JLPT N2 grammar list

195 patterns sorted by frequency. Click any pattern for meaning, usage, and FAQs.

• あるいはor; possibly
• いきなりsuddenly; all of a sudden
• いよいよat last; finally
• いわゆるso-called, so to speak
• えないunable to; cannot
• える / うるis possible
• おそらくperhaps; likely; probably; I dare say
• おまけにto make matters worse; besides; in addition
• お～願うplease do; could you please…; I ask of you to
• かえってon the contrary; rather; all the more; surprisingly
• かと思ったら / かと思うとjust when; no sooner than
• かねるunable to do something; can’t do something
• かのようだas if; just like
• からこそprecisely because
• からしてjudging from; based on; since; from; even
• からすると / からすればjudging from; considering; by the look of
• からといってjust because
• からにはnow that; since; so long as; because
• から見るとfrom the point of view of; by the look of; judging from
• か何かor something
• か～ないのうちにright after; as soon as
• げseeming; giving the appearance of
• ことだからit is exactly because…
• ことなくwithout doing something even once
• ことになっているto be expected to; to be scheduled to
• ことにはならないjust because… doesn’t mean…
• ことは～がalthough; but
• ごとにeach; every; at intervals of
• さらにfurthermore; again; more and more
• ざるを得ないcannot help (doing); have no choice but to
• しかもmoreover; furthermore; and yet; what’s more
• したがってtherefore; consequently; accordingly
• すなわちin other words; namely
• ずに済むget by without doing…
• せいぜいat the most; at best; to the utmost
• せめてat least; at most
• そういえばcome to think of it…; now that you mention it…
• そうするとhaving done that; if that is done; if it is done in that way
• そうにないextremely unlikely to; showing no signs of
• その上besides; in addition; furthermore
• それともor; or else
• それなのにand yet; despite this; but even so
• それならif that’s the case; if so
• それにしてもnevertheless; at any rate; even so; be that as it may
• たあげくto end up; in the end; finally; after all
• たってeven if; even though; no matter how
• たとえばfor example
• たところでeven if one does something
• たまえdo (something)
• た末 / の末as a conclusion of
• だけあって…being the case; (precisely) because; as might be expected from
• だけでなくnot only… but also
• だけにbeing the case; precisely because
• だけのことはあるno wonder; it’s not surprising that
• だけはto do all that one can
• だけましだit’s better than…; one should feel grateful for
• だってbecause; but
• ちっとも～ない(not) at all; (not) in the least
• っこないno chance of; …is definitely not possible
• つつwhile; although
• つつあるto be doing; to be in the process of doing
• つもりでwith the intention of doing
• ていてはif one keeps doing something
• てからでないとunless something is done, something else can’t occur
• てこそnow that/since (something has happened)
• てしょうがないvery; extremely
• てたまらないvery; extremely; can’t help but do
• てでもeven if I have to; by all means
• てならないevery; extremely
• てはif; since; if you are going to…; one after another; indicates repeated action
• てはいられないcan’t afford to; unable to
• てはならないmust not; cannot; should not
• てばかりはいられないcan’t keep doing something
• て以来since
• て当然だnatural; as a matter of course
• でしかないmerely; nothing but; no more than
• ではないかlet’s do (something); why don’t we
• ということはthat is to say; so that means
• というふうにin such a way that
• というものだsomething like…; something called…
• というものでもないthere is no guarantee that…; not necessarily
• といったsuch… as
• とかI heard that
• ところだったwas just about to do something
• ところに/ところへat the time
• ところを見るとjudging from; seeing that
• としてもassuming; even if
• とっくにalready; long ago
• ともeven if; no matter
• と同時にat the same time as
• と考えられるone can think that…; it is conceivable that…
• どうせanyway; anyhow; in any case; after all
• どうやらit seems like; it appears that; seemingly
• どころではないthis is not the time/occasion for; …is out of the question
• ないことには～ないunless you do something
• ないではいられないcan’t help but feel; can’t help but do
• なおfurthermore; in addition
• なくはないit’s not that…; can; may be
• なにも～ないno need to
• にあたりat the time; on the occasion of
• にかかわらずregardless of
• にかかわるto relate to; to have to do with
• にしたらfrom one’s perspective; from the point of view of
• にしても～にしてもregardless of whether
• にしろ / にせよthough; even if; whether… or
• にしろ～にしろwhether… or…
• につきdue to; because of; per; each
• につけboth… and …; everytime something happens
• にてin; at
• にはin order to; for
• にほかならないnothing but; none other than
• にもかかわらずdespite; in spite of; nevertheless; although
• にわたってthroughout; over a period of
• に伴ってas; due to; with; along with; following
• に先立ちbefore; prior to
• に加えてin addition to
• に反してagainst; contrary to; in contrast to
• に向かってto face; to go towards; to head to
• に基づいてbased on; on the basis on
• に従ってas; therefore; in accordance with; according to; consequently
• に応えてin response to
• に応じてdepending on; in accordance with
• に決まっているI’m sure/certain that; …must be the case;
• に沿ってalong with; in accordance with
• に相違ないwithout a doubt; certain; sure
• に過ぎないno more than; just; merely; only
• に限って(particularly) when…; only
• に限らずnot just; not only… but also
• に限るnothing better than; there’s nothing like
• に際してon the occasion of; at the time of
• ねばならないhave to do; must; should
• のみならずnot only; besides; as well
• のもとでunder
• のももっともだno wonder; …is only natural
• のも当然だit’s only natural; no wonder; might as well
• はともかくwhether or not; nevermind; regardless of; not to mention
• はもとよりalso; let alone
• は別としてaside from; apart from; except for; whether or not
• ふうにthis way/that way; in what way/how
• ふたたびagain; once more
• ぶりにfor the first time in (period of time)
• まい(probably) isn’t/doesn’t/won’t; intend not to; must not
• まったく～ないnot… at all
• むしろrather; instead; better
• もう少しでalmost; nearly, close to
• もかまわずwithout caring; without worrying about
• もっともbut then; although; though
• ものかas if
• ものがあるsentence-ending expression of strong judgement
• ものだからbecause; the reason is
• ものではないshouldn’t do something; it’s impossible to do something
• ものならif one can do something
• もののbut; although
• も～ば～も…and…
• やがてbefore long; soon; almost; eventually
• やら～やらsuch things as; and… and so on
• ようがない/ようもないthere is no way to; it’s impossible to
• ようではif
• よりほかないto have no choice but
• ろくに～ないnot doing something properly
• わずかにslightly
• をきっかけにwith… as a start; as a result of; taking advantage of
• をこめてfilled with
• をめぐってconcerning; in regard to
• をもとにbased on; from
• を中心にfocused on; centered on
• を問わずregardless of
• を契機にas a good opportunity to; as a result of
• を通じて/ を通してthrough; via; throughout
• を除いてexcept; with the exception of; excluding
• を～としてas
• 上from the standpoint of; as a matter of
• 上にas well; besides; in addition to; not only… but also
• 上はnow that; since
• 中をin; on
• 以上because; now that
• 以上にmore than; not less than
• 以外with the exception of; excepting
• 反面on the other hand
• 少しも～ないnot one bit; not even a little
• 幸いluckily; fortunately
• 恐れがあるthere are fears that; to be in danger of; to be liable to
• 手前before; in front of; one’s standpoint
• 抜きで/抜きにしてleaving out; cutting out; dispensing with
• 抜くto do something to the end; competely, extremely
• 果たしてsure enough; really
• 次第だ/ 次第でdepending on; so
• 気feel like
• 直ちにat once; immediately
• 確かにsurely; certainly
• 要するにthe point is…; in short…; to put it simply
• 逆にon the contrary
• 途中に/途中でon the way; en route; in the middle of; midway
• 限りas long as; while… is the case; as much as possible
• 際にat the time; in case of

Ready to practice? Start free on Zenshin