even, not even, as long as

Intermediate

20-25 min

very common

Expert Reviewed

Explanation

Adds emphasis, often with surprising or minimal examples.

[Noun] + さえ / [Verb ます-form] + さえ + しない

彼は挨拶さえしない。

Kare wa aisatsu sae shinai.

He does not even say hello.

子供でさえ知っている。

Kodomo de sae shitte iru.

Even children know this.

でさえ is used after nouns for "even X".

～さえ～ば

if only, as long as

～ために (tame ni)

in order to ~, for the purpose of ~

～のに (noni)

although ~, despite ~, even though ~

～にもかかわらず

despite ~, in spite of ~

～ようになる

come to ~, become able to ~, reach the point where ~

Use to emphasize surprising or extreme examples.

JLPTBooks Editorial Team

Japanese Language Education Specialists

Last updated: Jan 2

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