Grammar reference

Japanese grammar reference by JLPT level

Browse 862 individual explanations and 50 guides that compare related forms in context.

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ある・いるExistence: inanimate and animateN5

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4 guides

読よめ・なさい・てごらん・てはいけない・するな・てはならない・べからず・あるまじきRegister guide

Commands and prohibitions by strength and settingChoose a directive by asking three things: are you telling someone to act or not to act, do you have a clear reason to control that person’s action, and is the setting conversational, instructional, formal, or deliberately literary? These forms are not simply rungs on one politeness ladder. A polite ending can still impose a firm rule, while an old-fashioned form may sound measured without being respectful.11 points · N5–N4–N3–N2–N1

かもしれない・得うる・かねない・おそれがあるChoice guide

Choosing between possibility and riskStart by asking whether you are simply leaving a possibility open or deliberately presenting a danger. Use かもしれない for ordinary uncertainty and 得る for analytical statements about what can happen in principle. For a bad outcome, かねない sounds like the speaker's warning or criticism, while おそれがある presents an assessed risk in formal, often official language.4 points · N4–N2

気ぎ味み・がち・っぽい・傾けい向こうがある・きらいがあるChoice guide

Choosing how to describe a tendencyChoose by asking three questions: Is this a mild condition visible now, a pattern that keeps recurring, or a broader trend supported by observations? Then consider tone. 気味 marks a slight current sign, がち an often undesirable recurring pattern, っぽい a casual resemblance or disposition, 傾向がある an analytical trend, and きらいがある a formally criticized fault or bias.5 points · N3–N2–N1

はずがない・わけがない・っこない・とても～ない・ようがない・べくもない・どうにも～ない・には無む理りがあるChoice guide

Choosing the right kind of impossibilityEnglish “there is no way” covers several different judgments. Japanese normally makes you choose what is impossible: a claim may conflict with the facts, a task may exceed practical capacity, an intended action may be blocked, or no method may exist at all. Identify that diagnosis first; strength and register come second.10 points · N4–N3–N2–N1

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57 grammar points