JLPT N4 Grammar: 〜のに (How to say "Even though…" in Japanese)

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!

 

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