか
“They saw a chocobo heading toward the church, among other reports…”

Summary:
とか is a very natural way to casually list examples without being too complete and definitive, leaving the door open for other things, you're just listing some examples.

ところ (tokoro) - just about to; on the verge of doing something

Introduction:
ところ is used to express precise timing, like the exact moment of an action relative to now, whether it's about to start, currently happening, or just finished.

Structure:
Verb［る］ + ところ + だ

Meaning:
ところ means "just about to...", "in the middle of...", "just finished...", with the meaning changing based on the verb form used before it.

Examples:
1. Verb (dictionary form) + ところ = “just about to”
Expressing an action is right before starting

Example:
出かけるところです
“I’m just about to go out.”
今から食べるところだ
“I’m about to eat now.”

2. Verb (ている) + ところ = “in the middle of”
Expressing an action is happening right now

Example:
食べているところです
“I’m in the middle of eating.”

3.Verb (た form) + ところ = “just finished”
Expressing an action just ended

Example:
食べたところです
“I’ve just finished eating.”
Your example:
あ！忘れるところだった
“Ah! I almost forgot.” / "I was on the verge of forgetting it."

Summary:
するところ = about to do しているところ = doing right now したところ = just did ところ is used to show exact timing of an action (before / during / after)

続ける (tsudzukeru) - continue to; keep on~

Introduction:
〜続ける is used to express an unbroken continuation, it expresses doing an action persistently or without stopping.

Structure:
Verb (stem form) + つづける

Meaning:
〜続ける means "continue to" or "keep on~".

It's used to express
- continuing to do an action
- doing something without stopping
- persisting in an activity

Examples:
走り続ける = “to keep running”
勉強し続ける = “to continue studying”

Like we saw in the clip:

このまま吸い続けたら、どうなるよ。
“If they keep sucking it up like this, what will happen?”

Here:

吸い続ける = “to continue absorbing / sucking up”
〜たら = “if”

So the sentence is expressing concern about what the result will be if the action continues without stopping.

Summary:
〜続ける is used to show persistence, describing an action that keeps happening without interruption, often expressing determination, or ongoing effort.

〜って (tte) - named; called~

Introduction:
Next up is って or っていう, the casual form of という, and are used after a noun to quote what something is called.

Structure:
Noun + って
Noun + っていう
Noun + という

Meaning:
って/っていう is used to express: "called...", "named...", a casual way of introducing a name before the noun it describes.

Examples:
ファイナルファンタジーっていうゲーム
“A game called Final Fantasy.”

Or like in this clip:

魔晄中毒ってやつさ
“This thing called Mako Poisoning.”

って can be tricky because it has several other uses covered in higher JLPT levels. For example, it can act as a casual topic marker は:

日本語の文法って難しい。
“Japanese grammar is difficult.”

It can also act like a casual とは when defining something:

Thank you って日本語でありがとうって意味だよ。
‘Thank you’ means ‘arigatou’ in Japanese.

And it can even be used as a casual quotative と:

おはようって言った。
“They said ‘good morning.”

Notes:
But for N4, the key point to remember is that って and っていう are mainly used as casual versions of という, meaning “called” or “named.”

Summary:
って / っていう functions mainly as the casual form of という at the N4 level. It can also act as a casual topic marker (は), definer (とは), or quotative (と) at higher levels.

は～が (wa...ga) - [A] but [B]; however; comparison

Introduction:
The passive form expresses that an action is done to someone or something. Instead of focusing on who performed the action, the focus is placed on the person affected by it.

Structure:
Noun-1 + は + ～が + Noun-2 + は

Meaning:
The passive form is used to express: "to be done to...", "to get...", "to have something happen to one," placing emphasis on the person or thing affected by an action.

Examples:
オレたち、殴られるかも。
“We might get punched.”

Here, the focus isn’t on who does the punching, but on the people receiving the action.

Be careful not to confuse the passive form with the potential form. Some conjugations look similar, especially with る verbs, but the meanings are completely different.

To form the passive:

Ichidan / る verbs: replace る with られる
食べる → 食べられる

Unlike casual potential form speech, you cannot drop the ら here.

Godan / う verbs: change the final う sound to the あ row + れる
買う → 買われる
言う → 言われる

One way to think about this is by starting from the negative form:

買わない → 買われる
言わない → 言われる
Irregular verbs:
する → される
来る → こられる

Summary:
The passive form shifts attention away from the do-er of the action, often making speech sound more indirect, distant, or emotionally detached, like "To have that action done to you...".

やすい (yasui) - easy to; likely to; prone to; have a tendency to~

Introduction:
〜やすい is used to express ease or tendency of an action, that an action is easy to do or that something tends to happen a certain way.

Structure:
Verb ます (stem form) + やすい

Meaning:
〜やすい means "easy to...", "likely to...", "tends to...".
It attaches to the ます-stem of a verb
to describe ease / tendency to do an action.

Examples:
食べやすい = “easy to eat”
聞きやすい = “easy to hear / listen to”

It often describes how easy or convenient an action is, or sometimes a tendency for something to happen.

Like we saw in the clip:

ここ、崩れやすいから気をつけて。
“This area is easy to collapse, so be careful.”

So here:

崩れる = “to collapse”
崩れやすい = “prone to collapsing / easy to collapse”

Notes:
The opposite of 〜やすい is 〜にくい, meaning “hard to do.”

Summary:
〜やすい describes an action if easy to do, or that there is a natural tendency for something to occur.

やっと (yatto) - at last; finally; barely; narrowly~

Introduction:
やっと is an adverb used when something takes a long time or effort and then finally happens, or when something is achieved with difficulty or barely succeeded.

Structure:
やっと + phrase

Meaning:
やっと means "finally", "at last", "barely", emphasizing relief or accomplishment after a drawn-out process.

“After effort, waiting, or difficulty → finally happens”

Examples:
やっと終わった
“It’s finally finished.”
クラッシュボックス、やっと再開できたよ
“Crash Box finally reopened.”

Summary:
You use やっと when something finally happens after a long wait, effort, or difficulty. finally / at last.

予定だ (yotei da) - plan to, intend to

Introduction:
〜予定だ is used to express a planned action or scheduled event in the future.

Structure:
Verb (Dict. form) + 予定だ
Noun + の予定だ

Meaning:
〜予定だ means “plan to / be scheduled to”

It can describe something you personally plan to do, or something that is already scheduled.

Examples:
大阪に行く予定だ
“I plan to go to Osaka.”
旅行は2週間ぐらいの予定です
“The trip is planned to be about two weeks.”
娘夫婦が迎えにくる予定だ
“My daughter and her husband are scheduled to come pick me up.”

Summary:
So you can use 〜予定だ when you want to say something is planned or scheduled for the future.

ようだ (you da) - appears; seems; looks as if~

Introduction:
ようだ, is a grammar point used to express appearance, inference, or judgment based on one’s own reasoning or observation.

Structure:
Verb (casual) + ようだ
Noun + の + ようだ
Na-Adj. + な + ようだ
I-Adj. + ようだ

Meaning:
ようだ means "it seems...", "it appears that...", "it's like...". Expressing a personal inference drawn from what the speaker perceives or logically concludes.

Examples:
彼女はうれしくないようだ
“She doesn’t seem happy.”
夢のようだ
“It feels like a dream.”
楽しいようだ
“It seems fun.”

ようだ is a bit more formal in its use and often used in written language, where as みたい is ofted used to express the same thing in spoken language.

Like in the clip:

七番街スラムでなにかを探っているようだ
“It looks like someone is investigating something in the Sector 7 slums.”

Here:

探っている = “is investigating”
ようだ = speaker’s inference based on observation or reasoning

Notes:
Unlike hearsay expressions like そうだ or と聞いた, ようだ is used when the speaker is making a personal judgment or inference based on available information, such as what they see, feel, or logically conclude.

熱いそうだ - I hear / apparently its hot
熱いと聞いた - I heard its hot
熱そうだ - It looks hot (visually)
熱いようだ - It seems hot (judgment) (formal/written)
熱いみたい - It seems hot (judgment) (spoken)

So 熱そうだ means it visually LOOKS hot, a direct visual judgment.
But 熱いようだ means based on a judgment of factors, like someone being careful when touching it to avoid burning, you can guess its hot, like it appears hot, based on that judgement.

Summary:
ようだ is used when you are making a logical or observational guess about a situation based on what you perceive yourself, rather than repeating hearsay or quoting someone else.

ように & ような (you ni / you na) - like; as; similar to~

Introduction:
ように & ような are used when something appears, behaves, or is done in a certain way based on the speaker’s judgment or comparison.

Structure:
Verb + よう + に + Verb / Adverb / Adjective
Verb + よう + な + Noun
Noun + のような + Noun

Meaning:
ように / ような, is used to mean:

“like…”
“as if…”
“similar to…”

Examples:
好きなように
“However you like” / “As you please”

Like we saw in the clip:

ああ、やつら、好きなようにニュースをねつ造するぞ。
“Yeah, those guys fabricate the news however they like.”

And:

己の一部とするのだよ、このようにね。
“You make it a part of yourself, like this.”

コーヒーのような味だ
It has a taste like coffee

Notes:
Just like そう can become:

そうな for nouns
そうに for verbs/adjectives

よう also changes depending on what it modifies:

ような + noun
ように + verb, adjective, or adverb

Summary:
ように / ような is used widely for comparisons and describing manner, showing how something resembles, behaves like, or is done in the style of something else. “in a certain way."

ようになる (you ni naru) - to reach the point that; to come to be that; to turn into~

Introduction:
ようになる expresses reaching a new state, like gradually becoming able to do something or a situation gradually changing into a new condition.

Structure:
Verb (Dict. form) + ようになる
Verb (ない form) + ようになる

Meaning:
ようになる, used to express:

- reaching the point where something becomes possible
- gradually becoming able to do something
- coming to be a certain way

Examples:
たくさん勉強したら、日本語を話せるようになりますよ！
“If you study a lot, you’ll reach the point where you can speak Japanese!”

This grammar often expresses gradual change, development, or gaining a new ability over time.

Like we saw in the clips:

いや、おまえなら、いつかは
山や海だって走れるようになるかもな。
“With you, maybe someday you’ll even become able to run across mountains and seas.”

接触すると見えるようになる。
“When you make contact, you become able to see it.”

Summary:
ようになる is a useful grammar point for talking about: - learning skills - habits changing - becoming able or unable to do things - gradual personal growth or change over time. It means 'to come to be that..."

ようにする (you ni suru) - to try to; to make sure that~

Introduction:
〜ようにする is used when you make an effort or set a habit to do (or not do) something. It’s about consciously trying to reach a certain behavior or outcome.

Structure:
Verb (Dict. form) + ようにする
(try to do / make a habit of doing)

Verb (ない form) + ようにする
(try not to / make sure not to do)

Meaning:
〜ようにする means “to try to / make sure to”

Examples:
毎日日本語を勉強するようにしている
“I try to study Japanese every day.”
甘いものを食べないようにしている
“I try not to eat sweets.”
迷わないようにしないと
“I have to make sure I don’t get lost.”

Summary:
You can use 〜ようにする when you are actively trying to make something a habit or prevent something from happening.

ようと思う (you to omou) - thinking of doing; planning to~

Introduction:
〜ようと思う is used when you express intention or a plan you’ve just decided or are considering.

Structure:
Verb (volitional form) + と思う
Verb (volitional form) + と思っている (ongoing intention)

Meaning:
〜ようと思う means “I’m thinking of doing / I plan to do”

It uses the volitional form (〜よう) + と思う (“I think”).

Examples:
みんなで飾って明るくしようと思って
“I was thinking of decorating it together and making it brighter.”
天望荘の空き部屋借りようと思ったら…
“Just when I was thinking of renting the vacant room at Tenbou-sou…”

Summary:
You can use 〜ようと思う to talk about something you intend or are considering doing. like “I’m thinking of doing X” or “I plan to do X.”

ぜひ (zehi) - by all means; certainly; definitely~

Introduction:
ぜひ is an adverb used to strongly encourage or invite someone to do something. It adds a feeling of enthusiastic recommendation or polite urging.

Structure:
ぜひ + Phrase
是非 + Phrase

Meaning:
ぜひ means “by all means / definitely / please do”

Core concept:
“I strongly recommend this / please do it if you can”

Examples:
ぜひ今度うちへ遊びに来てください
“Please come visit my place sometime.”
ぜひ食べてみてください
“Please definitely try eating it.”
ぜひライブにも来てください
“Please come to the live show too.”
街のためにぜひ頼む
“I’m counting on you for the sake of the town.”
ぜひともエアリスの協力を
“We absolutely need Aerith’s cooperation.”

Summary:
So you can use ぜひ when you want to strongly and politely encourage someone to do something. “please definitely do this”

全然 (zenzen) - completely; totally; extremely; very (pos. context, e.g. 全然いいよ)

Introduction:
全然 is an adverb that expresses an extreme degree, and its meaning depends on whether the sentence is negative or positive.

Structure:
ぜんぜん + Phrase

Meaning:
全然（ぜんぜん) means “completely / totally / very”

With positives (modern spoken usage)
“totally / very / completely”

Examples:
全然いいよ
“It’s totally fine.”
全然かわいい
“It’s super cute.”
騒ぎすぎ、全然へーき
“You’re overreacting, it’s totally fine.”

Notes:
全然 always adds an extreme emphasis, either strongly negative or strongly positive depending on context.

Summary:
When used in a positive sentence ぜんぜん means, meaning totally (very much).

全然～ない (zenzen nai) - (not) at all

Introduction:
全然 is an adverb that expresses an extreme degree, and its meaning depends on whether the sentence is negative or positive.

Structure:
全然 + Verb (ない form)

Meaning:
全然～ない（ぜんぜん～ない) means “completely not / totally not”

With negatives (traditional usage)
“not at all / completely not”

Examples:
全然知らない
“I don’t know at all.”
全然分からない
“I completely don’t understand.”

Example breakdown:
あのフィルター　ぜんぜん効果ないぞ
“That filter doesn’t work at all.”

Notes:
全然 always adds an extreme emphasis, either strongly negative or strongly positive depending on context.

Summary:
When used in a negative sentence ぜんぜん～ない means, meaning "totally not", "absolutely not".

づらい (zurai) - difficult to do~

Introduction:
〜づらい is used to say that an action is hard to do because it feels uncomfortable, awkward, or painful.

Structure:
Verb (masu-stem) + づらい

Meaning:
〜づらい means something is “difficult to do (mentally/physically unpleasant)”

“It’s hard to do X because it feels unpleasant or burdensome”

This is not just “difficult in execution”, it includes emotional or physical discomfort.

Examples:
食べづらい
“hard to eat (because it’s awkward or uncomfortable)”
言いづらい
“hard to say (because it’s uncomfortable to say)”

Notes:
It is similar to 〜にくい, but the nuance is different.

〜にくい → difficult in terms of ability/process
〜づらい → difficult because it is unpleasant/awkward/painful

Summary:
Use 〜づらい to express that something is hard to do because it feels uncomfortable, awkward, or emotionally/physically unpleasant.