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～んだ・んだろう・んだけど  grammar (part 1)

A guide to んだ and its forms — んだろう、んだけど、んだから — with examples from Jujutsu Kaisen and real life.

Definition of  だろう

Japanese: A Comprehensive Grammar, Stefan Kaiser (p. 232)

“Presumptive” means that something is based on probability. The speaker is guessing or assuming something.

～だろう・でしょう (formal) can be translated as:

I think; I suppose; I reckon; I guess

I hope (that)…

I’m afraid / I fear (that)…

perhaps; probably; maybe; likely

Simple enough, right? Except that many other structures share these same translations, which makes things murkier. This grammar is a modal structure, and modal structures in Japanese—just like in English—exist on a spectrum. Some express assumptions based on evidence; others rely purely on the speaker’s knowledge.

Japanese dictionaries define だろう as:

不確かな断定、あるいは推定の意を表す。  → It expresses an uncertain assertion or presumption.

Google Dictionary adds:

話し手（書き手）の推量によってその事柄を述べている意を表す。  → It expresses the speaker’s (or writer’s) opinion of the matter.

述べている事柄での因果関係や理由となるものを推量するのに使う。 → Used to infer a causal relationship or reason in the matter being described.

Key words: uncertain, speaker’s opinion, causal relationship.

Stefan Kaiser also notes that だろう can be translated as “should.” If “should” sounds appropriately uncertain and opinion-based to you, go for it.

Side note: Professional business writers often advise against “should” precisely because it's too vague—is it a suggestion? An order? A recommendation? That ambiguity is exactly what だろう captures.

Definition of  んだ

Japanese: A Comprehensive Grammar, Stefan Kaiser (p. 279)

“However, the force of n(o) da is rarely captured in translation.”

That’s the first thing to keep in mind. This structure will start to make sense eventually—all it takes is reading many explanations and seeing it in many contexts.

But why is んだ labeled “evaluative”? That word is a useful clue. 

To evaluate means to consider something in order to make a judgment about it—and that’s exactly what んだ does: you first take in the situation, then express your judgment about it.

Imagine you've just come back from Japan with three enormous suitcases full of anime merch. Your friends give you a look. And you say: “What?! I went to Japan, duh.” By adding “duh” and “what?!” with exasperation, you’re explaining yourself—making them understand why three suitcases are perfectly reasonable. You assessed the situation, then reacted with something that would make them understand. That’s んだ.

Wasabi lists the following uses of んだ・のだ:

Reason

Interpretation

Discovery (of non-physical information)

Summary/rewording

Preliminary remarks

Tofugu frames it as “providing an explanation” or “seeking an explanation,” noting that んです indicates the statement is based on background information or knowledge shared by the speaker and the listener. That shared knowledge element is important.

This website (no longer working) looks at this grammar from a different perspective:

“A” means a sentence / statement that does NOT have んです.

“B” means a sentence / statement that HAS んです.

   — statement B is the reason for statement A

   — B is used to describe A from another angle or summarize A

   — A is a scene or an implied situation. B is deduced from A. In this situation, the whole sentence A sometimes is skipped

   — B is the result of A

   — B is an order. A does not exist

   — To tell listeners your decision. A does not exist

The sheer number of explanations out there is itself telling—this grammar is deeply context-dependent and specific to Japanese. There’s no clean English translation. The best approach is to associate it with situations rather than definitions.

Enough theory. Let’s look at some examples.

Examples — Jujutsu Kaisen

All the examples are from Jujutsu Kaisen, episode 17, season 1.

Context from the picture above: Maki is analyzing Miwa’s tactics, and her conclusion is:

私ってよりは 呪具を払って隙を作りたいんだろう → Rather than hit me, she likely wants to knock away my cursed tool and create an opening.

ってよりは = rather than [casual: と言うよりは]

呪具 (じゅぐ) = cursed tool

払う (はらう) = to sweep; to knock aside

隙 (すき) = gap; opening

んだろう = ん + だろう = judgment + speculation based on observation

Maki is assessing her current situation and trying to reach a conclusion—judging Miwa’s moves to foresee her strategy. She’s assuming Miwa wants to knock aside her cursed tool, hence だろう. ん in front emphasizes the “interpretation” part. We could drop it, but the meaning would slightly change—the sentence would become a plain opinion with no connection to the current situation.

ん tells us that Maki has analyzed her situation thoroughly, and that’s her conclusion—a conclusion influenced by the preceding events. If Maki were just an observer who randomly wanted to make a pure guess (no supportive arguments whatsoever), then だろう alone would be ok.

In short: it’s a guess, but this guess is supported by some evidence.

One more example from Maki:

ああ？言わなくても分かんだろ！ → Do I have to spell it out?

んだろ here suggests that Maki expects Mai to already understand why she left home. They share the same history and background knowledge — so this isn’t a neutral question. Maki’s assumption is shaped by everything they’ve been through together. 

Gojo to Mei Mei, agreeing that Maki should be promoted:

僕も そう思ってるんだけどさ― 禪院 (ぜんいん) 家が邪魔してるくさいんだよねー → I think so too, but… the Zenin clan is very much in the way.

邪魔 (じゃま) = hindrance; obstacle; interference

家 is read as け here

くさい = emphasis (like 面倒くさい — it intensifies the noun before it)

さ adds a rough, informal feel. んだよね adds a nuance of seeking agreement

んだけど, according to the internet, means that our speaker is about to give us some explanation; the speaker is sort of announcing: “Focus! I will give you an explanation.” It may not happen, though. The explanation might be obvious from the context, or we don’t want to say it out loud. Wasabi refers to it as “preliminary remarks” (we want to draw our speaker’s attention to the next sentence). 

んだけど draws the listener’s attention to what comes. It’s a bit like “you see…” in English. Gojo is literally saying: “Based on what we just saw (んだ), I think so too, but…”. Dropping んだ would turn it into a plain statement with no emotional or contextual weight.

But let’s break this down:

んだ gives us this “explanatory” nuance. Gojo “explains” to us why he thinks so too (why promoting Maki is a good idea). Everyone in the room saw Maki’s performance (background information), hence adding んだ makes sense. Gojo is literally saying: “Based on what we just saw (んだ), I think so too, but...”.

Just to make it make even more sense (from above theory section):

B is the result of A = Gojo’s statement is the result of Maki’s performance.

Dropping んだ would turn Gojo’s sentence into a plain statement: “I think so too, but...” Sounds perfectly fine, doesn’t it? By “plain statement,” I mean that there are no emotions involved, no subjective feelings, and no background information.

Also, when んだ or のだ ends a sentence, it refers to some kind of reservation, which is implied or expressed.

けど is used to say “but” or in some cases “and.”

According to someone on the Internet, んだけど works a bit like “you see…” It’s a common filler phrase in English when you are explaining something to someone or encouraging them to listen and understand (Collins dic.) or it is used when you hope someone else will understand what you are saying or asking (Cambridge dic.).

僕も そう思ってるんだけどさ―  → You see, I think so too…

Doesn’t sound that bad to me.

禪院 (ぜんいん) 家が邪魔してるくさいんだよねー → Zenin clan is in the way.

邪魔 (じゃま) = hindrance; obstacle; nuisance; disturbance; interruption; interference​ [suru verb]

家 is read as け here.

Extra:

くさい :

 〜のにおいがする = smells like 〜のような様子（様子 ようす) = looks like  強調（きょうちょう) = emphasis; highlight; stress; stressed point​ 面倒くさい  → くさい emphasizes the noun 面倒.

Gojo is using it as an emphasis. They are REALLY/ VERY MUCH getting in the way. 

I’m going to leave you with this one. Think about a possible reason why Gojo used んだ in this sentence.

Mei Mei to Gojo. She’s explaining why she likes money so much.

何せ 金に換えられないんだから → After all, there’s no value to anything that can’t be traded for money.

何せ = at any rate; after all; because

換える (かえる) = to exchange; to trade

から = because.

んだから, according to the internet, is used when “both the speaker and listener know some facts, but it expresses a strong feeling on the part of the speaker that the listener, although conscious of said fact, does not fully appreciate its implications.”

んだから is used when both the speaker and listener know some facts, but the speaker feels the listener doesn’t fully appreciate the implications. Mei Mei presumes Gojo already knows her personality—she’s reaffirming something he’s aware of and nudging him to agree with her reasoning. 

However, you can just assume that んだ is a contextual explanation and から works like good old “because.”

One more example is here.

Hedgehog-Japanese.com explains this grammar in the following way:

The “A nodakara B” [or ndakara] is used to state a reason. It is the same as ”A kara B" in terms of being used to state a reason, but there are restrictions on what can be placed in “A” and “B.” The “A” contains a reaffirmation of something that the listener already knows, and the ”B” contains advice, commands, requests, etc., or the speaker’s opinion to persuade the listener, or the speaker’s opinion with which he or she wants the listener to agree or concur.

Following Hedgehog’s definition, we can assume that our sentence with んだから contains a reaffirmation of something that the listener already knows = Gojo knows Mei Mei and is quite aware of her personality and her love for money. The thing Mei Mei said before that sentence (”There’s no value to...”) is Mei Mei opinion (explanation as well) and she wants Gojo to “agree” with her opinion. I think it makes sense because Mei Mei’s love for money is unusual and I feel like she often needs to explain why she loves money so much.

Nobara to Momo: 

こちとら―ぶん投げられ慣れてんだよ → I’m used to getting thrown around, you know.

こちとら = こちらとしては = casual “I” / “as for me”

ぶん投げる (ぶんなげる) = to throw (violently)

慣れる (なれる) = to get used to; to grow accustomed to

Momo told Nobara that female sorcerers must be strong and beautiful; otherwise, they would be underestimated and undervalued. Nobara is a badass girl, and she is used to being knocked around (knocked around = underestimated and undervalued). Momo was also blasting Nobara relentlessly. But that didn’t discourage Nobara.

んだ here is an explanation. Nobara wants to explain why Momo’s line of reasoning makes no sense to her. English fillers like “you see” or “you know” work well here. 

“I’m used to getting knocked around” and the implied part is: whether it’s you or someone else, I’m used to it, just so you know.

The conversation continues:

男がどうとか 女がどうとか 知ったこっちゃねえんだよ! てめえらだけで 勝手にやってろ → I don’t give a damn about how men are or how women are! Sort it out yourselves.

知ったこっちゃねえんだよ = I don’t give a damn about…

知ったこっちゃねえ = 知ったこっちゃない = 知ったことではない

ねえ is a rough way to say ない

どうとか ＝どう ＋とか (Nobara is saying something like, “how X is and all that” (“How men are [男がどう] and all that [とか])

Again, んだ as explanation—Nobara gives Momo yet another reason why her logic doesn’t land. “You need to understand… whatever you say doesn’t impress me because I don’t care about those rules.”

Maki to Mai, who is standing still and refusing to move:

どうしたんだよ？早くしろよ → What’s wrong? Hurry up.

んだ = seeking explanation in this particular situation

早くしろよ = hurry up

んだ here is seeking an explanation. Maki could ask どうしたの？ but that would sound plain—a neutral question with no connection to the situation. どうしたんだよ implies: “I can see something is going on—give me the full picture.”

Mid-post summary

んだ is:

subjective — it carries the speaker’s feelings and observations

context-dependent — it heavily relies on what came before

emphatic — it adds weight to your sentence

shared-knowledge-based — both speaker and listener need to be on the same page; if one of you doesn’t know the background, it can lead to confusion

Real-life examples of んだ

From a an article

「進路指導で地元の国公大学を強く薦められます。できれば東京の私立大学にいきたいんですが、先生の言うことを聞いたほうがいいですか？」。受験の意思決定を考える → During career counseling, I'm being strongly recommended a local public university. I want to go to a private university in Tokyo, though, so should I listen to what my teacher says?

When you add ん to a verb, you aren’t just stating a cold fact; you are actively explaining a situation, giving background context, or revealing the hidden "why" behind your emotions.

Why did the student use ん here? Because of shared information.

The student already established the background: The teacher is pressuring them to stay local. That information is now sitting on the table, shared between the writer and the reader.

By adding ん to the next sentence (ikitai ndesu), the student connects their desire to that shared background. It's like saying:"Given the fact that my teacher is pressuring me... here is the explanation for my dilemma: I actually want to go to Tokyo."

Without the ん, the text would feel robotic—just two unrelated facts slapped next to each other. With the ん, it becomes a cohesive emotional struggle.

Compare:

Without ん: "I want to go to Tokyo. Should I listen to my teacher?" (Sounds a bit abrupt and disjointed).

With ん and が: "I want to go to Tokyo, though... so should I listen to my teacher?" (Signals a complication and hints that you're stuck).

From actual conversations with my Japanese friends:

いつまで続くんだろう。。。 → I wonder how long it will last… (about the state of emergency in Tokyo)

んだろう because it refers to shared observations—we both knew what was happening at the time.

今でも実際会ってレッスンを受けたいって思うんだろうね → I guess some people still want to meet in person for lessons. (about online teaching)

A guess based on observations, with shared background knowledge — んだろう fits perfectly.

楽しんで勉強してたつもりなんだけど。 → I thought I was studying and enjoying it, but…

Here んだけど is used to complain a little. She didn’t say anything else after this sentence. The implication is left unspoken, which is itself very んだ.

Links to check out

～んだ (のです) grammar – part 2

～んだろう grammar

～んだから grammar

～だろう & ～んだ grammar

[languagestudymaterials]

Aspects in Japanese

Aspect in Japanese — what it is, how it differs from English and Polish, and why knowing verb types matters for using ている and る correctly.

Tense, aspect, and mood — a quick orientation

These three categories often get conflated, but they do different things.

Tense locates an action in time — past, present, future. Not every language grammatically marks all three; some don't have a distinct future tense at all.

Aspect describes how an action unfolds within a time frame — whether it's completed, ongoing, habitual, or repeated. Aspect is the grammar of phases: did the action finish? Is it still happening? Does it recur?

Mood (or modality) indicates the speaker's stance toward the action — whether something is real, probable, possible, obligatory, and so on.

The first definition of aspect in Merriam-Webster is: "a particular status or phase in which something appears or may be regarded." The key word is phase.

Every action has a beginning and an end — if that end has been reached, the aspect is perfective (completed). If the action is still in progress or hasn't concluded, the aspect is imperfective (ongoing). Some actions are viewed from the angle of regularity — they repeat, they're habitual, they're expected to continue. Aspect is what lets you specify not just when something happened, but what phase it was in.

How many aspects does each language have?

English has four aspectual distinctions:

I go to school — simple (habitual; regular action) I'm going to school — continuous (ongoing; happening now) I have gone to school — perfect (completed; result relevant now) I have been going to school — perfect continuous (ongoing process with present relevance)

Polish has two aspects — perfective and imperfective — built directly into the verb form. Japanese also has two, expressed through る and ている.

Aspect in Japanese — る and ている

Japanese encodes aspect in the verb ending:

る (plain form) — perfective aspect: the action is viewed as a complete unit, with a defined beginning and end

ている — imperfective aspect: the action is ongoing, incomplete, or the result of a completed action is still in effect

With only two aspects to work with, ている does a lot of heavy lifting. Japanese compensates with other grammar points that add nuance — but the core aspectual distinction runs through this single pair.

For a detailed breakdown of ている and how it interacts with verb types: this post.

Why intuition from English or Polish fails in Japanese

Consider the verb 行く (いく) — "to go."

学校に行く = going to school (perfective; future or habitual) 学校に行っている = has gone to school / is in the state of having gone

In English, "I'm going" suggests an ongoing action — movement in progress. The equivalent-looking form 行っている, however, expresses a resultative state: the person has already arrived. The journey is complete; what ている points to is the resulting condition.

行く is a telic verb — it has a built-in endpoint (arriving at the destination). In Japanese, telic verbs in ている form express the state that holds after that endpoint has been reached, not the action leading up to it.

This is where learners often go wrong. English "I'm going" and Japanese 行っている look structurally parallel — progressive + verb — but they mean different things because English and Japanese aspect don't map onto each other cleanly. The same intuition that works automatically in English produces incorrect Japanese.

Why verb types matter

The only reliable way through this is to understand verb types. Telic vs. atelic, change vs. non-change, transitive vs. intransitive — these distinctions determine what ている will produce for any given verb. There's no shortcut: aspect in Japanese requires a different way of looking at what a verb is doing, not just when it happened.

Polish also has two aspects, but they don't overlap cleanly with Japanese — what counts as imperfective in Polish won't always be imperfective in Japanese. Each language parcels up the same reality differently.

This doesn't mean you need to consciously analyse every verb before using ている. In many cases, English -ing and Japanese ている will line up just fine — and over time, a lot of it becomes intuitive anyway. But knowing the underlying logic helps in a specific way: it explains why a native speaker corrected you, why your Japanese sounded slightly off even though it was technically close, or why a sentence you thought you understood meant something different from what you expected. That kind of understanding compounds. You won't always need to stop and think — but when something doesn't click, you'll know where to look.

[languagestudymaterials]

より and 方が — comparison

より and 方が — the two key patterns for making comparisons in Japanese. Plus 以上、もっと、一番、最も、最高、最低 and more. Examples from Naruto, MHA, Demon Slayer, and JJK.

Starting with Madara, naturally.

パワーは　雷影以上か → Your power exceeds even Raikage's?

雷影 (らいかげ) = Raikage

以上 (いじょう) = more than; beyond; exceeding

There's no "stronger" or "more" visible in the Japanese — and that's the thing about comparatives in Japanese. No suffixes, no prefixes, no added words on the adjective itself. Once that clicks, the rest follows.

Quick reference — English comparatives

A brief reminder of what English does, since the contrast helps:

Comparative adjectives — add –er to short adjectives; more to long ones

More / less — e.g. We have more time

Than — above or below a certain level; e.g. more time than I thought

As … as — equal value; e.g. as strong as Madara

The same as — e.g. He has the same sword as I have

Superlative — add the [adj]–est to short adjectives; the most [adj] to long ones

English has rigid syntax and visible markers (–er, –est, more, most) that signal comparison immediately. Japanese works differently.

How Japanese handles comparatives

Adjectives don't change form. Instead, particles and adverbs do the work:

より — marks the inferior object/person in a comparison

の方が — marks the superior object/person in a comparison

以上 — more than; beyond [requires a noun, not an adjective]

もっと — more; further [adverb modifying adjectives and other adverbs]

少ない — fewer; less

いちばん — superlative marker + adjective/adverb (colloquial/casual)

最も (もっとも) — most; extremely [adverb; formal/technical; modifies adjectives and adverbs]

最高 (さいこう) — highest; supreme; best [na-adj; noun]

最低 (さいてい) — lowest; minimum; worst [na-adj; noun]

同じ (おなじ) — same; identical [noun]. Add くらい after 同じ when the two things are roughly but not exactly equal.

When saying "it's the same as mine," Japanese tends to prefer と一緒 (together with) over と同じ (the same as).

～ば～ほど — the more [X], the more [Y]. More examples here and here.

～ない／した + ほうがいい — it would be better to [verb]. Carries the nuance of advice — a recommended course of action rather than a neutral comparison.

A few extra notes:

Word order is flexible — の方が and より can appear in either order

The adjective must always come last, followed by だ・です in formal style

より or の方 can be dropped when the comparison is clear from context

よりも adds emphasis; mostly used in speech

何より・誰より = more than anything / more than anyone

XとY、どちらのほうが[adjective]ですか = which one is more [adj]?

いちばん vs. 最も

Both express the superlative. The differences:

一番 is colloquial; 最も is formal and technical

最も can only modify adjectives and adverbs; 一番 can also function as a noun meaning "number one"

一番 connects to adjectives directly, or to nouns via の; 最も connects directly to adjectives and adverbs

When expressing the superlative, both mean the same thing

What about もっと?

もっと means "more" as in "we need more time" — not the "more" that creates comparative adjectives in English. Japanese adjectives don't take that kind of modification.

When もっと is placed in front of an adjective, it intensifies its meaning — think of it as a degree adverb.

どっち（の方）が面白い？= Which is more interesting? どっち（の方）がもっと面白い？= Which is even more interesting?

もっと pairs naturally with other adverbs too: もっと早く、もっとゆっくり.

最高 / 最低 vs. 一番

最高 and 最低 are often translated as "the best" and "the worst"

They are nouns or na-adjectives — they modify nouns, not adjectives

The nuance is slightly stronger and more absolute than 一番

一番 can modify both adjectives and nouns, and can also convey "the best/worst"

Japanese often expresses superlative nuance through nouns and verbs rather than comparative structures — worth keeping in mind when translating

Examples — 進撃の巨人 / Naruto / MHA

最高のヒーローになりたい！ → I want to become the greatest hero!

Deku, MHA. 最高 here carries more weight than 一番 would — closer to "the ultimate hero" than simply "the best." 最高の modifies the noun ヒーロー directly.

今まで会った鬼の中で一番鬼舞辻の匂いが強い → Of all the demons I've ever met, this one smells the strongest of Kibutsuji.

鬼舞辻 (きぶつじ) = Kibutsuji

鬼 (おに) = demon

匂い (におい) = smell

Tanjiro, Mugen Train. The pattern:

A（の中）で一番 B が [adjective] = of all A, B is the most [adjective]

その闘気、練り上げられている → That fighting spirit has been honed to the highest level.

Akaza to Rengoku. 練り上げられている = to be polished; refined; thoroughly worked. There's no 一番 in the sentence — but the verb itself carries the nuance of peak quality. Japanese often expresses degree through specific vocabulary rather than explicit comparative markers.

いいだろう。ダンゾウより信用できそうだ。 → Fine. He seems more trustworthy than Danzou.

信用 (しんよう) = trust; confidence [suru verb]

Raikage about Kakashi, five kage summit. Kakashi was already the topic — no need for the full XよりYの方が structure. ダンゾウより alone is enough.

The choice of より over の方が is deliberate. Raikage could have said カカシの方が信用できそうだ — but that frames it as praise for Kakashi. ダンゾウより frames it as a low bar. The point isn't how trustworthy Kakashi is; it's how untrustworthy Danzou is.

can-form + そうだ = it seems possible to do [X]

俺らより先にみんなのチャクラが吸収されて死んじまうぞ → Everyone's chakra will be absorbed and they'll die before we do.

Naruto to Sasuke, fighting Madara. より here means "compared to" rather than "than + adjective." The Japanese is literally "compared to us, everyone will die first." より can carry both meanings: marking an inferior object in a direct comparison, and marking a reference point. This post has another example.

誰より強くなる男だ → I'll become stronger than anyone.

Might Guy to Kakashi. 誰より = than anyone. 誰より and 何より (more than anything) are set expressions worth keeping in your pocket.

Back to 以上 — and why not もっと?

パワーは　雷影以上か

Could Madara have used もっと instead? No — もっと requires an adjective to modify (もっと強い = even stronger). 以上 doesn't modify adjectives; it follows a noun directly: 雷影以上 = beyond Raikage's level.

He could have said パワーは雷影より（もっと）強いか — but 以上 is more impersonal and absolute. To Madara, Tsunade is a power level to assess. 以上 fits that register.

これ以上憎しみをばらまかないでくれ → Don't spread any more hate.

これ以上 = any more; any further; beyond this point

ばらまく = to scatter; to spread widely

憎しみ (にくしみ) = hatred

ないでくれ = please don't (casual) / ないでください (formal)

Tsunade to Madara. これ以上 is a fixed expression worth memorising as a unit.

Examples — 呪術廻戦

先生と どっちが強い？ → Who's stronger — you or Sukuna?

Itadori to Gojo. Sukuna was already the topic — dropped from the sentence. Full version: 先生とSukuna、どっちが強い？ どっち = which of the two (use どれ for three or more).

締めや投げからの組み立ては考えない方がいいか → Maybe it's better not to think about combinations based on throws and chokes.

締め (しめ) = choke; strangle hold

投げ (なげ) = throw

からの = originating from [X] — から marks origin; の connects to the following noun

組み立て (くみたて) = combination; build; structure

Itadori to himself, fighting Mahito. His martial arts-based attacks weren't working. 考えない方がいい = it would be better not to think about those moves.

Why の方が and not より here? より would imply those moves are better than not using them — the opposite of what Itadori concluded. の方が marks what the speaker considers superior: in this case, abandoning that approach entirely.

[languagestudymaterials]

Connecting words in Japanese — と · や · とか · など · か

と、や、とか、など、か — five ways to connect nouns and other parts of speech in Japanese, and when to use which.

と — exhaustive list

と limits the list to exactly the items mentioned. Nothing else is implied.

Used after every item except the last, which takes a case particle

Nouns only

Also means "together with" (アンナと = with Anna; Anna and I)

バナナとリンゴを買った。 → I bought a banana and an apple. (just these two)

と after verbs is a different grammar point — conditional "if/when." More here.

や — representative examples

や signals that the listed items are the best or most relevant examples — others exist but aren't worth listing.

Nouns only

Can appear more than once in a sentence (AやBやC)

Don't use it after the last item

Slightly more formal than とか

Common structure: AやBなど

指はオレか伏黒が集めてくるから → As for the Sukuna fingers, me or Fushiguro will collect them.

Gojo uses や — he and Fushiguro are the most qualified, the obvious choices. Using とか here would suggest he named them arbitrarily, that other people might do just as well. や implies they're the right examples for the job.

変な音や声が聞こえた → I heard strange sounds and voices.

Sasaki uses や — strange sounds and voices are the specific, definitive examples of why the rugby pitch is out of use.

学校や病院のような場所 → Places like schools and hospitals.

Schools and hospitals are the canonical examples of where curses appear — not random picks, but the defining cases. や fits.

とか — non-exhaustive list, all parts of speech

とか works like や — items are examples, not an exhaustive list — but it's more casual (話し言葉) and extends to verbs and adjectives.

Nouns, verbs, adjectives, phrases

Use after every item: AとかBとか

More conversational than や

傷つくとか怯むとかしない → It won't get hurt or falter. (or anything else — Yuuji talking about Yaga's cursed doll)

花とかも買ってくるんじゃねえ → Don't go bringing flowers and things like that either.

とか can also be と (quotation marker) + か (question particle). In that case it's not a listing particle at all — it's a rhetorical question or quoted content. Context will tell you which reading applies.

Megumi uses とか here as と + か — not listing, but quoting something and questioning it rhetorically.

など — et cetera

など signals that the list is incomplete — "and so on; etc."

Used once per sentence (A, B, C など)

Primarily after nouns; can follow verbs in formal contexts (formal equivalent of たり)

Common structures: AやBなど · AとかBなど

呪霊の肉体など → A cursed spirit's flesh, and so on. (Sukuna hinting that cursed spirits can take other forms too)

か — alternatives

か between items gives alternatives — "either... or."

All parts of speech

With な-adjectives: drop な before か

With verbs: plain form + か directly, no nominalization needed

For alternatives in a question, use それとも between the two options instead

今死ぬか、全部の指を食ってから死ぬか → You can either die now, or after eating all the fingers.

Two alternatives, no ambiguity. Gojo presenting Yuuji's options.

呪いか虎杖か → The curse or Yuuji?

呪いか虎杖かも → Might be the curse, might be Yuuji — I can't tell. (か + もしれない)

Nakaguro — neutral separator

The middle dot ・ separates nouns in a list without implying exhaustiveness or non-exhaustiveness — it just enumerates. It's more neutral than や or とか and tends to appear in formal, literary, or stylized writing rather than casual speech.

辛酸・後悔・恥辱 人間が記憶を反芻する度 → Hardship, regret, humiliation — every time a person ruminates on their memories.

辛酸 (しんさん) = hardship; bitter experience

後悔 (こうかい) = regret

恥辱 (ちじょく) = humiliation; disgrace

反芻する (はんすうする) = to ruminate; to chew over

The three nouns are separated by ・ rather than や or とか — the effect is colder, more rhythmic, more deliberate. This is a monologue, not a conversation, and ・ gives it a literary register that the other connectors wouldn't.

・ is also commonly used to separate names (first name・last name or foreign names) and to list items in titles or headings.

Quick reference

と — this and this, exactly, nothing else (nouns only) や — representative examples, more implied (nouns only; neutral/written) とか — loose examples (nouns, verbs, adjectives; spoken) など — and so on, etc. (primarily nouns; once per sentence) か — either/or, alternatives (all parts of speech)

[languagestudymaterials]

Volitional vs non-volitional verbs

In this short post, we will take a look at volitional and non-volitional verbs — a distinction that comes up a lot in grammar explanations but is rarely explained on its own. Understanding it will make structures like ように vs ために, たい, or てしまう much easier to grasp.

The basic idea

Volitional verbs describe actions that are done on purpose — consciously, deliberately, by choice. The subject decides to do something and does it.

Non-volitional verbs describe things that happen to you or come about on their own — states, results, involuntary reactions. The subject doesn't choose for them to occur.

In English, this distinction exists too, but it's rarely named. Compare:

I looked at the painting. — deliberate, you chose to look

I saw the painting. — it just happened, it entered your field of vision

Same logic applies in Japanese.

Common volitional verbs

These are actions you choose to do:

食べる（たべる）= to eat

飲む（のむ）= to drink

勉強する（べんきょうする）= to study

書く（かく）= to write

走る（はしる）= to run

話す（はなす）= to speak

見る（みる）= to look at; to watch

Common non-volitional verbs

These are things that happen, states that come about, or involuntary reactions:

できる = to be able to; to become possible

わかる = to understand

なる = to become

見える（みえる）= to be visible; to be able to see

聞こえる（きこえる）= to be audible; to be able to hear

要る（いる）= to need

ある = to exist; to have

Notice the pairs: 見る vs 見える, 聞く vs 聞こえる. This is a classic example of the distinction:

窓から山が見える。 → I can see the mountains from the window. (they are visible, it just happens)

窓から山を見る。 → I look at the mountains from the window. (deliberate action, I choose to look)

Why does this matter for grammar?

Several grammar structures in Japanese are restricted to one type or the other. The most common examples:

ために vs ように

ために requires a volitional verb in the purpose clause — you're actively working toward a goal.

ように is used with non-volitional verbs or negatives — you're hoping for a state to come about.

日本語が話せるようになるために毎日練習する。 → I practice every day in order to become able to speak Japanese.

練習する = volitional (your action) → ために. 話せるようになる = non-volitional result → ように.

～たい

たい (want to do) only attaches to volitional verbs. You can't "want to understand" in Japanese using たい the same way — understanding isn't something you do on purpose.

日本語を話したい。 ✅ → I want to speak Japanese.

日本語がわかりたい。 ⚠️ → grammatically unusual; わかる is non-volitional

てしまう

With volitional verbs, てしまう often expresses regret about something you did on purpose but wish you hadn't. With non-volitional verbs, it expresses that something happened beyond your control.

食べてしまった。 → I went and ate it. (I did it, and now I regret it)

財布をなくしてしまった。 → I lost my wallet. (it happened, it was beyond my control)

A note on context

Some verbs can be both volitional and non-volitional depending on context. 笑う (to laugh) is a good example — you can laugh on purpose, or you can burst out laughing involuntarily. Japanese speakers are generally aware of this distinction even if they never explicitly name it, and grammar structures will reflect whichever meaning is intended.

The more exposure you get, the more naturally you'll start to feel which verbs "take decisions" and which ones just "happen." It's one of those things that clicks over time.

[languagestudymaterials]

～ている grammar — examples

The ている (te iru) form is one of the most versatile grammar patterns in Japanese—used for ongoing actions, states, habits, and results. Here's how it works with real examples.

Before diving in: this post builds on the theory from the previous ている post. Worth reading first if you haven't.

All examples are from Jujutsu Kaisen, episode 19.

学長たちや高専に待機している術師が動けていない。可能性もある。 → There's also the possibility that the sorcerers stationed at the school and the colleges haven't been able to act.

学長 (がくちょう) = principal [たち = pluralising suffix]

待機 (たいき) = standing by; on alert [suru verb]

可能性 (かのうせい) = possibility; likelihood

Kamo, to himself, while fleeing from Hanami.

Two uses of ている in one sentence—different types.

待機している = to stand by / be on standby. 待機する is an intransitive non-change verb—it describes an ongoing action with no defined endpoint. ている here = action in progress. "Stationed at" in the official translation is technically an adjective, but "sorcerers who are standing by" captures the same nuance.

Learn more about aspects here.

動けていない — note the form: this is 動ける (potential form of 動く) + ていない. The potential matters: it's not "haven't acted" but "haven't been able to act." 動く as "to take action" is a change verb—you act in order to achieve a result. ている with a change verb expresses a resultative state, so 動けていない = the result of not being able to act is still in effect. English naturally reaches for the perfect: "haven't been able to act."

Quick recap — telic vs. atelic

The two tables from the previous post are included here for reference:

To use ている correctly, you need to know whether a verb is telic (change verb)—an action with a defined endpoint and result—or atelic (non-change verb)—an ongoing action where the endpoint is unclear or irrelevant.

ている shows:

A habitual action (ongoing, but possibly temporary — "these days")

An action in progress at the moment of speaking

A resultative state — the result of a completed action still holds (e.g. 大阪に行っている = I've gone to Osaka; I'm there now)

The Reddit example is worth keeping in mind:

Last night, when I asked my [Japanese] wife to send an email to me, she said もう送っている, which I took to mean that she was sending the message… What I later realized is that in this context 送っている meant that the message has been sent. According to my wife, if she wanted to say she was sending the message it would have been 送っているところ. (Reddit)

Japanese treats 送る as a change verb first—the focus is on the result (the message reaching its destination), not the process. English speakers default to progressive aspect and miss this.

Example 1 — 持っている

だが謎のふてぶてしさ、余程の術式を持っているのか（現にこの私が下手に動けなかった） → But that inexplicable boldness… does he possess a considerable cursed technique? (In fact, even I couldn't move carelessly.)

謎 (なぞ) = mystery; enigma

ふてぶてしさ = brazenness; bold impudence [ふてぶてしい = い-adj; さ nominalises it]

余程 (よほど) = considerably; quite; to a large extent

術式 (じゅつしき) = cursed technique

Hanami, internally, about Todou.

のか here isn't simply surprise—it's Hanami reasoning out loud to herself, forming a hypothesis from visible evidence. のか marks internal questioning or thinking through a conclusion.

持つ is a stative verb—it describes a state of possession rather than an action being performed. 持っている = to be in the state of having / to possess. This is a resultative/stative use of ている, not action in progress. Hanami isn't watching Todou acquire something; she's observing that he already has it.

Note: English distinguishes "I have a dog" (possession) from "I'm having breakfast" (eating)—the progressive form shifts meaning. Japanese doesn't work this way. 持っている covers possession without any such ambiguity.

Example 2 — できている

呪霊の体は呪力でできている → A cursed spirit's body is made of cursed energy.

呪霊 (じゅれい) = cursed spirit

体 (からだ) = body

呪力 (じゅりょく) = cursed energy

～でできる = to be made of ～

Todou to Yuuji.

できる is a change verb—it describes the completion of something, a result achieved. できている = resultative state: the body came into being in this form, and that result is still in effect. "Be made of" in English captures this naturally—it's a description of a permanent state, not an ongoing process.

Note: できる alone (without ている) would suggest something about to happen in the future. ている anchors it as a present, ongoing state.

Example 3 — 操っている / 思っていた

これだけの質量　実物に呪力を通し操っていると思っていた → With this much mass… I thought he was channeling cursed energy into the real thing to control it.

これだけ = this much; to this extent

質量 (しつりょう) = mass

実物 (じつぶつ) = the real thing; the actual object

通し (とおし) = 通す in pre-masu connective form—to channel through; to pass through [connects two verbs: "channel and control"]

操る (あやつる) = to control; to manipulate; to manoeuvre

油断 (ゆだん) = carelessness; letting one's guard down [visible in the gif, not the sentence itself]

操っている — "to control" doesn't tell us what the end result will be or whether it succeeds. It's a non-change verb: ている = action in progress. Todou assumed Hanami was actively channeling energy into the wood in that moment.

思っていた — 思う is a stative verb: it describes the state of holding an opinion or belief. 思っていた = that belief was in effect at the time, up until a moment ago. This isn't "I was considering something" (deliberate mental activity)—it's "that was my understanding while it lasted." The past tense marks that the opinion no longer holds: Todou has just been proven wrong.

Example 4 — 偽っている

何も偽っているつもりはありませんよ → I have no intention of pretending anything.

何も + negative = nothing; not anything

つもりはありません = have no intention of [verb]

偽る (いつわる) = to lie; to deceive; to feign; to falsify

"To pretend" or "to deceive" describes ongoing behavior—you keep up an act, and whether it succeeds is a separate question. The pretending itself has no built-in endpoint or guaranteed result. Non-change verb: ている = action in progress.

Example 5 — 満たされている

いつの間にか満たされている → Before I knew it, I had become satisfied.

いつの間にか (いつのまにか) = before one realises; unnoticed; without knowing when

満たす (みたす) = to satisfy; to fulfil; to meet (conditions) [transitive; change verb]

満たされる = to be satisfied [passive form]

満たす is a change verb—satisfying something means reaching a result (a need is met, a condition is fulfilled). 満たされている = passive + ている = resultative state: the state of having become satisfied is now in effect. Mahito wasn't satisfied before this moment; now he is, and he's only just noticed it.

Final thoughts

ている doesn't map onto any single English tense. The present continuous is one option, the present perfect is another, and sometimes the best translation is a stative adjective with no tense marker at all. Which one fits depends on the verb.

There's no exhaustive list of change vs. non-change verbs to memorize—grammar books in Japanese include partial lists as illustrations, not complete references. Some verbs fall into both categories depending on context, and those require extra attention.

Exposure helps more than memorization here. But if you want a solid theoretical anchor, study transitive and intransitive verbs in depth. Understanding that distinction won't resolve every edge case, but it will make a lot of ている behavior considerably less mysterious.

[languagestudymaterials]

Particles で & も

This post focuses on で and も in phrases like それでいい, with a brief stop at だろう along the way.

Starting with Obito vs. Kakashi.

この戦いはお前の勝ちでいい。だが戦争の勝ちは譲らない。 → You can have this battle. But I will not concede victory in the war.

戦い (たたかい) = fight; battle

勝ち (かち) = win; victory

戦争 (せんそう) = war

譲る (ゆずる) = to hand over; to concede; to yield

The English translation uses "can have" — there's no clean one-word equivalent for でいい in English. If you back-translated "you can win this battle" into Japanese, you'd probably reach for a volitional or permission structure. でいい gets there differently.

～でいい

で has several functions depending on context—location (ここで = here), manner (ゆっくりで = slowly), means (バスで = by bus). In the pattern ～でいい, で marks a state or condition: in the state of X / as X.

state/condition (で) + is fine (いい) = this is fine as it is

Kakashi won the fight. That's the current state—marked by で. Obito is fine with it (いい).

A few variations worth knowing:

それでいい = that's fine / that'll do これでいい = this is fine / this will do

Combine with だけ → all you have to do is; just this

私はこれをするだけでいいですか？ → Is this all I have to do?

When で appears with location words like ここ、そこ、あそこ, it marks location rather than state — で shifts function based on what precedes it.

ここでいい = Here is fine. (で = location: where?) ゆっくりでいいよ = Take your time. (で = manner: how?)

Combine with も → either/any state is fine

どっちでもいい → Either is fine. どれでも大丈夫 → Any of them will do.

どっち = which of the two—use for 2 options

どれ = which one—use for 3 or more options

それもいい vs. それでもいい — Naruto example

Madara: さあどうだろうな […] 年寄りをたすけるお前のモットーなのだろう […] Obito: 下の世話とか？ Madara: それもいい […] 勝手に死ぬならそれでもいいが。。。代わりにその写輪眼は頂くぞ

下の世話 (しものせわ) = care involving bedpans, urinary bottles, etc.

とか = things like; for example

勝手に = on one's own; without asking; freely

写輪眼 (しゃりんがん) = Sharingan

頂く (いただく) = to receive (humble form)—used here with dry irony

Let's take it piece by piece.

さあどうだろうな = "Who knows…" / "Hard to say…"

This is Madara's deflecting response to Obito's question "Are you an Uchiha?" だろう expresses uncertainty or a soft assumption—here Madara is being deliberately evasive rather than genuinely reflecting on his own identity.

年寄りをたすけるお前のモットーなのだろう = "That's your motto, isn't it—helping old people."

だろう as a tag question. Madara draws a conclusion from what Obito has said and seeks confirmation. You can read more on だろう here.

Obito's response is a suggestion: 下の世話とか？ — "Like helping you with bedpans, for example?"

Madara says: それもいい — "That would be good too."

Why も and not で? Because Obito's offer isn't a state or current condition—it's a proposal. で marks what already is; も marks it as one acceptable option among others. Madara is implying there are other things Obito could do for him.

それ = Obito's offer

も = among other things (one acceptable option)

いい = is fine

Then: 勝手に死ぬならそれでもいいが — "If you want to die on your own, that's fine too—but I'll take that Sharingan."

Here we get それでもいい. The difference from それもいい:

それもいい — that (offer/idea) is also acceptable

それでもいい — that state/situation is fine with me

The state in question: Obito dying. で marks it as an existing or accepted condition. Madara isn't evaluating a proposal—he's saying he's at peace with a particular outcome.

なら = conditional referring to what's being discussed—more on conditional sentences here

が = but (formal)

Extra — これでやるしかない

During the Kakashi vs. Obito episode, Hashirama tried to stop Madara from performing Rinne Tensei Jutsu. He and Tobirama created wood clones, but couldn't make enough of them. Hashirama said:

これでやるしかない → We have no choice but to do it in this state. [with too few clones]

これで = in this state / with what we have. で marks the condition they're working within.

～しかない = have no choice but to; nothing to do but. It attaches to the plain form of a verb and expresses that there's only one available course of action.

これ vs. それ — これ refers to something the speaker came up with or is holding. それ refers to something the listener introduced. Madara used それもいい because the idea (helping with bedpans) came from Obito. Hashirama used これ because the plan was his own.

Extra — これで vs. ～まま

これで in the sense of "with what we have / as things are" might remind you of ～まま, which also gets translated as "as is." They're close enough in English that it's easy to mix them up. In Japanese, they do different things.

The fastest way to tell them apart is to ask yourself one of two questions:

What didn't change? → you want ～まま

Under what conditions is this happening? → you want これで

～まま — a state that didn't change when it should have

まま always describes a state that remained when it would normally have shifted. There's tension built into it—between what is and what would typically be expected.

靴を履いたまま入った → He came in without taking his shoes off.

You take your shoes off at the door. He didn't. The state "shoes on" persisted past the point where it normally wouldn't. That's what まま points to.

ドアを開けたまま寝た → He fell asleep with the door still open.

Same idea—the door should have been closed. It wasn't. まま marks the state that stayed.

そのままでいい → Leave it as it is. (It's good the way it is.)

Here the speaker is actively asking for the state not to change. That's still まま — the focus is entirely on the state, not on any action happening within it.

これで — the conditions under which something happens

これで doesn't describe a state—it frames the circumstances for an action. On its own, it doesn't mean much. It needs something to happen within those conditions.

これでやるしかない → We have no choice but to do it with what we have.

"With what we have" isn't describing how things are—it's setting the stage for やる. The action is the point. これで just defines the constraints around it.

You can feel the difference by swapping in two different framings:

"Despite the fact that nothing changed…" → まま ✅ "Under these conditions, we're doing X…" → これで ✅

In English, "as is" covers both—which is why the translation can look the same. これでやるしかない could reasonably be rendered as "we have to do it as is," and it wouldn't be wrong. But in Japanese, the two structures aren't interchangeable. まま is about a state persisting; これで is about acting within a situation. Same English surface, different Japanese mechanics.

[languagestudymaterials]

～ても / でも grammar

ても and でも let you say 'even if' or 'even though' in Japanese—here's how they work, how they compare to English, and what Attack on Titan can teach you about them."

俺にはわからない、ずっとそうだ…自分の力を信じても…信頼に足る仲間の選択を信じても…結果は誰にもわからなかった…だから…まぁせいぜい…悔いが残らないほうを自分で選べ → I don't know… I never have. I can believe in my own abilities, or in the choices of the companions I trust—but no one ever knows how it will turn out. So choose for yourself, whichever you'll regret the least.

ずっとそうだ = it's always been like that

自分の力 (じぶんのちから) = one's own strength

信じる (しんじる) = to believe

信頼に足る (しんらいにたる) = trustworthy; reliable

仲間 (なかま) = companion; friend; ally

選択 (せんたく) = choice; selection

結果 (けっか) = result; outcome

せいぜい = at most; at best; as much as possible

悔い (くい) = regret [noun] (悔いる = to regret)

残る (のこる) = to remain; to be left

ほう = way; direction; side—in this context: option; alternative

自分で選ぶ (じぶんでえらぶ) = to choose for oneself

～ても / でも — even if

自分の力を信じても = even if you believe in your own strength

Cambridge Dictionary on "even if":

We use even before if to refer to a possible unexpected or extreme event: I'm still going to go swimming in the sea even if it rains. (I don't expect rain, but it is possible.) I've got to get home, even if it means flying the plane myself. (Cambridge Dictionary)

The unexpected result in the quote is the same each time: 結果は誰にもわからなかった — no one knew the outcome. Even believing in your strength, even trusting your companions' choices — it doesn't matter. The outcome stays unknowable.

The pattern:

[verb stem] + ても = even if [verb] / even though [verb]

でも attaches to nouns and な-adjectives: 雨でも行く = I'll go even if it rains / even in rain.

Negative pronouns — 誰にも and 誰でも

To express "nobody" or "no one," Japanese uses に as the target/recipient particle paired with も, followed by a verb in its negative form:

誰にも + verb ない = nobody (does/receives the action)

誰にも言わないでください = Please don't tell anyone.

結果は誰にもわからなかった = No one knew the outcome.

に here marks the recipient or target of the action—the same に you use in 友達に話す (to talk to a friend). も adds the sense of "not even one." The combination reads as: the action reaches no target whatsoever.

誰にも only means "nobody" when the verb is negative. With a positive verb it means "to/for everyone" — same structure, opposite meaning.

For "anyone/whoever," swap に for で:

誰でも + verb = anyone; whoever

入りたい人誰でも言ってください = Anyone who wants to join, please let us know.

でも here is not the copula で + も — it's the compound particle でも meaning "even; any." The sense is "it doesn't matter who" — every option among available people is acceptable.

More on で and も: here

Cambridge Dictionary on "anyone/anybody/anything":

We use anyone, anybody and anything to refer to both an open, unlimited set of things or people and specific things or people.

Relative clauses in Japanese

English relative clauses use relative pronouns (who, which, where, that) and come after the noun they describe: a man who lives next door.

Japanese has no relative pronouns. Instead, the entire descriptive phrase comes before the noun, in plain/dictionary form:

悔いが残らないほうを自分で選べ → Choose for yourself whichever option you'll regret the least.

悔いが残らない = relative clause (whichever you won't regret)

ほう = the noun it describes (option; alternative)

The verb in a relative clause must be in its plain/casual form—regardless of how formal the rest of the sentence is.

選べ is the imperative form of 選ぶ — the plain command form. It's blunter than ～てください but softer than it might look in writing; in this context (Erwin speaking to his soldiers) it carries weight rather than rudeness.

[languagestudymaterials]

～んだ (のです) grammar (part 2)

んだ (のです) adds an explanatory nuance to Japanese sentences—similar to 'you see' or 'you know' in English. This is part two: a closer look at the finer details of how and when to use it.

Learn more about it in part one.

One thing first: tone of voice matters a lot with んだ. The same sentence can land completely differently depending on how you say it.

Opening example

Before we get into the uses, a quick clarification on this one:

このガキは なんだ？

This is Levi's "wtf?" — it has nothing to do with the grammar we're covering today. In everyday speech: men say これはなんだ？ and women tend to say これはなに？

Use 1 — filling the information deficit

This is the core use of んだ. It implies that your statement is an explanation connected to some previous context—something the listener either witnessed but didn't fully process, or something that requires background knowledge they might be missing.

Some scenarios where this applies:

Your friend finds your behavior surprising, and you want to explain yourself.

You both know the context, but your friend is doing something unexpected — んだ signals "fill me in, because I'm not following."

You're clearly in a hurry (checking your watch, shifting your feet), and someone keeps stopping you: 急いでいるんです explains your behavior without having to spell it out.

Something happened that everyone witnessed, but not everyone has the same information about. Some know more, some know less.

Use 2—drawing a tentative conclusion (questions)

When used in questions, んですか sounds like the speaker has already gathered some evidence and formed a hypothesis—they just need confirmation.

雨が降ってるんですか → It's raining, isn't it? / Is it raining? (I suspect it is, given the umbrellas.)

Imagine you can't quite tell whether it's raining—the drops are nearly invisible, but everyone around you has an umbrella. You've drawn a conclusion. That's the nuance.

Someone once asked me: 日本語を話す機会はあるんですか？ — because I speak Japanese (kind of), they assumed I must have regular opportunities to practice. They gathered context, formed a hypothesis, and asked for confirmation. Dropping んですか would have made it sound like a flat interrogation.

You can't just attach んですか to every question. It only works when there's an actual basis for the assumption.

Use 3—んです can sound offensive (context-dependent)

んです doesn't inherently imply "you should already know this" — but with strong intonation and the right (or wrong) context, it can land that way. The grammar doesn't do the offending; the delivery does.

Ａ：どうして遅れたんですか。 Ｂ：ごめんなさい。バスが来なかったんです。

A (your boss or friend) is using it correctly—asking you to explain yourself. The nuance is "this is unusual for you."

B's answer pushes back slightly: "The bus didn't come" (implied: you should understand that). Said with force, it reads as "what do you mean why? Obviously the bus didn't come." The ごめんなさい softens it.

Levi from SNK does this a lot. When people can't follow his reasoning, he gets annoyed—and his んだ, delivered with that flat, threatening tone, means "you don't know? You really should." Cute girls pull off the same structure with あの～ and ちょっと and it doesn't land nearly as sharp.

More examples of this in the part one post.

Use 4—correcting a misunderstanding

This is really a specific case of Use 1—filling the information deficit—but worth looking at separately because the deficit here isn't missing information, it's wrong information. んだ steps in to replace a faulty understanding, not just add to an incomplete one.

"火影になった者"が皆から認められるんじゃない　"皆から認められた者"が火影になるんだ → It's not that the Hokage is acknowledged by everyone—it's that the one acknowledged by everyone becomes Hokage.

認められる = to be recognised; to be acknowledged (passive form of 認める)

者 (もの) = person; one who

Itachi to Naruto. Naruto had the logic backwards. Itachi corrects him — んだ carries the weight of "no, here's how it actually works."

Use 5—drawing attention (rhetorical)

のです can create the perception of a gap in the listener's knowledge even when no real gap exists. It's a rhetorical move—the speaker is signaling "pay attention to this" rather than genuinely filling in missing information. You'll encounter it more in speeches, formal writing, or deliberate emphasis than in casual conversation, where it can come across as presumptuous if there's no real context to back it up.

It functions like "you know…" or "you see…" in English—not as an explanation, but as a way of framing what you're about to say as significant. Merriam-Webster has a good breakdown of how "you know" works—it maps onto のです surprisingly well.

Use 6—soft command

んだ can also function as a command—softer than plain imperative, less hierarchical than the なさい form.

Plain imperative → very blunt, can sound rude

なさい form → for parents, teachers, adults speaking to children

んだ → between equals or friends; a nudge rather than an order

Use 7—determination

When you have something you're set on doing, んだ expresses that resolve. You'll hear it constantly in Naruto and Boruto, usually involving training, getting stronger, or refusing to give up on something.

Use 8—interpretation/observation

When you take in the situation around you and reach a conclusion—that's んだ as observation. The key is that you're processing visible evidence and verbalising your interpretation.

だから あんなにスムーズに連続で攻撃できたんだ → That's why she was able to attack in such smooth succession.

スムーズに = smoothly

連続で (れんぞくで) = in succession; continuously

攻撃できた (こうげきできた) = was able to attack

Sarada, Boruto ep. 171. She's been watching Sakura train—analyzing her movements and chakra control—and this is her conclusion. The English subtitles translate it as "that's why," which captures the observational nuance well.

A note on "providing an explanation"

The trickiest part of んです for most learners is understanding what "providing an explanation" actually means. It's not explaining how things work in general. It's about contextual misunderstandings—specifically, gaps or surprises related to behavior and actions, not words.

If you ever ask a teacher or native speaker about this, give them the full picture: who knows what, who witnessed what, what the relationship is. Without that context, んです is nearly impossible to explain in the abstract.

The Japan Foundation has a solid article on んです worth reading. These exercises are from their website:

Practice exercises (Japan Foundation)

1．＜自己紹介で＞

ポン：ポンです。タイのバンコクから（ａ．来ました　ｂ．来たんです）。今、日本語学校で日本語を（ａ．勉強しています　ｂ．勉強しているんです）。

Both A answers are correct. This is an introduction—you don't share any prior context with your listeners, and there's nothing to explain. んです would imply a shared background that simply isn't there.

2．＜日本語コースが終わって、修了式のスピーチで＞

ホセ：最後に、私は先生方に感謝（ａ．したいです　ｂ．したいのです）。先生方はとても親切で、（ａ．やさしかったです　ｂ．やさしかったのです）。

Both A answers again. The context is a graduation speech—nothing unusual is happening, no information deficit to fill. のです would add an odd, unnecessary weight to a straightforward thank-you.

3．＜九州のお土産を持って先輩を訪ねました。＞

私：これ九州のお土産です。 先輩：そうですか。九州に（ａ．行きました　ｂ．行ったのです）ね。

B is correct. The 先輩 sees the souvenir, makes a logical inference — "oh, you went to Kyushu" — and のです signals that reasoning out loud. They've filled in the information gap themselves.

4．＜キムさんが出かけるのを見て、リーさんは＞

リー：キムさん、こんな時間にどこへ（ａ．行きます　ｂ．行くんです）か。もう遅いですよ。

B is correct. It's late and you're heading out — that's unusual, something doesn't add up. んですか signals: "I'm noticing something odd here, and I need you to explain it."

Examples—進撃の巨人 (ep. 9)

聞いてほしいんだ → […] but just listen.

Armin to Annie. Soft command—Armin needs to be heard and he really wants her to listen. No authority, no force. Just んだ.

武器を捨てるんだ → Drop your weapons.

Another soft command. Yelena is composed, she's speaking to people she considers equals — 仲間 — so there's no need for the roughness of plain imperative or the top-down authority of なさい.

一体 何が目的なんだ？ → Just what is she after?

一体 (いったい) = just; on earth; the heck (emphasis word for questions)

目的 (もくてき) = goal; purpose; objective

Connie to Jean (and sleeping Sasha), about Yelena. Male speech—same energy as the Levi example from part one. He's genuinely confused and slightly frustrated about it.

もうすぐ港が完成するんだ → The port is almost finished.

もうすぐ = soon; any moment now

港 (みなと) = port; harbour

完成する (かんせいする) = to be completed; to be finished

Armin, about the construction of the port. Eren and Mikasa know about it too—shared knowledge. んだ here is observation and emphasis combined; it's Armin vocalizing what they're all already aware of.

うん そのことなんだけど… → Yeah, it's about that…

Armin. んだけど signals "pay attention—what I'm about to say matters." He's flagging that something important is coming. The け​ど trails off, creating anticipation.

ほとんどのマーレ兵は収容所の壁をにらみつけてんだろ？ → Most of the Marley soldiers are just glaring at the prison walls, right?

マーレ兵 (マーレへい) = Marley soldier

収容所 (しゅうようじょ) = internment camp; detention facility

にらみつける = to glare at; to stare down

Eren to Mikasa and Armin. んだろ = "we all know that…" — shared knowledge, no surprise in what he's saying. Without it, it would sound like he's reporting news to people who know nothing. And given Mikasa's reaction, there's also a hint of "come on, Mikasa — you can see this, right?"

本当にサシャは死んだのか？ → Sasha really… died?

Nicolo to Connie and Jean. He knows she's gone. But he can't accept it—のか is seeking confirmation for something he already understands but isn't ready to deal with it. The grief is doing most of the grammar work here.

お前に最上級のホテルを用意したんだ → We've got the finest hotel ready for you.

最上級 (さいじょうきゅう) = highest grade; top-tier; finest

用意する (ようい) = to prepare; to arrange; to get ready

Levi to Zeke. んだ as emphasis—Levi is announcing something Zeke has no idea about, with characteristic dry theatricality.

Links to check out

～んだ・んだろう・んだけど  grammar

[languagestudymaterials]

～ばかり grammar

～ばかり is one of those grammar structures that changes meaning depending on what comes before or after it. There's no single translation — the best way to approach it is to learn each pattern as its own concept. Let's start with the sentence that sparked this post.

Opening example — Jujutsu Kaisen

Todou's words of wisdom.

相手を怒らせてしまったばかりに格下に後れを取ることもある → There are also times when, simply because you angered your opponent, you end up losing to someone below your rank.

格下 (かくした) = lower rank

後れを取る = to be beaten; to lose to someone

怒らせる (おこらせる) = to anger someone; causative form of 怒る

だれにも後れを取らない = be second to none

こともある = there are also times when… (が is the more expected particle here, but も adds emphasis)

ばかりに = simply because; for the sole reason. It always carries a nuance of regret—an unpleasant result that followed from one thing.

Definition of ～ばかり

The meaning shifts depending on the part of speech attached to it and the particle that follows. One thing stays constant: the core idea of excess or singularity—too much of something, or nothing else but this one thing.

Let's move to possible grammar patterns, combinations, and what they mean.

Verb る + ばかり + だ・です

"Just keeps doing" or "all that remains is to do." Use this when the action is ongoing and repeatable. If you change だ・です to past tense, you get "kept doing something." For a single, non-repeating action, the nuance shifts to "be ready to"—as in: the document is ready to be signed.

Intensifying verbs + ばかり

Works with adjectives paired with なる, or verbs ending in まる (深まる、高まる etc.). The nuance is "ever more" — the action is continuously intensifying.

謎は深まるばかりだ → The mystery deepens ever more.

Verb た + ばかり + だ・です

Just did something / just finished / something just happened. Can also modify nouns with の: たばかりの + [noun]. In past tense form, this works like the English past perfect.

Compare with ところ: ところ means something finished literally minutes ago. ばかり has a wider window—it can cover something that happened a year ago, as long as it still feels recent to the speaker. You renovated your kitchen two years ago, but everything still feels new? That's ばかり territory.

Verb て + ばかりです

The action happens all the time, at the expense of everything else. You can also say てばかりいる・います with little change in meaning—the いる version is slightly more formal.

泣いてばかりいる → She does nothing but cry.

The subtle difference between るばかり and てばかり: the plain verb form implies there's simply nothing else to do. The て form implies other things could or should be happening—but aren't.

Verb て + ばかり + は + いられない

"You can't just [verb] all the time." A gentle—or not so gentle—push to do something else.

Noun + ばかりだ

Only / just this noun. Out of everything available, one thing dominates so thoroughly that nothing else registers.

TodouはYuujiとばかり話しているな → Todou is always talking only with Yuuji.

You can attach it mid-sentence too. にばかり = only in this place.

Amount of time + ばかり

Approximation. "About" or "roughly." Very close in meaning to くらい — the two are interchangeable in most cases. One difference: ばかり can also be used with exact amounts when the speaker feels the number is small.

少しばかり体が重いな → My body feels just a little heavy.

With time words like 今度, ばかり shifts meaning to "this time, at least."

Adjective + ばかりでは

Just because (with a negative implication). More common at the start of a sentence.

安いばかりでは私も買わない → I'm not going to buy this just because it's cheap.

Verb た + ばかりに

Simply because; for the sole reason that. Emphasizes cause with a strong nuance of regret. The result is always unpleasant—this is the ばかりに of "and look what happened."

You can also use plain form / noun / い-adj / な-adj + ばかりに with no change in meaning—only the time frame shifts.

ばかり vs. related grammar points

Four other words also translate as "only" or "just" — but they work differently:

しか～ない — expresses a lack of everything except the thing in question. There's one thing, and that's it.

ばかり — expresses that there is so much of something that there appears to be nothing else. 先生ばかり = so many teachers it feels like there's no one else. (ばっかり and ばっか are common spoken variants.)

だけ — expresses a limited amount of something. Neutral and factual.

のみ — formal version of だけ.

ただ — "nothing special." It's just a spider, stop panicking. It was just a silly mistake. ただ often starts a sentence to add a qualifier or detail to what was just said: このレストランは良いと思う。ただちょっと高い。

Not only… but also

～ばかりではなく ～も = not only… but also. The "not only" part is expected; the "but also" part adds something that goes beyond that.

～ばかりか ～さえ (も) = not only… but also. Much stronger than the version above—the "but also" part is genuinely surprising. Plain present tense forms usually go with this structure.

表面ばかり見ないで内面も見てほしい → I want you to look not only at the surface, but also at what's inside.

Examples — Jujutsu Kaisen

Megumi talking about his new technique—Max Elephant.

最近 調伏したばかりなので… → I just tamed it recently, so…

調伏 (ちょうぶく) = exorcism; in sorcerer context, "taming"—I "cursed it, and now it listens to me

Verb た + ばかり = just did something.

Nanami and Yuuji after the events with Junpei.

だから 引き金を引かせないことばかり考えてた → That's why all I was thinking about was how not to let anyone pull the trigger.

引き金 (ひきがね) = trigger; immediate cause

引く = to pull [causative form used here]

こと turns the preceding clause into a noun phrase. Noun + ばかり = only this. Yuuji is speaking metaphorically—pulling the trigger means killing. From everything he could have been thinking about, that one thing dominated. ばかり works perfectly here precisely because it implies the other options existed but got crowded out.

Examples — Naruto

Obito to Naruto, about a world that has seen nothing but despair.

絶望ばかりを見てきた。　違うか？ → All you've ever seen is despair. Am I wrong?

Noun + ばかり = only this. Out of everything the world has to offer, despair is what stands out. The ばかり here captures that sense of overwhelming dominance.

Examples — Kimetsu no Yaiba

Rui to Tomioka.

僕の邪魔ばかりするクズどもめ！ → All you trash ever do is get in my way!

邪魔 (じゃま) = hindrance [suru verb]

ども = rude plural, like たち but contemptuous

め = sentence-final particle expressing disgust or mockery (この　ばかめ！)

クズ = scum; trash (used about people)

邪魔ばかりする = noun + ばかり + verb. With する verbs you have two options: put ばかり before the noun, or after する. Little change in meaning either way.

Rui, episode 21, about his mother.

母は泣くばかりで → My mother did nothing but cry.

Verb る + ばかり = just keeps doing. (で connects to the next clause, not included here.) Every grammar textbook on the planet uses 泣く as the example sentence for ばかり, and honestly, fair enough.

Examples — Attack on Titan

Erwin or someone else, at some point, somewhere in the chaos.

私が無能なばかりにただ いたずらに兵を死なせ → My own incompetence killed our men.

無能 (むのう) = incompetence; inability [na-adjective]

いたずらに = uselessly; pointlessly; in vain

死なす (しなす) = to let die (not a causative—a separate verb; causative would be 死なせる)

兵 (へい) = soldier

な-adjective + ばかりに = simply because; on account of. The English translation doesn't map cleanly to the Japanese structure, but the emotional weight does—this is a sentence full of guilt.

Mikasa, season 1, to the Survey Corps members.

あなたたちは腕が立たないばかりか臆病で腰抜けだ → You're not only weak, you're also spineless cowards.

腕が立つ (うでがたつ) = to be skilled; to be talented [idiomatic]

臆病 (おくびょう) = cowardly

腰抜け (こしぬけ) = coward; literally "someone whose hips gave out"

～ばかりか = not only… but also, very strong version. In written Japanese, you'd expect さえ or も after this, but in speech, Mikasa drops it. The negative form 立たない is intentional—literally she's saying, "not only are you not talented…" (double negatives are fine in Japanese).

English translations won't always line up neatly with what ばかり is doing in the original. Whatever sounds natural in the target language. The goal is to understand the logic, not to memorize fixed translations.

[languagestudymaterials]

Modality in Japanese — expressing assumptions, speculations, and guesses

A brief overview of phrases used to express assumptions in Japanese, plus a bit of theory on what modality actually is. Examples come from Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen.

#modalityseries

Context: Deidara sat on dead Gaara—the disrespect was real, Naruto got mad, and that's how everyone found out who the jinchuriki was. Before Deidara spoke, Sasori had been wondering which of the people in the cave was the jinchuriki.

どうやらそうみたいだな → That must be him.

どうやら = apparently; I suppose (the speaker emphasizes objectivity or doubt — mostly anime usage)

そうみたいだな = it seems so; it looks like so

So why "must" in the translation? That question deserves a proper answer—but first, a short detour into modality.

Modality — a definition

Modality lets speakers express the "possibility" of a past, present, or future situation. It covers desires, the likelihood of something happening, and whether something is permissible. Compare:

Momo did it. — 100% certain. You're accusing Momo directly.

Momo might have done it. — There are doubts. You suspect Momo but aren't sure.

In English, modality shows up in several forms:

Modal verbs—can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would, ought to

Adverbs—probably, definitely, possibly, certainly

Phrases—be able to, have to, be supposed to, I think, I guess

Conditional sentences — "If I were you, I would study more."

Understanding modality speeds up language learning because it gives you the tools to express possibility, necessity, ability, permission, and obligation—all essential in everyday conversation. It also shapes politeness: "Could you help me?" feels softer than "Can you help me?" — Same request, different modal, different social weight.

Back to Deidara. Why "must"? In English, must is used when you think something is true because nothing else seems possible—a logical assumption. Initially, we learn that must = しなければならない, but dig deeper and you'll find that the universal nature of English must doesn't map cleanly onto Japanese. The best approach is to learn the concept behind a modal verb and find the Japanese phrase that matches that concept in context.

Example: "That must have been hard" — the instinct might be to reach for しなければならない, but a native speaker would likely say 大変だっただろう. Same meaning, completely different structure.

Assumptions, speculations, and guesses — the full list

Each of these sits somewhere on a spectrum from strong certainty to weak possibility. Some are closer to "I'm almost sure," others to "I have no idea, but maybe." No links means either the post hasn't been made yet, or you can browse the blog to find it.

1. どうやら = apparently; I suppose

2. そうみたい = it looks like; it seems so

More on みたい and on そう.

3. Verb casual + はずです — ought to; should; must [be]; expected to do

言ったはずだ！ → I told you! / I must have told you!

More on はず here. はず is considered a strong modal—roughly 90% certainty. "Must" is the strongest modal verb in English. They make a good pair.

4. はずがない = cannot be; it is hardly possible that

そのうわさは本当であるはずがない。 → The rumor cannot be true.

5. ～に決まっている = sure to; certain to; bound to; it's natural that

彼は成功するに決まっている。 → He is certain to succeed.

6. きっと〜だ — adverb; often paired with だろう・でしょう

これはきっとよく売れるよ。 → I bet this will sell really well.

7. さぞ + phrase = surely; certainly; no doubt; must—often paired with だろう・でしょう

さぞおもしろいことがあったでしょうね。 → It must have been very interesting.

さぞお退屈でしょう。 → You must find it dull.

8. Phrase + ではないか・じゃないか (question tags)

ダメじゃないか。 → You can't do that. (My assessment, after considering the circumstances.)

彼は来ないのではないかと思う。 → I'm afraid he won't come.

More on question tags here.

9. ～に違いない (にちがいない) — used when the speaker is highly convinced

何か間違いがあるに違いない。 → There must be some kind of mistake.

君は金持ちに違いない。 → You must be rich.

10. ～だろう・でしょう — I think; I suppose; probably; maybe; I hope; I fear

彼はあす来るだろう。 → He will probably come tomorrow.

楽しいだろう。 → I bet it'll be fun.

More on だろう here.

11. だから～だろうな(あ)

あなたに見初められた女性だからきっと素敵な人なんだろうな。 → She must be a wonderful person since you chose her.

12. ～かもしれない = might; may; could

本当かもしれないね。 → It might be true.

13. ～に自信がある = I believe that…

14. ～を確信している = I'm convinced that…

15. ～と思う・考える = to think; I think that…

Examples — Naruto

Tsunade to the elders, after they tried to get her to shut Naruto out completely.

こちらの返事分かっているだろう！ダメだ！ → You must already know my answer to this one.

Other ways to read it: "Then you should know what my answer will be" / "You probably already know." だろう sits somewhere in the middle of the certainty scale—Tsunade is confident, but it's framed as an inference rather than a flat statement.

Madara, warning that time is running out.

言ったはずだ、残された時間は少ないとな… → I must have warned you—there's not much time left…

残された (のこされた) = remaining; left behind

な = sentence-ending particle (added because 残された時間は少ないと comes last—an inversion common in everyday Japanese)

時間は充分やっただろう... 残念だ → I reckon I gave you enough time… What a shame.

はずだ and だろう in close succession—first Madara asserts what he must have told them (high certainty, past event), then offers a softer reflection on the time he gave them (slightly weaker, more resigned).

Examples — Jujutsu Kaisen

Sukuna to Mahito, after Mahito tries to enter his domain.

言ったはずだぞ、二度はないと → I already told you—there won't be a second time.

Mahito had already tried to touch Sukuna's soul once and been warned. はずだ here isn't a guess—it's Sukuna reminding Mahito of something that definitely happened, using はず to frame it as "you should have known this; I made it clear." The certainty level is essentially 100%—it's more of an assertion than a speculation.

Links to check out

[soon to be posted]

[languagestudymaterials]

How to express obligation and necessity in Japanese — grammar guide

Japanese has several grammar patterns for expressing duty, necessity, and obligation—from gentle suggestions to strong requirements. This post breaks down the key forms with examples.

Context: Sakura, after receiving information about Orochimaru from Sasori.

師匠に相談しないてからでないとと思った → I thought I'd have to consult my teacher about this first.

師匠 (ししょう) = master; teacher

相談 (そうだん) = consultation [suru verb]

～てから = whatever comes before から happens first; "after doing…"

And once again—where's the "must" or "have to" in the Japanese? There isn't one. Consulting with Tsunade was simply the first thing Sakura wanted to do before taking any action. The obligation is implied, not stated. The rest of the sentence is left unsaid.

The concept

"Must" and "have to" in English are used for saying that something is necessary or important, ordering someone to do (or not do) something, or expressing that something is your duty. In Japanese, the form you choose depends on how harsh, professional, serious, soft, or polite you want to sound.

A friend who is a native speaker told me something that stuck: there are just too many forms, and a lot hinges on context and the speaker. Using なければならない all the time would make you sound pushy and bossy. So the best approach is always to translate the context, not the exact words.

The forms — from softest to strongest

V〜て + ください = please do [verb] (V) (polite request)

V〜て + もいいです = doing V is fine/allowed (permission)

V〜た + ほうがいいです = it would be better to do V (recommendation)

V〜たらいいです = I recommend doing V

Verb casual + べき（です） = the morally/socially right thing to do

V〜ない（と）+ いけない・いけません・ダメ・ダメです = must do (if you don't, it won't work)

V〜なくて + はいけない・はならない = must do

V〜ない（without い）+ ければなりません・ければいけません = must do (strongest)

べき exception: する → すべき or するべき (both are acceptable)

ならない vs. いけない:

ならない = have to; external duties—you've been told to do it, or it feels like a burden. Implies "it cannot be otherwise," independent of your will.

いけません = must; internal duties—it comes from you. The nuance is "I can't move forward without doing this." Think of Might Guy and his 自分のルール — every rule he set for himself used this form.

ないと = often used to give advice ("if you want to pass, you must study" kind of feeling).

〜なくては vs. 〜なければ

Both are negative verb forms that attach before the "obligation" ending, but they differ in register:

〜なくては〜

More colloquial and conversational.

Natural in everyday speech; perfectly correct, just casual.

Often shortened to 〜なくちゃ in very informal settings.

宿題をやらなくてはいけない。 → I have to do my homework. (sounds natural talking to a friend)

〜なければ〜

More standard and neutral-to-formal.

Common in writing, textbooks, and JLPT materials.

The form most learners encounter first.

宿題をやらなければいけません。 → I have to do my homework. (sounds more textbook-like)

In practice, both forms are fully correct and interchangeable—only the register changes, not the meaning.

ならない vs. いけない

〜なければならない / 〜なければなりません

An external, objective obligation: "this must be done because that's the rule / the law / social norm."

The tone is impersonal—as if citing a regulation or stating a general truth.

Typical in written texts, official documents, rules, speeches, school, and formal settings.

法律を守らなければなりません。 → One must obey the law. (because that's the law—not a personal feeling)

〜なければいけない / 〜なければいけません

A practical, personal obligation: "I have to do this or things won't work out / I won't manage."

The tone is subjective—you're speaking from your own experience of the necessity.

Natural in conversation, including with teachers or colleagues in everyday contexts.

明日までに終わらなければいけません。 → I have to finish this by tomorrow. (or things will go wrong—personal feeling)

Key takeaway The strength of the obligation is the same in both cases (both = "must"). What differs is where the obligation comes from—from within you, or from something external.

Casual / conversational contractions

In everyday speech, the full forms get shortened significantly:

なくてはいけません・なりません → なくちゃ

なければいけません・なりません → なきゃ

ないといけない → ないと

It's also common to just stop the sentence at なくちゃ or なきゃ — the rest is implied. Forms like なくちゃいけません or なきゃいけません exist too, and you'll sometimes hear だめだ tacked on at the end instead.

ない and ません are the informal and formal negative forms, respectively—keep that in mind when choosing which ending to use.

A quick reference for each form

〜なくてはいけない — "I have to do it or I won't manage" — personal, casual

〜なければいけません — same meaning, but more careful/formal delivery

〜なければならない/なりません — "it must be done—that's the rule/norm" — impersonal, official

Examples — Naruto

Shizune, same episode as Sakura's sentence above.

様子を見るべきです → We should observe the situation.

様子 (ようす) = state of affairs; situation; circumstances

べき here conveys that observing the situation is the natural, sensible thing to do—not a law, not a strong personal conviction, just what's right given the circumstances. The English translation floated between "must" and "should" — both work, but "should" captures べき's moral-practical nuance better.

Naruto, running into Shino, while looking for a new team member.

ここは慎重に慎重に考えなきゃなあ → I really have to think about this carefully.

慎重に (しんちょうに) = carefully [な-adjective in its adverb form]

なきゃ = contracted form of なければいけません・なりません

Naruto feels the weight of choosing a new teammate—it's important, necessary, and coming from him. なきゃ fits because this is an internal sense of obligation, not an external rule being imposed on him.

Tsunade, after two elders propose restrictions on Naruto's missions.

ナルトにそこまでの条件をつけるべきじゃない → There's no need to put that many conditions on Naruto.

べきじゃない flips べき into a negative—it's not the right thing to do. Given how much Tsunade believes in Naruto and how far he's come, imposing excessive limitations goes against what's sensible and fair. The nuance isn't "that's against the rules" — it's "that's not the right way to handle this."

An elder, watching Naruto and Sasuke after they met the Sage of Six Paths.

今のこいつ忘れたただがきではない。。。理解しなければ → The ones before me now are no longer just brats… I must understand that.

今の = current

がき = brat

ただ = just; merely

なければ alone (without いけない or ならない at the end) is common in speech—the rest is implied. In casual conversation, しなきゃ would be even more natural. The full なければならない form is mostly used in writing.

Examples — Demon Slayer

Tanjiro, when Akaza appears during Rengoku's fight.

俺も加勢しなければ → I have to back him up.

加勢 (かせい) = assistance; backing; reinforcements [suru verb]

Same truncated form as above — しなければ, with the rest cut off. The situation speaks for itself. Tanjiro's decision feels internal and urgent—he's not following a rule; he's following his own sense of what must be done.

Links to check out

[soon to be posted]

[languagestudymaterials]

Modality in Japanese — speculating about the past and the present

In one of the previous posts, I introduced a list of phrases used to express all kinds of assumptions — strong and weak — without drawing a clear line between past and present. This post fills in that gap and looks at what happens when you need to specify when the assumed event took place.

This isn't a post about one specific grammar point. It's a summary of the options Japanese gives you when you want to say things like "must have done" or "I thought…"

Context: Gojo to Itadori during the fight with Jogo. They were discussing domain expansion and the imperfect one they'd encountered earlier.

伏黒は分かってたんじゃないかな. → I think Megumi knew about that.

You might recognize (ん)じゃない(かな) from question tags — and you're right to. But add ん and かな, and the meaning shifts. Here, Gojo is making a speculative assumption about a past event: Megumi probably already knew. The anime translation uses "probably"; I went with "I think" — both capture the speculative nuance of んじゃないかな.

んだ = explanatory/contextual nuance

じゃない = base for the speculative structure

かな = "I wonder…"; "I think…"; softens and adds uncertainty

Modality — a brief definition

Modality lets us express doubts, speculations, and assumptions—the full range of "not quite certain" meanings. There are four types, but this post covers the first two:

Epistemic modality—expressions related to what is known or believed; conjectures, guesses (epistemic = relating to knowledge)

Prioritizing modality—expressions that characterize what is permitted, required, or desired

Dynamic modality — relating to what's possible given a set of facts or someone's abilities

Deontic modality—expressions related to rules, laws, norms, or how things ought to be

Epistemic modality — the main players

～だろう, ～はずだ, ～に違いない, and ～かもしれない all belong to the realm of knowledge and belief. The first three express the outcome of an inferential process—a cognitive process of making logical connections and drawing conclusions based on background knowledge.

Example of an inferential process:

A: ねえ聞いて！大勢の人の前で、英語でプレゼンしなきゃいけなかったの。 Guess what? I had to give a presentation in English in front of a lot of people.

B: 本当？じゃ大変だったろうに。 Really? It must have been difficult for you. (Formal: 本当ですか？では大変だったことでしょう。)

B's logical chain: this person always says they hate speaking English, they dislike big crowds → conclusion: it must have been difficult. That's an inferential process in action.

～に違いない (lit. "there is no mistake in") suggests that what comes before it is entailed — the evidence makes the conclusion feel inevitable.

お金持ちに違いない → You must be rich.

Seeing a huge house, expensive car, and other luxuries—those facts entail wealth. The conclusion feels unavoidable.

A: この番号に電話して、予約をキャンセルしてくれない？ Can you call this number to cancel our reservation?

B: いいよ。電話が繋がらない。 Sure. The call won't connect.

A: 違う番号にかけたでしょ。 You must have called the wrong number. (Formal: 違う番号にかけたに違いないですよ。)

Dialing the wrong number entails no connection—hence, に違いない.

～かもしれない (lit. "can't know whether") suggests that what comes before it is compatible with what is known—it can coexist with other possibilities without excluding them. The inferential process here is very weak.

鍵をレストランに置いてきたかもしれない。 → I might have left my key at the restaurant.

死んで（い）たかもしれない。 → I could have died!

In both cases, there are other explanations that could equally apply. かもしれない doesn't entail anything—it just opens a possibility.

Prioritizing modality

Think of it as a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is "whatever, doesn't really matter" and 10 is "you'll end up in the pits of hell if you ignore this."

High end of the scale (roughly 5–10):

～てもいい — it's fine even if you [verb]; permission

～ではいけない — it can't go; prohibition

～なければならない・いけない — must; obligation

Lower end (roughly 1–5):

～ほうがいい — it's recommendable; practical suggestion without urgency

～べきだ — you should (morally or socially); the right thing to do

～たらいい — it would be good if…

Also in this category: ～たい, ～てほしい, ～つもりです (wishes and intentions), and imperative forms like ～え/～よ/～ろ, ～なさい, and ～てください.

Who the speaker is matters a lot. If the emperor says てもいい, that's effectively a 10.

Past or present? What to negate

This is the main point of the post—how the meaning of assumption structures shifts depending on which part of the sentence you negate or put into past tense.

～はずだ — the assumption is that the verb will happen in the future.

彼女は一時までに電話するはずだ → She should call by 1 o'clock.

～したはずだ — the assumption is that the verb happened in the past (you're expressing that assumption from today's perspective).

彼女は一時までに電話したはずだ → I suppose she called by 1 o'clock.

～したはずなのに — an assumption with a strong nuance of regret.

もっとうまくできたはずなのになぁ → I could have done it better. (I had the chance but wasted it.)

～するはずだった — the assumption is that the verb didn't actually happen.

彼女は一時までに電話するはずだった → She was supposed to call by 1 o'clock. (But she didn't.)

～でしょう・だろう — no past form of their own; put the verb before them into past tense. Slightly weaker than はず; でしょう is the formal version.

～に決まっている = sure to; certain to; bound to. What comes before it is always in present tense. Makes you sound very determined. Rarely seen in past form.

きっと — an adverb, so it doesn't change. Combine with a past-tense verb for a past assumption.

これはきっとよく売れたよ → I'm sure it sold well.

～に違いない — an い-adjective; you can change both it and the preceding verb to past tense.

何か間違いがあったに違いない。 → I'm sure there was a mistake.

何か間違いがあるに違いなかった。 → I was sure there was a mistake.

Formal; in casual or semi-formal contexts, だろう・でしょう・はず are more natural.

かもしれない — can't change to past (only to formal ません), but change the preceding verb to past tense to express past possibility.

言ったかもしれない → He might have said it.

～したと思う — also expresses assumptions.

忙しかったんだと思う。 → He must have been busy with it.

多分 (たぶん) — an adverb meaning "probably." Combine with a past-tense verb for a weak assumption about something in the past.

A tip from a native speaker: When translating assumption phrases into Japanese, there's a difference in nuance between each one. Japanese speakers tend toward ambiguous expressions and use the original meanings of words sparingly. Translating English nuances too literally can sound unnatural. In Japanese, you have to judge from context, tone, and who you're speaking to.

A tricky case

Itadori to Megumi, episode 1.

ありがたいんじゃないの？ → Shouldn't you be grateful?

Itadori is speculating about a present state — ありがたい is an adjective describing how things are right now. Compare with 分かってた (past tense verb) from the opening example. Same structure (んじゃない), different tense on the word in front of it—that's all it takes to shift from past to present speculation.

の at the end is a casual question marker.

日本に行くんじゃなかった？ → I thought you were going to Japan? / Didn't you say you were going to Japan? (seeking confirmation — intonation rises)

朝ご飯を食べるんじゃなかった。 → I shouldn't have eaten breakfast. (regret — intonation stays flat)

In written form, these two sentences look identical. The intonation — and context — tell you which one it is.

Examples — Jujutsu Kaisen

Megumi, looking for Sukuna's finger in episode 1.

バカすぎるでしょ → Could they be any more stupid?

でしょ (casual of でしょう) expresses an assumption about the current situation. "Could" in English is often used for possibilities and suggestions — a fitting match.

Gojo to Megumi on the phone, after Megumi discovers the finger is missing.

ウケるねー！夜の散歩かなあ → Ha, interesting. Taking a night stroll, are they?

ウケるねー = funny; interesting (casual, a bit cheeky—the "naughty" version of おもしろい)

散歩 (さんぽ) = walk; stroll

夜 (よる) = evening; night

かなあ = I wonder…; maybe…; expresses speculation with a relatively high level of certainty

A senpai watching Itadori's contest with the teacher.

正々堂々なのだろうか → I wonder if this is fair.

正々堂々 (せいせいどうどう) = fair and square [noun]

なの = な before の (used with な-adjectives and nouns when stressing uncertainty)

だろうか vs. かな

Both translate as "I wonder…" — but the level of certainty differs.

だろうか = I wonder… (low certainty; possibilities feel open-ended)

かな = I wonder… (higher certainty; the speaker leans toward one possibility)

Itadori to Megumi at the hospital, episode 1. His senpais were about to unwrap Sukuna's finger.

もしかして やばい？ → Wait, could this be bad?

もしかして = perhaps; possibly; by any chance [adverb]

もしかして is one of the softest hedges in Japanese—it opens a possibility without committing to it at all. Perfect for Itadori, who at this point still doesn't quite grasp what he's gotten himself into.

Links to check out

んだろう grammar

[languagestudymaterials]

Japanese よう grammar: expressing similarity and assumption

～よう covers two main meanings in Japanese: expressing similarities and making assumptions. It's not the most perplexing structure out there, but it can get slippery in certain contexts — here's how it works, with examples from Naruto and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Context: Konan to herself, after Obito fell into her water tunnel and failed to dodge all the explosive notes.

時空の移動は失敗のような → It looks like the space-time movement failed.

時空 (じくう) = space-time

移動 (いどう) = movement

失敗 (しっぱい) = failure; mistake [noun]

のような = looks like; is like; similar to

Konan is making an objective observation — she can see the result of what just happened in front of her. Something occurred in the past (Obito tried to move through space-time), and the visible outcome tells her it didn't work. That's よう in a nutshell.

I don't remember the translation for that jutsu, hence 'space-time movement'.

The concept

～よう can express several things depending on context:

Comparing one thing to something else (similarity)

An objective guess based on observable evidence or contextual knowledge

Something that happened in the past with a visible result in the present

Conveying the feelings or actions of others

Exemplification ("something like…")

Aims and goals (with ように)

When よう appears at the end of a sentence, it expresses assumptions. When it appears in the middle of a sentence flanked by particles, it expresses similarities.

Look like vs. seem — a quick distinction

Both "look like" and "seem" are common translations for よう — but they're not identical in English, and understanding the difference helps with translation choices.

Look like / appears is used when there's something you can actually see; observable evidence; an expressed similarity.

It looks like you're going to lose! — Your opponent is struggling; you can see the evidence right in front of you.

Seem is used for perceived conditions, educated guesses, or when you're not entirely certain.

It seems Madara is back! — You haven't seen him yet, but rumors, explosions, and strange events suggest it.

If Madara were standing right in front of you, you'd say "It looks like Madara is back." In practice, English speakers often use these interchangeably — which is exactly why translating よう can be tricky. Context tells you whether the speaker is observing or guessing.

Grammar mechanics

よう is a noun and conjugates like one. What comes before and after it determines the form:

noun + の + よう — connecting two nouns, or with time-related words

よう + な + noun — when a noun follows

よう + に + verb — when a verb follows

よう + だ — to end a sentence (expresses assumption)

verb / な・い adjective + よう — placed directly before よう

よう + と + 言う (or other speech verbs) — "she said something like…"

When translating similarity sentences, start with what comes after よう, add "looks like" (or whatever sounds natural), then finish with what comes before it.

Examples — Naruto

Obito to himself, while fighting Kakashi.

イヤ誰でもいずれ・・・オレのようになるのだからな → No matter who… sooner or later, they will become like me.

いずれ = sooner or later; eventually

誰でも (だれでも) = whoever; anyone (pronoun + でも adds an "any-" nuance)

だから = and for that reason… (refers back to what was said before — Kakashi's words about Naruto)

オレのようになる = noun + の + よう + に + verb → become (になる) like (のよう) me (オレ)

Similarity: Obito is comparing a future state of others to his own current state. のように connects the comparison to the verb.

Madara, watching the Shinobi Alliance.

あまり計画通りに事が運んでいないようだな → It looks like things aren't going quite according to plan.

計画通り (けいかくどおり) = in accordance with plans; just as planned

運ぶ (はこぶ) = to go (well); to proceed; to progress

あまり + negative verb = not much; not quite

よう here because Madara can observe the situation directly—the gathered shinobi are visible proof that Obito's plan didn't go as intended. Something happened in the past; the present scene shows the result. よう + だ at the end of the sentence signals assumption from observable evidence.

Jiraiya about Naruto, to Tsunade, before leaving for Amegakure.

ワシからしたら孫を見とるようとでも言おうかの. → For me, it's like watching my grandchild.

ワシからしたら = for me; from my perspective

孫 (まご) = grandchild

〜とでも言おうか = "let me describe it as…" / "I'll even say that…" (言おう = volitional; で = as; も = emphasis)

の at the end has no specific meaning—it just makes Jiraiya sound like the old man he is

よう + と + 言う — Jiraiya is framing his feelings by describing them as something ("it's like watching my grandchild"). He's not literally comparing Naruto to his grandchild; he's expressing how it feels to him. A natural alternative: "I've even started seeing him as my grandchild."

Obito to Konan, during their fight in Amegakure.

暁を弥彦に立ち上げるように仕向けたのはオレだ → I was the one who got Yahiko to start Akatsuki.

仕向ける (しむける) = to induce; to tempt (someone to do something)

立ち上げる (たちあげる) = to start; to launch (a project or organization)

に = marks the target of the inducement (towards Yahiko)

Here ように expresses an aim or desired state. The structure is: (desired outcome) + ように + action taken to achieve it. Obito engineered a situation so that a specific result would occur—Yahiko starting Akatsuki. Literal reading: "Inducing Yahiko so that Akatsuki would be launched was my doing."

Compare with similarity sentences:

神のような力だ. → God-like power. (Power that resembles a god's power.)

彼は本物のマダラのように話しているな. → He's talking just like the real Madara.

In both cases, よう sits between two things being compared. In the Obito/Akatsuki example, ように marks purpose—a very different nuance, signaled entirely by context and what surrounds it.

Links to check out

みたい — expressing similarities

[みたい vs. よう vs. そう — soon]

[languagestudymaterials]

～みたい grammar—expressing similarities

みたい covers the same ground as よう — expressing similarities and assumptions—but it's more conversational and casual. If よう sounds a little stiff between friends, みたい is the natural alternative.

Examples in this post come from Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia.

The concept

みたい is a noun—just like よう. The same basic rules apply: to express past tense, change だ to だった. One thing to watch out for: if you change みたい to みたかった, you get "I wanted to" — a completely different meaning.

When translating sentences with みたい, start with what comes after it (like), then translate what comes before it (the thing being compared).

Grammar mechanics

You can put any part of speech before みたい with no particle needed—just remember to drop な from な-adjectives, and always use casual (plain) forms, never formal ones.

[whatever] + みたい + に + verb

[whatever] + みたい + に + adverb + verb

[whatever] + みたい + な + noun

[whatever] + みたい + だ (end of sentence)

[whatever] + みたい + に + adjective

〜て + みたい = expressing desires

みたい vs. よう

For the most part, よう and みたい are interchangeable—but not always. The key exception is when you want to say "as" in the sense of doing something in the same manner or following someone's example. In those cases, only よう works.

Compare these two situations:

Mike runs like Naruto—his running style resembles Naruto's. You look at him and think: "Is that Naruto?" → Both よう and みたい work here. It's about resemblance.

Mike, just like Rock Lee, sucks at ninjutsu—they do it in the same way. → Only よう is possible. This isn't about looks or resemblance; it's about manner and method.

A handy test: try rephrasing your sentence with the word "resemble." If it works, both よう and みたい are fine. If it doesn't, stick with よう.

前に話したように… → Just as I told you before… (same manner, same message — よう only)

思うようにいかないものだ。 → Things don't go as planned.

思う = to think; to plan

いかない = doesn't go

Itachi said this to Kabuto during the war arc. He's not saying things resemble a plan—he's saying they don't proceed in the manner he intended. よう only.

Back to Minato's line: he wants his son to resemble the protagonist. Resemblance → both work. You could replace みたい with よう and say こんな主人公ような忍びになってくれたらいいな with no problem.

Examples — Jujutsu Kaisen

Itadori's grandfather to Itadori, episode 1. His last words before he died.

俺みたいになるなよ → Don't become a person like me.

なるなよ = imperative negative of なる; fairly blunt—Itadori's grandfather was old and didn't mince words

Shortly after, Gojo asked Itadori who had died. の here means "person" — it works like "one" in English ("This one is fine"), so you don't have to repeat the same noun twice.

じいちゃん. でも 親みたいなもんかな. → Granddad. But in a way, he was more like a parent.

もんか = used when talking about something you're not entirely sure about; softens the statement

Gojo to Itadori, after Itadori decides to eat all of Sukuna's fingers.

いいね！君みたいのは嫌いじゃない → Great! I don't hate people like you!

の here is the same の as in 亡くなったのは — it stands in for a noun ("people," "someone") so Gojo doesn't have to spell it out.

Itadori to Sukuna, episode 12. Itadori fought Mahito and begged Sukuna to fix Junpei, just as Sukuna had once fixed his heart.

俺の心臓を治した時みたいに― → Just like when you fixed my heart—

治す (なおす) = to fix

心臓 (しんぞう) = heart (the organ)

Itadori isn't asking Sukuna to follow the exact same steps—he's comparing two situations that resemble each other. 俺の心臓を治した is a relative clause describing 時 (the time/moment). Resemblance → みたい works perfectly.

Examples — Naruto

Context: Minato to Jiraiya. Jiraiya was dying and had a walk down memory lane. They talked about his new book, and Kushina showed up with a huge baby belly.

こんな主人公みたいな忍びになってくれたらいいな → I hope [my son] becomes a shinobi like the protagonist.

主人公 (しゅじんこう) = protagonist; main character

忍び (しのび) = shinobi; ninja

〜てくれたらいい = it would be good if…

みたい = like (similarity)

Kabuto to Itachi, war arc. Itachi tracked down Kabuto's hideout.

運が回ってきたどころじゃないみたいだね！ → Looks like you've had more than just a stroke of luck.

運 (うん) = fortune; luck

運が回ってきた = lit. "the wheel of fortune turned in my favor"; in everyday speech: ついてるな

どころじゃない = far from; more than (formal: どころではない)

Here みたい is used in its modality sense—Kabuto is making an observation about the situation ("it looks like"). A good reminder that みたい covers both similarity and appearance/inference depending on context.

Examples — My Hero Academia

Deku, after receiving his pro hero license.

成長してるなって印みたいで…. 何か… うれしいんだ → It's like a sign that I'm growing up. It makes me happy.

成長 (せいちょう) = growth; growing up [suru verb]

印 (しるし) = mark; sign

って = marks a quotation here

な = sentence-ending particle

何か = somehow; kind of; for some reason (used when you can't quite put a feeling into words)

Deku is saying the license looks like a sign that reads "I'm growing." 成長してるなって is a quoted thought describing 印.

Todoroki to Inasa, after the pro hero exam. Inasa had just told Todoroki "I hate you" — and then added:

あの時より いくらか雰囲気 変わったみたいっすけど […] → It looks like something's changed since back then.

雰囲気 (ふんいき) = atmosphere; mood; aura; feel

あの時より = compared to that time (comparative form)

っす = contraction of です; technically polite, but it has the energy of someone who feels obligated to be polite without really committing to it

Inasa is comparing Todoroki now to the first time they met. みたい here expresses his observation—he's not certain, just noting that something seems different.

Links to check out

よう — expressing similarities

[みたい vs. よう vs. そう — soon]

[languagestudymaterials]

～そう grammar

Is it an educated guess or just pure hearsay? In this quick guide, I break down its two major meanings (and a few advanced ones) using scenes from JJK, MHA, and Naruto.

～そう is one of those structures that looks simple on the surface but hides a surprising amount of nuance. There are two major meanings: one belongs to the realm of modality (making educated guesses), and the other is used when reporting information you heard from someone else (hearsay). Advanced learners will know there are other possible interpretations too—we'll touch on those briefly at the end.

The concept—modal そう

When そう expresses modality, it means the speaker is making a judgment based on what they can observe— their own impression, the appearance of something, or a situation that seems to be heading in a certain direction. Think of it as an educated guess grounded in visible or immediate evidence.

In English, we express this kind of judgment with phrases like:

looks like / seems like

is going to (based on evidence)

is about to

I feel like

A classic example from English teaching: It's going to rain—because the sky is dark and you can already feel the first drops. You gathered evidence and reached a conclusion. That's exactly what そう does in Japanese.

雨が降りそうだ。 → It looks like it's going to rain.

Don't confuse そう with つもり. Both can translate to "going to" in English, but つもり expresses intention—what the speaker has decided to do—not an observation about the world around them.

Grammar mechanics

i-adjective: drop い + そう (e.g., おいしい → おいしそう)

na-adjective: drop な + そう (e.g., 元気な → 元気そう)

verb: pre-masu stem + そう (e.g., 降る → 降りそう)

negative: drop い from ない + そう → なさそう

そう expresses judgments about present or future events. For past and present observations based on broader evidence or reasoning, Japanese uses よう or みたい instead.

そう vs. よう — a quick distinction

Both そう and よう are sometimes translated as "looks" or "seems" in English—which is where the confusion starts. In English, the difference between look and seem is blurry. In Japanese, the distinction is much cleaner.

そう is based on direct visual impression—how something appears to the senses right now. よう draws on everything the speaker knows about a situation—broader inference, not just surface appearance.

このケーキはおいしそうだ。 → This cake looks delicious. (I can see it; it looks good to me.)

彼は怒っているようだ。 → He seems angry. (Based on everything I know about him and the situation.)

The cake example works with そう because the judgment is immediate and visual—and subjective. Someone else might look at the same cake and disagree. That's the key: そう always marks the speaker's personal, subjective assumption.

Examples—Jujutsu Kaisen

Gojo, after Itadori agrees to eat Sukuna's fingers. Gojo is pleased with how things are turning out.

楽しい地獄になりそうだ → Looks like it'll be one hell of a fun time.

Gojo has no concrete visual evidence that things will be "fun" — he's making a subjective prediction about a future situation. That's exactly what そう is for. Whether Itadori would describe it the same way is another matter entirely. そう makes it clear this is Gojo's read on things, not an objective fact.

Examples—Naruto Shippuden

Jiraiya, episode 132. He's observing a situation and trying to figure out what's going on.

何か… ネタがありそうですのぉ → There's some trick to it...

ネタ = material; trick; source

ありそう = pre-masu form of ある + そう

The translation doesn't use "seems" or "looks like" explicitly—but "there's some trick to it" still implies that Jiraiya is guessing. He doesn't actually know. そう is there because this is his subjective read on the present situation, not a confirmed fact. It's a good reminder that そう doesn't always map to a visible English equivalent—sometimes the guessing is baked into the phrasing itself.

Examples—My Hero Academia

A villain, after injecting himself with a quirk booster. He can feel the effect immediately.

兄貴ら 助けられそうよ → I feel like I can save my brothers now.

"I feel like" is a good translation here—it sits squarely in the realm of modality and signals a subjective judgment. The villain is sensing something in the present (the booster's effect) and projecting it forward: he'll be able to act in the immediate future. Present observation → future event. That's そう.

The second meaning — hearsay そうだ

Hearsay そうだ can attach to verbs, adjectives, and nouns in their plain forms. Modality そう cannot attach to nouns or な-adjectives with な—it drops the な first.

When そうだ attaches to a plain form verb or sentence (rather than a conjugated adjective or verb stem), it shifts meaning entirely—from "it looks like" to "I heard that."

彼は来ないそうだ。 → I heard he's not coming.

The speaker isn't making a guess here—they're reporting something they were told. The source is external, not the speaker's own observation. The attachment point is the key to telling the two meanings apart: hearsay そうだ follows a complete plain-form clause; modality そう attaches directly to the verb stem or adjective.

Sasaki explaining why the rugby pitch is out of use, Jujutsu Kaisen episode 1.

奇妙な物音や声を聞いたそうです → (They said) they heard strange noises and voices.

奇妙 (きみょう) = strange; odd

物音 (ものおと) = sounds [noun]

聞いた = past tense plain form → hearsay そうだ

聞いた is in the plain past form—that's how you know this is the reporting structure, not modality. Sasaki is passing on information she heard from someone else.

Another senpai clarifies the real reason.

マダニが原因だそうだ → They say it was caused by ticks.

マダニ = tick [the insect]

原因 (げんいん) = cause; source

Noun + だ + そうだ — the plain copula だ before そうだ is another marker of the hearsay structure. The speaker heard this and is passing it along, no personal judgment involved.

Grammar mechanics—hearsay そうだ

verb (plain form) + そうだ

noun + だ + そうだ

い-adjective + そうだ

な-adjective + だ + そうだ

Hearsay そうだ can attach to verbs, adjectives, and nouns in their plain forms. Modality そう cannot attach to nouns or な-adjectives with な — it drops the な first.

Takeaways

そうだ is used for subjective judgments about present and future events, and for reporting someone else's words. In summary:

Modality そう — attaches to verb stems and adjective stems; expresses the speaker's subjective impression; refers to present or future; translates as "looks like," "seems like," "is about to," "I feel like"

Hearsay そうだ — attaches to plain-form clauses; reports something the speaker heard from someone else; translates as "I heard that," "apparently," "they say that"

One last thing on そう vs. よう.

You can say このケーキはおいしいようだ — but only with the right context. Imagine you see someone eating the cake; not just eating it, but devouring it like they haven't eaten in days, repeating うまい with every bite. That is visible evidence. Their reaction is your proof, and that's what allows you to use ようだ. Without that kind of observable, external evidence, そう is the right call—because it's your assumption, and yours alone.

Quick reference

Modality: そう — attaches to verb stems and adjective stems; expresses the speaker's subjective impression; refers to present or future; translates as "looks like," "seems like," "is about to," "I feel like".

Hearsay: そうだ — attaches to plain-form clauses; reports something the speaker heard from someone else; translates as "I heard that," "apparently," "they say that".

Links to check out

[みたい vs. よう vs. そう — soon]

[languagestudymaterials]

～まるで—meaning and theory

First things first: it doesn't mean "as if." Here is a quick, bite-sized breakdown of the theory and meaning behind this word so you can finally understand it and use it like a native.

お前も この小僧も― 呪いの何たるかを― まるで分かっていないなあ → You, and this brat—you don't understand curses at all.

まるで ～ない = not… at all. 

No "as if" anywhere in the translation—and rightly so. Here, まるで works purely as an intensifier.

～まるで grammar

If you look it up on jisho.org, you'll find two entries:

quite; entirely; completely; at all (adverb/intensifier)

as if; as though; just like

In practice, this breaks down into three patterns:

まるで + [negative verb] = not… at all

まるで + [any part of speech] = quite; practically

まるで ～ よう / みたい = as if; as though

これはまるで戦争だ。 → This is practically a war.

"Practically" is the most natural English equivalent here—it's doing the same job as まるで: intensifying.

The "as if" confusion

This tripped me up for a long time. I kept thinking that まるで meant "as if/as though"—but it doesn't.

It's よう and みたい that carry the "as if" nuance. まるで only strengthens the meaning. Compare:

これはまるで戦争だ。 → This is practically a war. これは戦争のようだ。 → It looks like war. これはまるで戦争のようだ。 → This is EXACTLY like war. (It looks just as if it were a war.)

まるで is very common in metaphors and similes—it stresses just how much something resembles something else. Translating it directly into English can feel awkward, but in Japanese it's a natural way to add emphasis.

A quick note on そう It's not commonly paired with まるで. そう expresses a fairly weak guess; まるで is all about strengthening your statement—the two pull in opposite directions. そう also tends to refer to future events or inferences, while みたい suggests that whatever you're looking at resembles something right in front of you.

Real-life problem

I posted a question on WordReference and got these two sentences back:

私はまるで夢の中にいたようだった。 → I felt as if I were dreaming. 私は夢の中にいたようだった。 → I felt like I was dreaming.

And I was confused all over again—both English sentences sound identical to me.

A lot of websites list まるで ～よう/みたい = "as if/as though," which doesn't help. The thing is, よう and みたい have many possible translations depending on what sounds natural. Formal text? You'll reach for "as if." Casual conversation? "Looks like" or just "like" will do.

And honestly, "it seems as if," "it seems like," "it appears as though," and "it looks like" all mean the same thing in English. Japanese gives you fewer options: よう or みたい, with まるで available to dial up the intensity when you need it.

Maybe I was the only one confused by this. If I wasn't, though, I hope this helped.