Lesson30:Additional Expression2-More Essential Japanese Expressions from GENKI Ⅱ

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Here are some more incredibly useful Japanese expressions that will help you communicate more naturally in daily conversations.

「てしまう」 (Te Shimau): Completely Do / Accidentally Do / Regrettably Do

This versatile expression attaches to the te-form of a verb and conveys several nuances, often related to completion or an unexpected outcome.

  • Meaning:
    1. Completion/Ending: An action is finished completely, quickly, or irrevocably.
    2. Regret/Unfortunate Result: An action happened contrary to one’s intentions, leading to regret or an unfortunate outcome.
    3. Emphasis: To emphasize the finality of an action or its comprehensive result.
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Complete/Quick Completion:
      • A: 宿題 (しゅくだい)、終わった？ (Finished your homework?)
      • B: うん、さっき全部 (ぜんぶ)やってしまったよ。 (Yeah, I finished it all just now.)
      • A: このケーキ、一人 (ひとり) で全部 (ぜんぶ) 食 (た) べちゃった！ (I ended up eating this whole cake by myself!)
        • (Note: 「〜てしまう」 often shortens to 「〜ちゃう」 in casual speech, and 「〜でしまう」 shortens to 「〜じゃう」.)
    • Regret/Unfortunate Outcome:
      • A: あ、財布 (さいふ) を電車 (でんしゃ) に忘 (わす) れてしまった！ (Oh, I left my wallet on the train! [Regrettably])
      • B: 大事 (だいじ) な書類 (しょるい) をなくしちゃった… (I lost an important document… [Unfortunately])
    • Emphasis:
      • A: もうお酒 (さけ) 飲 (の) んでしまって大丈夫 (だいじょうぶ)？ (You’ve already drunk sake, are you okay?)

「のように／のような」 (No Yō ni / No Yō na): Like / Similar to / As If

These expressions are used to make comparisons, describe appearances, or state how something is done.

  • Meaning:
    1. Like / Similar to: To show resemblance between two things.
    2. As if / As though: To describe how something appears or happens.
    3. In a way that / As: To describe the manner in which an action is performed.
  • How to Form:
    • Noun + のように (adverbial, modifies a verb/adjective)
    • Noun + のような + Noun (adjectival, modifies a noun)
    • Verb (Plain form) + ように (adverbial, describes manner)
    • い-Adjective (Plain form) + ように (adverbial)
    • な-Adjective + なように (adverbial)
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Comparison (Noun):
      • A: 彼 (かれ) は子供 (こども) のように無邪気 (むじゃき) だね。 (He’s innocent like a child.)
      • B: あの子 (こ) は人形 (にんぎょう) のような目 (め) をしている。 (That child has eyes like a doll.)
    • Describing Manner/Appearance (Verb/Adjective):
      • A: 夢 (ゆめ) を見 (み) るように眠 (ねむ) っていた。 (He was sleeping as if dreaming.)
      • B: 新 (あたら) しい社長 (しゃちょう) は、とても厳 (きび) しいように見 (み) える。 (The new president looks as if they are very strict.)
    • As instructed/As usual:
      • A: いつものようにやればいいよ。 (Just do it as always.)
      • B: 先生 (せんせい) が言 (い) ったように、宿題 (しゅくだい) をやりました。 (I did my homework as the teacher said.)

「はず」 (Hazu): Should / Is Expected to / It must be

「はず」 expresses expectation, presumption, or certainty based on some information or reasoning. It implies a high probability or a logical conclusion.

  • Meaning:
    1. Expected to / Should: Indicates a strong expectation or likelihood that something is true or will happen.
    2. Must be / Is supposed to: Expresses a logical conclusion or a firm belief based on evidence.
    3. はずがない / はずはない: (Negative) It’s impossible; there’s no way that…
  • How to Form:
    • Verb (Plain form) + はずだ
    • い-Adjective (Plain form) + はずだ
    • な-Adjective + なはずだ
    • Noun + のはずだ
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Strong Expectation/Likelihood:
      • A: 田中 (たなか) さん、もう着 (つ) いているはずだよ。 (Tanaka-san should have arrived by now.)
      • B: 明日 (あした) は晴 (は) れるはずだ。 (It’s expected to be sunny tomorrow.)
    • Logical Conclusion/Firm Belief:
      • A: 彼 (かれ) は日本 (にほん) に10年 (ねん) 住 (す) んでいたから、日本語 (にほんご) が上手 (じょうず) なはずだ。 (He lived in Japan for 10 years, so his Japanese must be good.)
    • Negative (Impossibility):
      • A: 彼 (かれ) がそんなことをするはずがない！ (There’s no way he would do such a thing!)
      • B: 鍵 (かぎ) はここにあるはずはない。 (The key can’t be here.)

「ないで」 (Naide): Without Doing / Don’t Do (and Instead…)

This expression has two primary uses: indicating what you don’t do while doing something else, or issuing a negative command in a softer tone.

  • Meaning:
    1. Without doing X / Instead of doing X: Describes an action performed while another action is not performed.
    2. Don’t do X (and do Y): A soft command or request to not do something, often followed by an alternative action.
  • How to Form: Attach to the nai-form (ない形) of a verb.
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Without Doing X:
      • A: 朝食 (ちょうしょく) を食 (た) べないで会社 (かいしゃ) に来 (き) ました。 (I came to work without eating breakfast.)
      • B: メガネをかけないで本 (ほん) を読 (よ) む。 (I read books without wearing my glasses.)
    • Don’t Do X (and do Y):
      • A: ここで待 (ま) たないで、中 (なか) に入 (はい) ってください。 (Don’t wait here; please go inside.)
      • B: 質問 (しつもん) があれば、遠慮 (えんりょ) しないで聞 (き) いてください。 (If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.)

「〜やすい／〜にくい」 (Yasui / Nikui): Easy to Do / Difficult to Do

These suffixes describe the ease or difficulty of performing an action or of a quality.

  • Meaning:
    1. 〜やすい (Yasui): Easy to do / Prone to: Indicates that an action is easy to perform, or that something tends to happen easily (prone to).
    2. 〜にくい (Nikui): Difficult to do / Hard to: Indicates that an action is difficult to perform, or that something is resistant to a certain quality.
  • How to Form: Attach to the masu-stem (マス形) of a verb (remove -masu from the masu-form).
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Easy/Difficult to Do (Action):
      • A: このペンはとても書 (か) きやすい。 (This pen is very easy to write with.)
      • B: この靴 (くつ) は歩 (ある) きにくいね。 (These shoes are difficult to walk in.)
    • Prone to / Hard to (Quality):
      • A: 彼 (かれ) は緊張 (きんちょう) すると、声 (こえ) が出 (で) にくい。 (When he gets nervous, it’s hard for his voice to come out.)
      • B: この素材 (そざい) は汚 (よご) れやすいから気 (き) をつけて。 (This material gets dirty easily, so be careful.)

「〜ことにする／〜ことにしている」 (Koto ni Suru / Koto ni Shite Iru): Decide to Do / Make a Habit of Doing

These expressions describe decisions and habits related to actions.

  • Meaning:
    1. 〜ことにする (Koto ni suru): Decide to do / Make a decision to do: Expresses a personal decision about an action.
    2. 〜ことにしている (Koto ni shite iru): Make a habit of doing / Make it a rule to do: Expresses a personal decision that has become a regular habit or rule.
  • How to Form: Attach to a verb’s plain form (dictionary form or nai-form).
  • How to Use (Conversation Examples):
    • Personal Decision (〜ことにする):
      • A: 来週 (らいしゅう) からジョギングをすることにした。 (I decided to start jogging from next week.)
      • B: 今日 (きょう) はもう何 (なに) も食 (た) べないことにする。 (I decided not to eat anything else today.)
    • Habit/Rule (〜ことにしている):
      • A: 毎朝 (まいあさ) 6時 (ろくじ) に起 (お) きることにしている。 (I make a point of waking up at 6 AM every morning.)
      • B: 夜 (よる) 10時 (じ) 以降 (いこう) はスマホを使 (つか) わないことにしている。 (I make it a rule not to use my smartphone after 10 PM.)

These expressions are cornerstones of natural Japanese communication. Practice them in various contexts, and you’ll find your conversations becoming much smoother and more expressive!

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