Japanese Grammar List – Level 5 (JLPT N1 / CEFR C1)

Lesson 1 – Perspectives, Positions & Context / 視点・立場・状況の提示

You learn how to express different perspectives and positions, describe special circumstances, and introduce topics from a particular point of view.

Grammar	Meaning
～にあって／～にあっては	in (a special situation); being in
～ともあろう	someone of all people (who should know better)
～にして	being ~; only ~ could; and at the same time
～なりに／～なりの	in one’s own way; as befits
～ならでは（の）	unique to; only ~ could achieve
～をよそに	ignoring; without regard for
～をものともせず（に）	undaunted by
～に至いたっては	as for ~ (the most extreme case)
～からして	judging from; even ~ (let alone the rest)
～ときたら	as for ~ (with exasperation)
～はいざ知しらず／～ならいざ知しらず	I don’t know about ~, but

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Lesson 2 – Causes, Grounds & Criteria / 原因・理由・根拠・基準

You learn how to explain causes and reasons, establish the basis for judgments, and describe standards, conditions, and circumstances that support an action or decision.

Grammar	Meaning
～とあって	because of the special circumstance that
～ばこそ	precisely because (emphatic, positive)
～手前てまえ	given that (social appearances demand it)
～上うえは	now that; once you have
～とあれば	if it is the case that (then of course)
～ではあるまいし	it’s not as if ~, so
～に即そくして／～に即そくした	in line with (facts, reality)
～に則のっとって／～に則のっとった	in accordance with (rules, tradition)
～に照てらして	in light of
～をふまえて	on the basis of; taking ~ into account
～をもって	by means of; as of (a date)
～と相あいまって	coupled with; combined with
～を皮切かわきりに（して）	starting with; beginning from
～のもとで／～のもとに	under (a condition, supervision)

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Lesson 3 – Immediacy, Timing & Simultaneous Actions / 時間・契機・同時進行

You learn how to describe events that happen immediately, actions that occur at nearly the same time, and situations involving specific points or periods of time.

Grammar	Meaning
～や／～や否いなや	as soon as; no sooner than
～が早はやいか	the instant that (immediately, deliberately)
～なり	right after ~ing (something unexpected)
～そばから	no sooner than ~, (again and again)
～を限かぎりに	as of ~ (and no longer)
～を最後さいごに	with ~ as the last time
～かたわら	while mainly doing ~, also
～かたがた	while also; for the additional purpose of
～がてら	while ~ing; on the way to
～つ～つ	alternately ~ing and ~ing
～に至いたるまで	all the way up to; down to
～てからでないと／～てからでなければ	unless you do ~ first

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Lesson 4 – Conditions, Concession & Counterfactuals / 条件・逆接・譲歩

You learn how to express strong conditions, hypothetical situations, concessions, and outcomes that would follow from particular circumstances.

Grammar	Meaning
～（よ）うと／～（よ）うが	no matter what/how
～（よ）うが～まいが／～（よ）うと～まいと	whether or not
～であれ／～であろうと	whatever; even if it is
～ようものなら	if by any chance ~ (something terrible would follow)
～たら最後さいご／～たが最後さいご	once you do ~, that’s the end of it
～ものを	if only ~ (but you didn’t)
～とはいえ	even though; that said
～といえども	even; although (formal)
～にもかかわらず	despite the fact that
～なくして（は）／～なしに（は）	without ~, (nothing is possible)
～ないまでも	even if not ~, at least
～としたところで／～にしたところで	even in the case of; even if

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Lesson 5 – Limitation, Exclusion & Addition / 限定・排除・添加

You learn how to express limitations and exclusions, emphasize exceptions, and add related information or alternatives.

Grammar	Meaning
～をおいて（～ない）	other than ~, there is no
～はおろか	let alone; not to mention
～すら	even (emphatic)
～だに	even so much as (literary)
～たりとも	not even a single
～もさることながら	~ is true, but even more so
～に限かぎったことではない	is not limited to ~; not just this time
～こそあれ／～こそすれ	there may be ~, but; only ~ and never
～といわず～といわず	both ~ and ~; all over
～ならまだしも	if it were ~ it’d be one thing, but
～は言いうまでもなく	needless to say
〜といい〜といい	both ~ and ~; in terms of both ~ and ~

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Lesson 6 – Strong Emotions, Extreme Degrees & Evaluation / 強い感情・極端な程度・評価の表現

You learn how to express intense emotions, extreme degrees, strong evaluations, and feelings that reach an exceptionally high level.

Grammar	Meaning
～極きわまる／～極きわまりない	extremely; utterly
～の極きわみ	the height of; the extreme of
～の至いたり	the height of (mostly positive, formal)
～限かぎりだ	extremely (of one’s own feeling)
～といったら（ありは）しない／～といったらない	indescribably; extremely
～この上うえない／～ことこの上うえない	nothing could be more ~
～てやまない	~ from the bottom of one’s heart
～を禁きんじ得えない	cannot help feeling
～ずにはおかない／～ないではおかない	inevitably makes one ~; will surely
～に堪たえない	cannot bear (a feeling); be filled with
～に足たる／～に足たりない	worthy of / not worth
～に堪たえる／～に堪たえない	worth watching or reading / not worth
～ずくめ／～まみれ	entirely full of / covered in
～といっても過か言ではない	it is no exaggeration to say

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Lesson 7 – Obligation, Inevitability & Non-necessity / 義務・当然・不可避・不必要

You learn how to express unavoidable actions, obligations, things that are naturally expected, and situations where something is unnecessary.

Grammar	Meaning
～ずにはすまない／～ないではすまない	cannot get away without ~ing
～を余儀よぎなくされる／～を余儀よぎなくさせる	be forced to / compel someone to
～を強しいられる	be compelled to
～てしかるべきだ	ought naturally to be
～までもない／～までのこともない	there’s no need to go so far as to
～には及およばない	there’s no need to; not a match for
～まで（のこと）だ	all one has to do is; I’ll simply
～べからず／～べからざる	must not (prohibition, signage)
～まじき／～あるまじき	unbecoming; must never be done by

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Lesson 8 – Inference, Assertion & Simile / 推量・断定・比喩

You learn how to express guesses and judgments, make strong assertions, describe tendencies, and compare something to another thing using formal or literary expressions.

Grammar	Meaning
～まい／～まいか	probably not; I won’t
～ではあるまいか	isn’t it perhaps that
～に難かたくない	it is not hard to imagine
～きらいがある	tends to (undesirably)
～に他ほかならない	is nothing other than
～も同然どうぜんだ／～も同様どうようだ	as good as; practically
～とばかり（に）	as if to say
～んばかり（に）	as if about to; almost
～（か）のごとく／～ごとき／～ごとし	as if; like (literary)
～ともなると／～ともなれば	when it comes to being ~
～ないものでもない／～ないでもない	it’s not that it can’t be

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Lesson 9 – States, Manner & Outcomes / 状態・様態・結果

You learn how to describe states and ways of doing things, changes in condition, and situations that result from or continue after an action.

Grammar	Meaning
～ながらに（して）／～ながらの	while remaining; as it has always been
～たなり（で）	left in the state of having ~ed
～ままに	as ~ dictates; just as told
～めく	show signs of; take on the air of
～びる／～ぶる	become ~ish / put on airs of
～に至いたる／～に至いたって	finally reach the point of
～始末しまつだ	end up in the sorry state of
～果はてる	completely; to exhaustion
～こなす	do ~ skillfully; master
～通とおしだ	keep ~ing without a break
～ずじまいだ	ended up never ~ing

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Lesson 10 – Literary Expressions & Written Language / 文語的表現・書き言葉

You learn formal and literary expressions used mainly in written Japanese, including classical negative forms, formal conditions, purposes, reasons, and expressions found in formal texts.

Grammar	Meaning
～べく	in order to (literary)
～んがため（に）	for the sole purpose of
～たる	who is in the position of
～ゆえ（に）／～ゆえの	because of; therefore
～こととて	because (apologetic, formal)
～ず／～ぬ／～ん	literary negative forms
～ずして	without ~ing; other than by
～いかん（で）／～いかんによっては	depending on
～いかんによらず／～いかんにかかわらず／～いかんを問とわず	regardless of
～あっての	which exists only thanks to
～をもってしても／～をもってすれば	even with / if you use
～いわく	according to; ~ says

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Lesson 11 – Speaker Attitude & Set Sentence Endings / 話者の態度・慣用的な文末表現

You learn how to express the speaker’s strong feelings, refusal, surprise, dissatisfaction, preference, and other attitudes through fixed sentence-ending expressions.

Grammar	Meaning
～ものか／～もんか	I’ll never ~! as if I would
～てたまるか	I won’t let ~ happen
～っこない	there’s no way that (casual)
～どころの話はなしではない／～どころの騒さわぎではない	this is way beyond ~
～ないものか／～ないものだろうか	isn’t there some way to ~?
～ばそれまでだ／～たらそれまでだ	if ~, then it’s all over
～ことだし	since ~, (let’s)
～とは	to think that ~! (surprise)
～ときては	when it comes to ~ (and that’s the problem)
～くらいなら～ほうがましだ	I’d rather ~ than ~
～ではないか	isn’t it ~? (strong assertion)
～までのことだ	it simply means that; I’ll just ~
～のやら	I wonder what ~; I don’t know what ~

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Lesson 12 – Advanced Keigo & Formal Discourse / 敬語・改まった談話

You learn advanced honorific and humble expressions, as well as formal expressions used in business communication, polite requests, and formal written or spoken discourse.

Grammar	Meaning
お／ご～申もうし上あげる	humbly do (most formal humble form)
～いたす／～いたします	humble equivalent of する
～てまいる／～ておる	humble equivalents of ～ていく・～ている
～でいらっしゃる	honorific equivalent of ～だ・～です
～かと存ぞんじます	I humbly believe that
～ていただければ幸さいわいです	I would be grateful if you could
～のほど（よろしくお願ねがいいたします）	(I ask for) your kind ~
～次第しだいです	the circumstances are that; that’s how it came about
ならびに／および／かつ	and; as well as; and moreover (formal)
ひいては	and by extension; ultimately
しかしながら／とはいうものの	however; that being said
いずれにせよ／いずれにしても	in any case; either way

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Would you like to review the previous level? Please see: Japanese Grammar List – Level 2 (JLPT N2 / CEFR B2)