JLPT N2 Grammar Complete List
Master all 197 essential grammar points for JLPT N2
Welcome to Your JLPT N2 Grammar Journey!
This comprehensive guide contains all 197 grammar points you need to master for the JLPT N2 exam.
📘 N2 Level: Upper-Intermediate Japanese Proficiency
197 Total Grammar
N2 JLPT Level
Hard Difficulty
🎯 Pro Tip: Click on any row to explore grammar details with meanings and examples.
| # | Lesson | 文法レッスン | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ageku | あげく | In the end; finally; on top of all that; to make matters worse. |
| 2 | aruiwa | あるいは | or; either; maybe; perhaps; possibly ~ |
| 3 | bakari | ばかり | about, approximately ~ |
| 4 | bakari da | ばかりだ | continue to (go in negative direction) |
| 5 | bakari ka | ばかりか | not only... but also; as well as ~ |
| 6 | bakari ni | ばかりに | simply because; on account of~ (negative result) |
| 7 | chinamini | ちなみに | by the way; in this connection; incidentally; (conjunction) |
| 8 | chitto mo~nai | ちっとも~ない | (not) at all; (not) in the least ~ |
| 9 | dake atte | だけあって | being the case; precisely because; as expected from ~ |
| 10 | dake mashi da | だけましだ | it’s better than; one should feel grateful for ~ |
| 11 | dake ni | だけに | being the case; precisely because; as one would expect |
| 12 | dake no koto wa aru | だけのことはある | no wonder; as expected of; not ... for nothing; not ... with nothing to show for it |
| 13 | dake wa | だけは | to do all that one can |
| 14 | datte | だって | because; but; after all; even; too |
| 15 | de shika nai | でしかない | merely; nothing but; no more than; there is only ~ |
| 16 | dokoro dewa nai | どころではない | not the time for; not the place for; far from; anything but ~ |
| 17 | dokoro ka | どころか | far from; anything but; let alone; not to mention; much less ~ |
| 18 | dou yara | どうやら | possibly; apparently; seems like; somehow; barely ~ |
| 19 | douse | どうせ | anyhow; in any case; at any rate; after all; no matter what |
| 20 | enai | 得ない（えない） | unable to; cannot; it is not possible to ~ |
| 21 | eru / uru | 得る（える / うる） | can; to be able to; is possible to ~ |
| 22 | futatabi | 再び（ふたたび） | again; once more |
| 23 | fuu ni | ふうに | this way; that way; in such a way; how |
| 24 | ga kikkake de / o kikkake ni | がきっかけで / をきっかけに | with… as a start; as a result of; taking advantage of ~ |
| 25 | ge | げ | looks like; seems like; appears to ~ |
| 26 | gyaku ni | 逆に | conversely; on the contrary ~ |
| 27 | hanmen | 反面 | while, although; on the other hand~ |
| 28 | hatashite | 果たして | as was expected; sure enough; really; actually ~ |
| 29 | ichiou | 一応 | more or less; pretty much; roughly; tentatively ~ |
| 30 | igai | 以外 | with the exception of; excepting ~ |
| 31 | ijou ni | 以上に（いじょうに） | more than; not less than; beyond ~ |
| 32 | ijou wa | 以上は | because; since; seeing that ~ |
| 33 | ikinari | いきなり | abruptly; suddenly; all of a sudden; without warning |
| 34 | ikki ni | 一気に（いっきに） | in one go; without stopping; all at once; immediately; instantly; right away ~ |
| 35 | ippou de | 一方で (いっぽうで) | on one hand, on the other hand; although ~ |
| 36 | iwayuru | いわゆる | what is called; as it is called; the so-called; so to speak |
| 37 | iyoiyo | いよいよ | at last; finally; beyond doubt |
| 38 | jou | 上(じょう) | for the sake of; from the standpoint of; as a matter of; in terms of ~ |
| 39 | ka no you ni | かのように | as if; just like ~ |
| 40 | ka to omottara | かと思ったら | just when; no sooner than ~ |
| 41 | ka~nai ka no uchi ni | か~ないかのうちに | just as; right after; as soon as ~ |
| 42 | kaette | かえって | on the contrary; rather; all the more; surprisingly ~ |
| 43 | kagiri | 限り（かぎり） | as long as; while… is the case; as far as; while ~ |
| 44 | kai ga aru | 甲斐がある（かいがある） | it’s worth one’s efforts to do something |
| 45 | kanenai | かねない | (someone) might do something; something might happen |
| 46 | kaneru | かねる | unable to do something; can’t do something |
| 47 | kara iu to | から言うと（からいうと） | in terms of; from the point of view of ~ |
| 48 | kara koso | からこそ | precisely because ~ |
| 49 | kara miru to | から見ると（からみると） | from the point of view of; by the look of; judging from ~ |
| 50 | kara niwa | からには | now that; since; so long as; because ~ |
| 51 | kara shite | からして | judging from; based on; since; from; even ~ |
| 52 | kara suru to / kara sureba | からすると / からすれば | judging from; considering; by the look of ~ |
| 53 | kara to itte | からと言って（からといって） | just because; even if; even though ~ |
| 54 | kkonai | っこない | no chance of; … is definitely not possible |
| 55 | koto da | ことだ | should do~ (used for suggestions or giving advice) |
| 56 | koto dakara | ことだから | because; since ~ |
| 57 | koto ka | ことか | how…!; what…! |
| 58 | koto naku | ことなく | without doing something even once |
| 59 | koto ni | ことに | emphasize speaker's feelings; to my (surprise/etc) |
| 60 | koto niwa naranai | ことにはならない | just because… doesn’t mean ~ |
| 61 | kuse shite | くせして | although; despite the fact that; even though ~ |
| 62 | madashimo | まだしも | rather; better ~ |
| 63 | mai | まい | will not; will probably not; intend not to; must not ~ |
| 64 | mama ni | ままに | as, to do as ~ |
| 65 | mattaku~nai | 全く～ない（まったく～ない） | not at all ~ |
| 66 | mo kamawazu | もかまわず | without caring; without worrying about ~ |
| 67 | mo touzen da | も当然だ（もとうぜんだ） | it’s only natural; no wonder; might as well ~ |
| 68 | mono / mon | もの / もん | because; indicates reason/ excuse/ dissatisfaction |
| 69 | mono da | ものだ | describe feeling; express memories; state fact |
| 70 | mono dakara | ものだから | so; therefore; the reason for something |
| 71 | mono dewa nai | ものではない | shouldn’t do something; it’s impossible to ~ |
| 72 | mono ga aru | ものがある | there is such a thing; to be the case that ; feels like ~ |
| 73 | mono ka / mon ka | ものか / もんか | as if (something untrue were actually true); there's no way ~ |
| 74 | mono nara | ものなら | if I/we could; if [A] is possible, then [B]; if one can do something, then ~ |
| 75 | monono | ものの | but; although; even though ~ |
| 76 | motto mo | もっとも | but then; although; though ~ |
| 77 | mou sukoshi de | もう少しで | almost; nearly, close to ~ |
| 78 | nai dewa irarenai | ないではいられない | can’t help but feel; can’t help but do ~ |
| 79 | nai koto niwa~nai | ないことには～ない | unless you ~ |
| 80 | naka o / naka dewa | 中を / 中では（なかを / なかでは） | in; on; in the midst of; when; while ~ |
| 81 | naku wa nai / naku mo nai | なくはない / なくもない | it’s not that; I may (double negative) |
| 82 | nakute sumu | なくて済む（なくてすむ） | get by without doing ~ |
| 83 | nani mo~nai | 何も～ない（なにも～ない） | nothing; (not) ~ at all; there’s no need to ~ |
| 84 | nao | なお | still; yet ; furthermore; in addition ~ |
| 85 | neba naranai | ねばならない | have to do; must; should ~ |
| 86 | ni atatte | にあたって | at the time; on the occasion of ~ |
| 87 | ni hoka naranai | にほかならない | nothing but; none other than ~ |
| 88 | ni kagirazu | に限らず（にかぎらず） | not just; not only... but also ~ |
| 89 | ni kagiru | に限る（にかぎる） | is best; nothing is better than ~ |
| 90 | ni kagitte | に限って（にかぎって） | only; in particular ~ |
| 91 | ni kakawarazu | に関わらず（にかかわらず） | in spite of; regardless of ~ |
| 92 | ni kakawaru | に関わる（にかかわる） | to relate to; to have to do with; relating to ~ |
| 93 | ni kimatte iru | に決まっている（にきまっている） | certainly; I’m sure/certain that; it must be the case that ~ |
| 94 | ni koshita koto wa nai | に越したことはない（にこしたことはない） | it’s best that, there’s nothing better than ~ |
| 95 | ni kotaete | に応えて（にこたえて） | in response to ~ |
| 96 | ni kuwaete | に加えて（にくわえて） | in addition ~ |
| 97 | ni motozuite | に基づいて（にもとづいて） | based on; on the basis of ~ |
| 98 | ni mukatte | に向かって（にむかって） | to face; to go towards; to head to ~ |
| 99 | ni oujite | に応じて（におうじて） | depending on; in accordance with ~ |
| 100 | ni saishite | に際して（にさいして） | on the occasion of; at the time of ~ |
| 101 | ni sakidachi | に先立ち（にさきだち） | before; prior to ~ |
| 102 | ni seyo/ ni shiro | にせよ / にしろ | even if; regardless; whether... or ~ |
| 103 | ni shiro~ni shiro | にしろ～にしろ | whether… or ~ |
| 104 | ni shitara / ni sureba | にしたら / にすれば | from one’s perspective; from the point of view of ~ |
| 105 | ni shitemo~ni shitemo | にしても〜にしても | regardless of whether ~ |
| 106 | ni sotte | に沿って（にそって） | along with; in accordance with ~ |
| 107 | ni soui nai | に相違ない（にそういない） | without a doubt; certain; sure |
| 108 | ni suginai | に過ぎない（にすぎない） | no more than; just; merely; only ~ |
| 109 | ni tomonatte | に伴って（にともなって） | as; due to; with; along with; following; accordingly ~ |
| 110 | ni tsuke | につけ | every time; whenever; as; whether; in (either case) |
| 111 | ni tsuki | につき | due to; because of; per; each |
| 112 | ni watatte | にわたって | throughout; over a period of ~ |
| 113 | nimo kakawarazu | にも関わらず（にもかかわらず） | despite; in spite of; nevertheless; although ~ |
| 114 | nite | にて | in, at, with, by (formal particle) |
| 115 | no mo motto mo da | のももっともだ | no wonder; …is only natural |
| 116 | no moto de | の下で（のもとで） | under; with ~ |
| 117 | no ue de wa | の上では（のうえでは） | according to; from the viewpoint of ~ |
| 118 | nomi | のみ | only; nothing but |
| 119 | nominarazu | のみならず | not only; besides; as well as ~ |
| 120 | nu | ~ぬ | negative verb conjugation; traditional version of ない |
| 121 | nuki ni shite / nuki de | 抜きにして / 抜きで（ぬきにして/ ぬきで） | without; leaving out; cutting out ~ |
| 122 | nuku | 抜く（ぬく） | to do something from beginning to end; completely, extremely ~ |
| 123 | o keiki ni | を契機に（をけいきに） | as a good opportunity/chance to; as a result of; make the best of ~ |
| 124 | o megutte | をめぐって | concerning; in regard to ~ |
| 125 | o moto ni | をもとに | based on; derived from; building on; beginning with ~ |
| 126 | o nozoite | を除いて（をのぞいて） | except; with the exception of; excluding ~ |
| 127 | o towazu | を問わず（をとわず） | regardless of; irrespective of; no matter |
| 128 | o~negau | お～願う（お～ねがう） | please do; could you please…; I ask of you to ~ |
| 129 | omake ni | おまけに | to make matters worse; besides; what's more; in addition; on top of that |
| 130 | osoraku | 恐らく（おそらく） | perhaps; likely; probably; I dare say ~ |
| 131 | osore ga aru | 恐れがある(おそれがある) | it is feared that; to be in danger of; to be liable to ~ |
| 132 | oyobi | 及び（および） | and; as well as ~ |
| 133 | roku ni~nai | ろくに～ない | not well; not enough; improperly; insufficiently; unsatisfactorily ~ |
| 134 | saiwai na koto ni | 幸いなことに（さいわいなことに） | fortunately; luckily; thankfully ~ |
| 135 | sei ka | せいか | perhaps because ~ |
| 136 | sekkaku | せっかく | especially; (thank you for) troubling to, going to great pains for ~ |
| 137 | semete | せめて | at least; at most ~ |
| 138 | shidai | 次第(しだい) | as soon as, dependent upon |
| 139 | shidai de | 次第で（しだいで） | depending on; so ~ |
| 140 | shidai ni | 次第に（しだいに） | gradually (progress into a state); in sequence; in order |
| 141 | shikamo | しかも | moreover; furthermore; and yet; what’s more ~ |
| 142 | sono ue | その上（そのうえ） | besides; in addition; furthermore ~ |
| 143 | sore na noni | それなのに | and yet; despite this; but even so ~ |
| 144 | sore nara | それなら | if that’s the case; if so ~ |
| 145 | sore ni shitemo | それにしても | nevertheless; at any rate; even so; be that as it may ~ |
| 146 | sou ieba | そう言えば（そういえば） | come to think of it; now that you mention it ~ |
| 147 | sou suru to | そうすると | having done that; if that is done; if it is done in that way |
| 148 | finally; after; following; at the end/ conclusion of ~ | ||
| 149 | sukoshi mo~nai | 少しも～ない（すこしも～ない） | not one bit; not even a little ~ |
| 150 | sukunaku tomo | 少なくとも（すくなくとも） | at least ~ |
| 151 | tadachi ni | 直ちに（ただちに） | at once; immediately; directly; in person; automatically ~ |
| 152 | tamae | たまえ | do~; order somebody to do something |
| 153 | te bakari wa irarenai | てばかりはいられない | can’t keep doing ~ |
| 154 | te demo | てでも | even if I have to; by all means ~ |
| 155 | te irai | て以来（ていらい） | since; henceforth ~ |
| 156 | te ite wa | ていては | if one keeps doing ~ |
| 157 | te koso | てこそ | now that; since (something happened) |
| 158 | te made | てまで | even; will go far so as to ~ |
| 159 | te naranai | てならない | can't help but; dying to; extremely ~ |
| 160 | te tamaranai | てたまらない | can't help but; dying to; extremely ~ |
| 161 | te touzen da | て当然だ（てとうぜんだ） | natural; as a matter of course |
| 162 | tewa / dewa | 〜ては / 〜では | whenever; if; when~; repetitive action |
| 163 | tewa irarenai | てはいられない | can’t afford to; unable to ~ |
| 164 | tewa naranai | てはならない | must not; cannot; should not ~ |
| 165 | tewa~tewa | ては～ては | repetitive situations/actions |
| 166 | to douji ni | と同時に（とどうじに） | at the same time as; while; simultaneously ~ |
| 167 | to itta | といった | like; such as ~ |
| 168 | to iu fuu ni | というふう | in such a way that ~ |
| 169 | to iu koto wa | ということは | that is to say; so that means; in other words ~ |
| 170 | to iu mono da | というものだ | something like; something called ~ |
| 171 | to iu mono dewa nai | というものではない | there is no guarantee that…; not necessarily ~ |
| 172 | to kangaerareru | と考えられる（とかんがえられる） | one can think that; it is conceivable that; considered ~ |
| 173 | toka (de) | とか(で) | I heard that ~ |
| 174 | tokku ni | とっくに | long ago; already; a long time ago |
| 175 | tokoro datta | ところだった | was just about to do something; something almost happened |
| 176 | tokoro ni | ところに | at the time; just as I was ~ |
| 177 | tokoro o miru to | ところを見ると（ところをみると） | judging from; seeing that ~ |
| 178 | tomo | とも | even if; no matter (who, what, when, where, why, how); though ~ |
| 179 | toshite~nai | として～ない | not at all; there is not even one |
| 180 | toshitemo | としても | assuming; even if ~ |
| 181 | tsutsu | つつ | while; even though; despite ~ |
| 182 | tsutsu aru | つつある | to be doing; to be in the process of doing ~ |
| 183 | ue wa | 上は（うえは） | now that; since; as long as ~ |
| 184 | wa moto yori | はもとより | also; let alone; from the beginning |
| 185 | wa tomokaku | はともかく | anyhow; anyway; regardless; in any case; whether or not ~ |
| 186 | wazuka ni | わずかに | slightly; only; barely; narrowly ~ |
| 187 | yagate | やがて | before long; soon; almost; eventually ~ |
| 188 | yara~yara/a> | やら~やら | such things as A and B; A and B and so on ~ |
| 189 | yohodo / yoppodo | よほど / よっぽど | very; greatly; much; to a large extent |
| 190 | yori | より | from~ (a time, place, or person) |
| 191 | yori hoka nai | よりほかない | to have no choice but ~ |
| 192 | you dewa | ようでは | if ~ (bad result) |
| 193 | you dewa nai ka | ようではないか | let’s do (something); why don’t we ~ |
| 194 | you ka~mai ka | ようか〜まいか | whether or not; considering options |
| 195 | you suru ni | 要するに（ようするに） | in short; in a word; to sum up; to put it simply ~ |
| 196 | zaru o enai | ざるを得ない（ざるをえない） | cannot help (doing); have no choice but to ~ |
| 197 | zu ni sumu | ずに済む （ずにすむ） | get by without doing ~ |