also: おんなじ · おんなし
noun-modifying (irregular), na-adjective
Used to indicate that two or more things are not different. Functions as a prenominal adjective (同じ本) or as a na-adjective in predicate position (同じだ).
彼は私と同じ学校に通っている。
He goes to the same school as me.
These two boxes are the same size.
adverb
anyway; if one must; as long as
Used in the pattern 同じ…なら to mean 'if it's the same (effort/circumstance), then...' or 'as long as one is doing it anyway'. Often implies making the best of a situation.
同じ行くなら、早いほうがいい。
If we're going anyway, it's better to go early.
同じ買うなら、質のいいものを選びたい。
If I'm going to buy it anyway, I want to choose something of good quality.