In English, we often use “whether or not~” in various contexts.  But do you know how to express this phrase in Japanese?

Whether or not you know how, in today’s blog we examine the JLPT N4 grammar point: 〜かどうか – meaning “whether or not”.  This is a useful word to know as it has different uses in the Japanese language.

First watch Yuka-sensei explain it in the video above, and then recap with this companion blog!

How to Use the JLPT N4 Grammar Point: 〜かどうか (whether or not~)

As stated in the introduction, this JLPT N4 grammar point simply translates to “whether or not” in Japanese: 〜かどうか.  It can also be translated to mean “I don’t know if~”.

The form is:

Short form  +  かどうか  +  わかりません

At the end of the sentence, there are other words you can swap out with わかりません。These include: 覚えていません (I do not remember), 忘れました (I forgot), まだ決めていません (mada kimete imasen), and other words like these.

Let’s look at some examples!

Example 1

A: 今年の夏休みに旅行に行きますか？
kotoshi no natsu yasumi ni ryokou ni ikimasu ka?
Are you going to travel anywhere this summer?

B: 旅行に行くかどうかまだ決めていません。
ryokou ni iku ka dou ka mada kimete imasen.
I haven’t decided yet whether or not I will travel.

In this example, Yuka-sensei obviously does not know yet if she will travel for the summer or not.

Another way of translating this is: “I haven’t decided if I will travel or not yet.”

Let’s look at another example.

Example 2

今年、JLPTを受けるかどうか分かりません。
kotoshi, JLPT o ukeru ka dou ka wakarimasen.
I don’t know whether or not I will take the JLPT this year.

Here, Yuka-sensei is asked if she will take the JLPT this year or not.  But she doesn’t know!

This is why she replies with “I don’t know whether or not / 〜かどうか分かりません.”

The sentence structure is quite simple.  The short form verb JLPTを受ける “to take the JLPT” followed by 〜かどうか分かりません “I don’t know whether or not~”.

Most likely, however, she won’t need to take it as a native speaker 😉

So we have figured out verbs – but what about adjectives?

Example 3

便利かどうか分かりません。
benri ka dou ka wakarimasen.
I don’t know whether or not it is convenient.

便利 (benri) – “convenient” – is a な adjective.  Typically な adjectives are followed by だ.  However to use them with 〜かどうか, omit だ.

This rule applies for nouns as well.
Ex: 無料むりょうかどうか (whether it is free or not).

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We have yet another JLPT grammar blog post for you!  In this article, we review Nami-sensei’s video on how to use the JLPT N4 grammar point: ながら (Nagara) meaning “while”.

You may have read some of our previous blogs about the English word “while”.  However, as you are probably aware, there are different translations for some English words into Japanese!  Such as “during” (JLPT N4), and “while you are there~” (JLPT N3).  If you want to review those other words – go right ahead!

Otherwise, review Nami-sensei’s video above with this blog entry~

How to Use the JLPT N4 Grammar: ながら (nagara)

This grammar point ながら (nagara) is used to describe doing 2 actions at once.  Specifically, it means doing one thing “while” (nagara) doing another.  The direct translations are: while; during; as; simultaneously.

The action order is very important for using this grammar point.  The less important of the two actions is the first one, while the most important goes second.

The sentence structure is: action A ながら action B.

A is the least important of the 2, while B is the more important one.

The form is: ます form verb, replace ます with ながら + Action B.

Let’s look at some examples.

Example 1

ネットフリックスを見ながら、ビールを飲みます。
nettofurikkusu o minagara, biiru o nomimasu.
I watch Netflix while drinking beer.

In this example from the video above, Nami-sensei is obviously describing doing these 2 actions at the same time.  But for her, the more important action is drinking beer – which is why this action goes at the end of the sentence.

Nami-sensei enjoys Netflix, but she REALLY likes beer.  So for her, Netflix is secondary → ネットフリックスを見ながら…

But say you wanted to switch it up?  Maybe drinking beer is not as important for you as watching Netflix.
Easy:

ビールを飲みながら、ネットフリックスを見ます。

Let’s look at another example.

Example 2

大学に行きながら、COTOで仕事をします。
Daigaku ni ikinagara, COTO de shigoto o shimasu.
I go to school (university) while working at Coto.

In this example, you can see that ながら can also be used for a longer timespan – and not just simultaneous actions.  Nami-sensei works at Coto every week from Monday to Wednesday, and she goes to university every Thursday and Friday.

For her, working at Coto is more important than her university – so the action of going to school goes first.

大学に行きながら…

As you can see, this is an action that can span out across many months.  So this grammar point is not restricted to just short term actions.

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We have another JLPT grammar blog for you!  This one is a companion to the Youtube video above, in which Yuka-sensei teaches us the JLPT N4 Grammar: しよう Shiyou – volitional form “let’s do!”.

This is a Japanese grammar word that is used in daily life as well as on the JLPT – so it is definitely worth your time to memorize!

First watch the video above, and then review with this blog article!

How to Use JLPT N4 Grammar: しよう (shiyou) “Let’s do~” in Japanese

In Japanese, the volitional form is used quite frequently.  In this particular context, しよう (shiyou) is used in a friendly way to say “Let’s do~ xyz”.  Other ways of using volitional form can be to give light-sounding commands to someone beneath you.  But in this blog post we are just looking at using it to say “Let’s do!” in Japanese.

しよう(shiyou) is the causal/plain form of しましょう (shimashou) meaning, “let’s do(it)”.  This is the volitional form of the verb する (suru) meaning “to do” (Verb group 3 – see conjugation below).

Because this is a verb form (volitional form) there are 3 different ways to conjugate depending on the group.
These conjugations are all plain form/casual form.

Group I – う Verb Endings

For group 1 verbs, change the う (u) ending to an おう (ou) sound ending.

買かう(to buy) → 買かおう

行いく(to go) → 行いこう

遊あそぶ(to play) → 遊あそぼう

Group II – る Verb Endings

Group 2 is easy – just replace the る (ru) ending with よう (yō).

見みる(to see) → 見みよう

食たべる(to eat) → 食たべよう

Group III  – Irregular verbs

These are irregular verbs, so there is no rule – just memorize the 2 verbs!

する(to do) → しよう

来くる(to come) → 来こよう

Let’s look at some of Yuka-sensei’s examples!

Sentence Examples

Example 1

A: 週末、うちでバーベキューしない？
shuu matsu, uchi de bābekyū shinai?
This weekend, want to have a BBQ at my place?

B: うん、いいね！しよう！
un, ii ne! shiyou!
Yeah, sounds good! Let’s do it!

This example is quite straightforward.  Yuka-sensei B is saying “Let’s do it!” in agreement with Yuka-sensei A.

Looking at the conjugations above, する – to do – is an irregular verbs, so we just change it to しよう plain and simple.

Example 2

A: 12時はどう？
jyuu ni ji wa dou?
How does 12 o clock sound?

B: いいね！ 12時から始めようか？
ii ne! jyuu ni ji kara hajimeyou ka?
Great! Let’s start at at 12!

In this example, you may notice Yuka-sensei phrases it as a question.  However, this is common in Japanese due to the ambiguous use of the language.  While a literal translation might be “Shall we start at 12?” this phrase conveys more of a “let’s do!” sentiment.

始める is a group 2 “る” (ru) verb, so conjugation i easy!  Simply drop the る ending and replace it with よう.

As stated in above, a literal translation of this is more like “shall we?”

In Japanese, if you want to sound more inviting or polite to a friend in a casual way, you can use volitional form + か?

This will convey the sentiment of “let’s do!” without seeming forceful!

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We have another JLPT grammar blog for you!  This one is a companion to the Youtube video above, in which Yuka-sensei teaches us the JLPT N4 Grammar: しよう (shiyou) – volitional form “let’s do!”.
This is a Japanese grammar word that is used in daily life as well as on the JLPT – so it is definitely worth your time to memorize!
First watch the video above, and then review with this blog article!

How to Use JLPT N4 Grammar: しよう (shiyou) “Let’s do~” in Japanese

In Japanese, the volitional form is used quite frequently.  In this particular context, しよう (shiyou) is used in a friendly way to say “Let’s do~ xyz”.  Other ways of using volitional form can be to give light-sounding commands to someone beneath you.  But in this blog post we are just looking at using it to say “Let’s do!” in Japanese.
しよう(shiyou) is the causal/plain form of しましょう (shimashou) meaning, “let’s do(it)”.  This is the volitional form of the verb する (suru) meaning “to do” (Verb group 3 – see conjugation below).
Because this is a verb form (volitional form) there are 3 different ways to conjugate depending on the group.
These conjugations are all plain form/casual form.
Group I – う Verb Endings
For group 1 verbs, change the う (u) ending to an おう (ou) sound ending.
買かう(to buy) → 買かおう
行いく(to go) → 行いこう
遊あそぶ(to play) → 遊あそぼう
Group II – る Verb Endings
Group 2 is easy – just replace the る (ru) ending with よう (yō).
見みる(to see) → 見みよう
食たべる(to eat) → 食たべよう
Group III  – Irregular verbs
These are irregular verbs, so there is no rule – just memorize the 2 verbs!
する(to do) → しよう
来くる(to come) → 来こよう
Let’s look at some of Yuka-sensei’s examples!

Sentence Examples

Example 1

A: 週末、うちでバーベキューしない？
shuu matsu, uchi de bābekyū shinai?
This weekend, want to have a BBQ at my place?
B: うん、いいね！しよう！
un, ii ne! shiyou!
Yeah, sounds good! Let’s do it!
This example is quite straightforward.  Yuka-sensei B is saying “Let’s do it!” in agreement with Yuka-sensei A.
Looking at the conjugations above, する – to do – is an irregular verbs, so we just change it to しよう plain and simple.

Example 2

A: 12時はどう？
jyuu ni ji wa dou?
How does 12 o clock sound?
B: いいね！ 12時から始めようか？
ii ne! jyuu ni ji kara hajimeyou ka?
Great! Let’s start at at 12!
In this example, you may notice Yuka-sensei phrases it as a question.  However, this is common in Japanese due to the ambiguous use of the language.  While a literal translation might be “Shall we start at 12?” this phrase conveys more of a “let’s do!” sentiment.
始める is a group 2 “る” (ru) verb, so conjugation i easy!  Simply drop the る ending and replace it with よう.
As stated in above, a literal translation of this is more like “shall we?”
In Japanese, if you want to sound more inviting or polite to a friend in a casual way, you can use volitional form + か?
This will convey the sentiment of “let’s do!” without seeming forceful!

Interested in Online Group Japanese Lessons?

Want to learn Japanese online in a small-classroom environment?
We are thrilled to announce that as of April 1, 2021, we are offering Online Group Japanese Lessons!
Click the link to register a free account, or if you have any questions please send us an inquiry form at www.cotoacademy.com/contact

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KjZMzV4Ois
One of the great things about the Japanese language is that it’s grammar is rich with expressions.  Additionally, due to it’s ambiguous nature, Japanese has different nuanced ways of expressing transitional words.  Such as the word we are looking at today, JLPT N4 grammar point: のに (no ni).
First watch Yuka-sensei explain it in the video above, and then read this companion blog!

How to Use ~のに (no ni) in Japanese

Like Yuka-sensei says in the video, ~のに (no ni) is similar to でも (demo), meaning “but”.  However they are not entirely the same.  They also have different rules in how they are used.
For one thing, ~のに is used at the beginning of the sentence while でも is used at the beginning.  It also translates more to “although~” or “despite~” in English.
The form is:
Short form v/i-adjective + のに
N/na-adjective + な + のに
〜のに (no ni) also conveys more of a sense of “Why?” from the speaker.  In other words, it is a more emotionally loaded grammatical point.
Let’s dig into some examples!

Example 1:

今日はとても寒いのにTシャツを着ています。
Kyou wa totemo samui no ni t shatsu o kiteimasu.
Even though it’s so cold today, (he) is wearing a t-shirt.
In this sentence, Yuka-sensei is talking about a child wearing a t-shirt in the cold!  The “he” is inferred from the context.
This sentence expresses: even though it is so cold, why is he only wearing a t-shirt?  You can see here the feeling of “why” is in Yuka-sensei’s words.

Example 2:

昨日たくさん寝たのに眠いです。
Kinou takusan neta no ni, nemui desu.
Despite sleeping so much last night, I’m still sleepy.
This example is pretty straight forward.  Yuka-sensei slept a lot yesterday.  However, despite sleeping so much, for some reason she is still sleepy.
Got it?  This JLPT N4 grammar point is super easy to learn – and just as easy to use!  Try it out~
Looking for more JLPT Grammar points? Check out our blog!

Start taking Japanese lessons and pass JLPT N4 Exam!

In any language, knowing how to pass on information is crucial.  Thankfully in Japanese, it’s fairly simple to relay other people’s messages or words to another person.  The basic grammar point by which someone can relay messages in Japanese is: と言っていました (to itte imashita) meaning “Someone said that~”
This is a JLPT N4 grammar point, which means in addition to being a useful language tool in your Japanese toolbox – it is also a useful point to know for taking the JLPT.
Make sure to watch the Youtube video above before reading this companion blog article.

How to Use JLPT N4 Grammar: と言っていました

と言っていました means “said that~”.  As stated in the above paragraphs, it’s used to say “Someone said,  blah blah blah,” in Japanese.  It’s easy to use in everyday conversation.
The form is:
Short form verb / い Adj + と言っていた／と言っていました
Noun / な Adj + だ + と言っていた／と言っていました
This grammar point can be used in either casual speech or polite speech.  The above grammar rules apply to the end of whatever message or sentence you are relaying that someone else said.
Let’s look at some examples.

Examples Using “Someone Said That…” in Japanese

Example 1

明日ね、鈴木さん会議があると言っていました。
Ashita ne, suzuki san kaigi ga aru to itte imashita.
About tomorrow, Suzuki-san said that she has a meeting.
In this example from the video above, Nakamura-sensei is relaying to Yamada-san what Suzuki-san told her.  She easily uses と言っていました to simply repeat what Suzuki-san said.
Here, notice the use of the short form verb ある.  Even though Suzuki-san said 会議があります – which is polite – when relaying the message to Yamada-san, Nakamura-sensei only used the short form.
However, this is not impolite at all.  It is a natural and approriate use of this grammar point, and the ます form ending of the sentence makes it polite: 会議があると言っていました。

Example 2

鈴木さん、お寿司は好きじゃないと言っていました。
Suzuki-san, o sushi wa suki janai to itte imashita.
Suzuki-san said she doesn’t like sushi.
Now we have gone up a step.  This example uses a negative な adjective.  For the positive form, the sentence would be お寿司は好きだと言っていました。
However for negative form, there is no だ, so it is merely short form negative + と言っていました。
For casual usage, just shorten the ending. お寿司は好きじゃないと言っていた。
That’s all for today!  Try this out in a Japanese conversation sometime soon~
Or try it out in one of our online Japanese lessons!  😀

Start taking Japanese lessons and pass JLPT N4 exam!

Have you ever wanted to express that you want to try something in Japanese?  Or maybe you are having a conversation about a time when you tried something for the first time.  Of course you could use 初めて〜, but conversational Japanese uses the expression 〜てみる.
In this blog we will review the above video and the use of the JLPT N4 Grammar point てみる (te miru) – meaning: “to try” doing something.  Make sure to visit our Youtube channel and subscribe too!

How to Say “I will try…” in Japanese Using 〜てみる

Simply put, 〜てみる in Japanese means “to try” or “to try to do”.  It also is used to indicate when it is the first time that someone went somewhere.  This is a JLPT N4 grammar point that can be used in a number of different ways, such as:

• Offering someone to try something
• Expressing the want to try something or go somewhere for the first time
• Talking about having tried something in the past

てみる can be used in both polite and casual form Japanese.  The grammatical structure is as follows.
て form verb + みる／みます (miru/mimasu)
For more information on て form verbs, check out this grammar blog article!
Although it sounds similar to the Japanese verb 見る – to see, 〜てみる is actually a different word.  Additionally, no kanji is used for 〜てみる.  It is written only in hiragana.  It can, however, be used in conjuction with the verb 見る.
To demonstrate its uses, let’s review some examples from the video above.

Examples of 〜てみる

Example: Offering to try something

A: このクッキー美味しいですよ。私はよく食べます！
Kono kukkii oishii desu yo.  Watashi wa yoku tabemasu!
These cookies are delicious.  I eat them a lot!
B: ええ、そのクッキー美味しいですか？
Ee, sono kukkii oishii desu ka?
Eh, those cookies are good?
A: はい、美味しいですよ。食べてみますか？
Hai, oishii desu yo.  Tabetemimasu ka?
Yes, they are delicious.  Will you try one?
In the above example, 〜てみる (~te miru) is used in polite form to offer some cookies.  It is phrased as a question with the invitation ませんか？ (masen ka?)

Example: Wanting to go somewhere to visit

沖縄に行ったことがありますか？
Okinawa ni itta koto ga arimasu ka?
Have you ever been to Okinawa?
沖縄に行ってみたいです！
Okinawa ni itte mitai desu!
I want to visit Okinawa!
In this example from the video above, the verb 行く (iku) is used with 〜てみる, and てみる is conjugated to 〜てみたい.
Since たい is used with verbs to indicate that one wants to do something, 行ってみたい says “I want to try and go” or “I want to visit”.

Example: Volitional form

ビデオを見てみましょう！
Bideo o mite mimashou!
Let’s try watching the video!
As shown in this example, one can use 〜てみる with the volitional form.  For casual speech, use the plain form: 〜てみよう。However, for polite speech like above, use てみましょう.
That’s all for this entry!  Remember to check out some of our other JLPT blogs – or our online JLPT prep courses!

Start taking Japanese lessons and pass JLPT N4 exam!

First, watch Yuka-sensei’s video above about the JLPT N4 Grammar!

If you have been studying Japanese for a while now – there’s a good chance you have come across the Japanese grammar point も (mo).

As we stated in this article on basic Japanese grammar, the particle も is often used to signify similarity and agreement in Japanese.  However, it can also be used to add emphasis to quantity or quantities.

In this blog article, we will examine the emphasis use of も, such as how to say “that many?!”
This expression may appear on the JLPT N4 as well – so make note of its use!

JLPT N4 Grammar: Using も to Express “That many?”

Since this expression emphasizes quantity, も is used with counters. In Japanese, there are several different counters depending on the shape or matter of the object being counting.

For example, 枚 (まい/mai) is the counter for flat things, such as plates or pieces of paper, and 台 (だい/dai) is used to count machines and motor vehicles.

The structure is:
number + counter + も

Example: Food

A: ケーキを30個食べました。
keeki o sanjyuu ko mo tabemashita
I ate 30 cakes.
B: え、30個も食べたんですか？
E, sanjyuu ko mo tabetan desu ka?
Eh, you ate that many?

In Yuka-sensei’s example above, the literal translation is something like “you ate as many as 30 cakes?”  However for conversation, a more accurate translation of this phrase into natural English would be merely:

Eh, you ate that many?

Saying も after repeating the quantity adds emphasis in Japanese, indicating surprise and/or that something is impressive.

Example: Cars

A: 私の友達は、車を5台持っています！
Watashi no tomodachi wa, kuruma o go dai motteimasu
I have a friend who owns 5 cars!
B: え、5台も持っているんですか？
Eh, go dai mo motteirun desu ka?
What, they own 5 cars?
These expressions often end with んですか？

As Yuka-sensei points out in the video above, this is a way to add more emotion to what you are saying.  It conveys interest or even curiosity in what the other party is telling them.

Now you can practice using this yourself either in studying for the JLPT, or in your daily conversations!

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If you have been studying Japanese for a while now – you are probably familiar with から and まで.  But do you know how to use “made ni” (までに)?
Unless you have watched the video – it may be difficult for you to know.  For example, do you know which of the following sentences is correct?

1. 昼まで寝ました
2. 昼までに寝ました

In this blog post, we will be reviewing the JLPT N4 grammar point that Yuka-sensei talks about in the video above.  We will be looking at まで and までに and how to use them both.

Using まで (made) in Japanese

If you already know how から and まで, then you already know how to use まで!  If you are unfamiliar, check out this blog post about Japanese basic grammar particles!
まで translates to something like “until” in English.  Take the example from the section above – the grammatically correct option is the first sentence.
昼まで寝ました。
Hiru made nemashita.
I slept until noon.
In the example above, まで (made) is used as “until”.  You can use から (kara) in this sentence as well:
朝から昼まで寝ました。
Asa kara hiru made nemashita.
I slept from morning until noon.
Made (まで) is used to signify the end point of a duration or motion.
九時から十一時まで勉強します。
Ku-ji kara juichi-ji made benkyo shimasu.
I study from nine until eleven o’clock.
This is how to use まで in Japanese sentences – but what about までに？

JLPT N4 Grammar: までに (made ni)

Let’s look at the example from the video above.
明日の昼までに銀行に行かなきゃいけません。
Ashita no hiru made ni ginkou ni ikanakya ikemasen.
I have to go to the bank by/before noon tomorrow.
As Yuka-sensei explains in the video above, while まで (made) is often used with a long action, までに (made ni) is used with quick and/or short actions.  For example, going to the bank and back is not necessarily a long action.  Whereas, sleeping is a long action.

How to Make a Sentence With までに

To make a sentence with までに (made ni), use the following grammar:
Noun + までに 
Verb + までに
Yes – までに can be used with verbs as well!  Look at this example Yuka-sensei gives us:
友達がうちに来るまでに、Coto Academyにメールを送ります。
Tomodachi ga uchi ni kuru made ni, Coto Academy ni meeru o okurimasu.
I will send an email to Coto Academy by the time my friends come over.
Basically, you can think of までに (made ni) as being like “by the time” or “before” in English.  This says there is a timespan in which something happens or will be done. The action takes place before that period of time comes to an end.

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