N2 Grammar
235 grammar points across the N2 range. Each point explains the meaning, how to connect it, and how it differs from similar patterns.
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235 points.
Time and sequence
- ～あげく(に)in the end; after (a long, troublesome process)
- ～ぶりafter an interval of; the way of; manner
- ～が早いかthe moment that; no sooner than
- ～がてらwhile; on the occasion of; doing it on the way
- ～ごとにevery; at each; for each
- ～か～ないかのうちにalmost at the same time as; just as ... begin
- ～かと思うと / ～かと思ったらno sooner ... than; just when I thought ...
- ～かたわらwhile also; alongside (a main activity)
- ～きりsince ... (and never again); only; (the state) has remained
- ～ながらもalthough; while still
- ～なりas soon as; the moment that
- ～に至って(は)only when it has come to; not until it reaches
- ～を経てafter passing through; via; through
- ～際に / ～際はwhen; on the occasion of; at the time of
- ～最中にin the middle of; right when ...
- ～次第as soon as; depending on
- ～た末にafter (a long process); in the end
- ～たところwhen I did ...; upon doing ... (a discovery)
- ～たとたん(に)the moment that; just as
- ～た上でafter doing ...; once ... has been done
- ～たびにevery time; whenever
- ～たてfreshly; just (done)
- ～てはじめてonly after; not until
- ～てからでないとnot until ...; unless ... first
- ～てからというものever since; from the time that
- ～と同時にat the same time as; at the same moment as; not only ... but also
- ～ところだったalmost; nearly (but did not)
- ～ところに / ～ところへjust when; at the very moment that
- ～ついでにwhile at it; taking the opportunity
- ～つつあるbe in the process of; be gradually ...ing
- ～つつ(も)while ...; although ... (formal)
- ～うちにwhile; before (it changes)
- ～や否やas soon as; the moment that
Cause and reason
- ～あまり(に)so much that; too ... and as a result
- ～ばこそprecisely because; only because
- ～だけあってas one would expect from; worthy of
- ～からこそprecisely because
- ～ことだからsince it is (someone); knowing what (someone) is like
- ～ことだしsince; given that
- ～ものだからbecause (an excuse or explanation)
- ～おかげでthanks to; owing to
- ～せいで / ～せいかbecause of (a bad result); perhaps because of
- ～とあってbecause it is (a special case); given that
- ～ゆえにbecause of; for the reason that
Condition and supposition
- ～ばそれまでだif ... then that is the end of it
- ～ないことにはunless ...; if ... does not happen (then no)
- ～くらいならrather than; if it means ... then
- ～ものならif one could; if (a difficult thing) were to happen
- ～ない限りunless; as long as ... not
- ～ないものか / ～ないものだろうかisn't there some way to ...; I wish I could
- ～にしても / ～にしろ / ～にせよeven if; granted that; even though
- ～さえ～ばif only; as long as ... (that alone is enough)
- ～たところでeven if; no matter how much ... (it is useless)
- ～ともなると / ～ともなればonce it comes to; when it gets to the level of
- ～としてもeven if; supposing that
- ～とすれば / ～とするとif we assume that; supposing that
- ～ようではif (you are) like that; if it is the case that
Tendency and state
- ～ばかりだonly getting ...; keeps ...ing (in one direction)
- ～だらけfull of; covered with (too many)
- ～ふりをするpretend to; act as if
- ～がちtends to; is apt to (usually something undesirable)
- ～げlooking ...; seeming ...
- ～気味a touch of; feeling slightly; showing signs of
- ～ごたえa feeling of (worth); response
- ～かけ(の)half-done; in the middle of; stopped partway
- ～ままas it is; while still; leaving as is
- ～まみれcovered in; smeared with
- ～抜くto do something all the way through, despite difficulty
- ～っぱなしleaving as it is; keep ...ing
- ～っぽい-ish; having the quality of; prone to
- ～ずくめnothing but; entirely; all
Emphasis, criticism and nuance
- ～ばかりかnot only ... but also
- ～だけにprecisely because; as might be expected; all the more because
- ～こそprecisely; the very; (this) is the one
- ～くせにeven though ...; and yet (criticism)
- ～向け / ～向きaimed at; intended for; suitable for
- ～ならではunique to; only possible with; characteristic of
- ～に限ってof all (days, people); only when; (my child) would never
- ～にもほどがあるthere is a limit to ...; ... goes too far
- ～のみならずnot only ... but also
- ～さえeven; not even (extreme example)
- ～てまでgoing as far as to; even by doing
- ～ところをat the moment when; while (often polite or apologetic)
Basis, means and cause
- ～ばかりにjust because ...; simply because ... (and so a bad result)
- ～以上(は)since; now that; as long as
- ～に関わるconcern; affect; be connected with
- ～に応えてin response to; living up to
- ～に基づいてbased on; on the basis of; in accordance with
- ～に沿ってalong; in line with; in accordance with
- ～につきbecause of (formal notices); per
- ～によるとaccording to ...
- ～によってby (the agent); by means of; depending on; because of
- ～を踏まえてbased on; taking into account
- ～を込めてwith (feeling); putting (feeling) into
- ～をもとにbased on; using ... as the source or material
- ～をもってwith; by means of; as of (a date)
- ～を通じて / ～を通してthrough; by means of; throughout (a period)
- ～を前提にon the premise that; assuming
- ～てこそonly by ...ing; it is only when ... that
- ～とおりにas; in the same way as; exactly as
- ～上はnow that ...; since ... (so one must)
Obligation, necessity and inability
- ～べきだ / ～べきではないshould; ought to; should not
- ～ほかない / ～よりほかないthere is no choice but to; have no option but
- ～からにはnow that ...; since ...; having decided to ... (one must/will)
- ～ものではないone should not; it is not something to do
- ～ものとするshall be treated as; is to be regarded as
- ～てはいられないcannot afford to; cannot go on ...ing
- ～わけにはいかないcannot (because of circumstances, duty or common sense)
- ～を余儀なくされるto be forced to; to have no choice but to
- ～ざるを得ないcannot help but; have no choice but to
- ～ずにはいられないcannot help doing; cannot stop oneself from
Purpose and intention
Conjunctions and connectors
Regardless, exclusion and degree
- ～どころではないnot the time or situation for; far from being able to
- ～どころかfar from; let alone; not only ... but even
- ～ほどto the extent of; as much as; the more ... the more
- ～もかまわずwithout caring about; regardless of
- ～にかかわらずregardless of; whether or not
- ～抜きで / ～を抜きにしてwithout; leaving out; setting aside
- ～を問わずregardless of; irrespective of
- ～はもちろんnot to mention; of course ... and also
- ～はともかくsetting aside ...; never mind ...
Possibility and difficulty
- ～がたいhard to; difficult to (emotionally or by nature)
- ～かねないmay well; could (happen); be liable to (a bad outcome)
- ～かねるcannot; find it hard to (polite refusal)
- ～きる / ～きれないdo completely; finish; cannot ... all the way
- ～っこないthere is no way; absolutely not going to
- ～得るcan; be possible to; may happen
- ～ようがないthere is no way to; cannot (no means exist)
- ～(よ)うにも～ないeven if one wants to ... one cannot
- ～づらいhard to; awkward to; uncomfortable to
Contrast and comparison
Judgement and conjecture
- ～はずだ / ～はずがないshould be; is expected to; there is no way that
- ～かのようだas if; as though
- ～んばかりas if about to; almost
- ～ないでもない / ～ないこともないit is not that ... not; I would not say no; to some extent
- ～に違いないmust be; there is no doubt that
- ～にほかならないnothing other than; none other than; precisely
- ～に限るnothing beats; ... is best
- ～に決まっているit is certain that; of course
- ～に相違ないthere is no doubt that; must be
- ～にすぎないnothing more than; merely; only
- ～おそれがあるthere is a risk that; there is a fear that
- ～とは限らないnot necessarily; it is not always the case that
Viewpoint and judgement basis
- ～から見て(も)judging from; looking at it from
- ～からしてjudging from; just from; even from
- ～からすると / ～からすればjudging from; from the viewpoint of
- ～にしてはfor (a ...); considering that
- ～といえばspeaking of; if you mention
- ～といってもalthough it is said that; even though; that said
- ～というよりrather than saying; more like
- ～としてはas for; from the standpoint of; for (a role)
- ～というものではないit is not necessarily so; it is not the case that
- ～わりに(は)considering; relatively; for
Reasoning and explanation
Advice, attitude and denial
- ～ことだyou should; the thing to do is
- ～ことはないthere is no need to; no reason to
- ～までもないthere is no need to; it is not necessary to
- ～ものだit is natural that; one should; (past) used to ...
- ～ものかno way; as if I would; definitely not
- ～に越したことはないit is best to; nothing is better than
- ～たものではないcannot ...; is impossible to ...; unbearable to
- ～というものだthat is what ... is; it is the nature of
- ～(よ)うではないかlet us ...; why don't we ...
Feeling and strong impression
- ～ことかhow ...! (strong emotion)
- ～ことに(は)what is ... is that; strangely, regrettably
- ～ものがあるthere is something ...; it has a quality of
- ～ないではいられないcannot help but; cannot stop oneself from
- ～なんてa thing like ...; the idea of ...; (surprise or disdain)
- ～てならないcannot help feeling; cannot stop ...ing
- ～てしょうがないcannot help ...; extremely ...
- ～てたまらないcannot stand it; extremely ...
- ～てやまないcannot help (hoping, loving); never stop (feeling)
- ～ずにはおかないis certain to; cannot fail to (affect others)
Negation and avoidance
Contrast and concession
Situation and occasion
Scope and inclusion
- ～に至るまでdown to; up to and including; all the way to
- ～に限らずnot only ...; not limited to
- ～に限りonly for; limited to
- ～にかけてはwhen it comes to; as for (skill or ability)
- ～に代わってin place of; on behalf of; replacing
- ～に加えてin addition to; on top of
- ～にわたってover; throughout; spanning (time, range or number)
- ～を中心にcentred on; with ... as the focus
- ～を含めてincluding
- ～をはじめ(として)starting with; headed by; such as
- ～を皮切りにstarting with; beginning with
- ～といったsuch as; like
- ～上にbesides; on top of that
- ～はおろかlet alone; not to mention; far from
Topic and viewpoint
Change and correspondence
- ～に応じてin accordance with; depending on; in response to
- ～に左右されるto be influenced by; to depend on
- ～にしたがってas ...; in accordance with; following
- ～に伴ってalong with; as; accompanying
- ～につれてas ...; in step with (one change leading to another)
- ～を契機にon the occasion of; as a turning point
- ～を機にtaking the opportunity of; prompted by
- ～をきっかけにtriggered by; taking ... as a chance
- ～とともにtogether with; at the same time as; as ... (changes)