Welcome to the grammar category on blog.gokigen.jp! Here, we break down Japanese grammar points in a way that’s easy for English speakers to follow, from the fundamentals to more advanced concepts.
Japanese grammar
Japanese grammar
Japanese grammar
level3 (N3)～（という）わけだ Meaning & Usage: “That’s why / no wonder” and “So you mean” in Japanese
Learn Japanese grammar ～（という）わけだ with two key meanings: “that’s why / no wonder” and “so you mean.” Clear formation, natural examples, and differences from direct reason expressions like から and confirmation expressions like ということですね.
level3 (N3)…こと / …ということ Meaning & Usage: “the fact that [Sentence]” in Japanese
Learn Japanese grammar …こと / …ということ (“the fact that [Sentence]”). Clear meaning, formation with verbs, adjectives, and nouns, natural examples, and the difference between short こと and longer ということ.
level3 (N3)Verb + ことは / ことが / ことを Meaning & Usage: “V-ing / to V” in Japanese
Learn how to use Verb + ことは / ことが / ことを to say “V-ing / to V” in Japanese. Clear meaning, natural examples, casual ～の forms, and important fixed expressions like ことができる, ことがある, and ことにする.
level3 (N3)〜というより Meaning & Usage: “Rather than A, (it’s) more like B” in Japanese
Learn Japanese grammar 〜というより (“rather than A, it’s more like B”). Clear meaning, formation with verbs/adjectives/nouns, natural examples, and related grammar like AではなくB.
level3 (N3)…ということだ Meaning & Usage: “I heard that…” / “So that means…” in Japanese
Learn Japanese grammar …ということだ with two key meanings: reported speech (“I heard that… / according to…”) and confirmation (“So you mean…”). Clear formation, natural examples, and related grammar like ～そうだ.
level3 (N3)XというのはYのことだ / Yということだ Meaning & Usage: “X is Y / X means Y” in Japanese
Learn Japanese grammar XというのはYのことだ / Yということだ (“X is Y / X means Y”). Clear meaning, formation, natural examples, and related grammar like N1をN2と言う and …というN.
level3 (N3)N1をN2と言う (N1 o N2 to iu) Meaning & Usage: “N1 is called N2” in Japanese
Learn Japanese grammar N1をN2と言う (“N1 is called N2”). Clear meaning, natural examples, formation, and related grammar using という, such as …というN, ～というのは～のことだ, and …ということだ.
level3 (N3)Nに対して (N ni taishite) Meaning & Usage: “Toward / to / against” in Japanese
Learn JLPT N3 grammar Nに対して (“toward / to / against”). Clear meaning, natural examples, formal patterns like Nに対し and Nに対するN, common mistakes with Nにとって, and the contrast use “Xに対して, Y.”
level3 (N3)Nについて (N ni tsuite) Meaning & Usage: “About / regarding” in Japanese
Learn JLPT N3 grammar Nについて (“about / regarding”). Clear meaning, natural examples, formation, the noun pattern NについてのN, and related grammar like Nに関して.
level3 (N3)Nによって (N ni yotte) Meaning & Usage: “Depending on N / it depends on N” in Japanese
Learn JLPT N3 grammar Nによって (“depending on N / it depends on N”). Clear meaning, natural examples, common patterns like Nによって違う and embedded-question forms such as 何をするかによって, plus related grammar like Nによる and Nしだい.