Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
‘If only…’ or ‘As long as…’
🎯 Primary Function
To emphasize that if one particular condition is met, everything else will follow or be satisfactory.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (masu stem) + さえ + すれば / Verb (te-form) + さえ + いれば / Noun + さえ + Verb (ba-form)
I-adj (stem-ku) + さえ + あれば / なければ
Na-adj (stem-de) + さえ + あれば / なければ
Verb (masu stem) + さえ + しなければ / Noun + さえ + なければ
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in business or formal speeches to define critical success factors or requirements.
Informal Situations
Common among friends to express simple needs or prioritize choices (e.g., ‘As long as the food is good…’).
Written Language
Common in manuals, instructions, and storytelling to highlight a pivotal condition.
Spoken Language
Highly frequent; often used with ‘sureba’ or ‘ireba’ in natural flow.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing necessary conditions
Used to state that one specific factor is the only thing needed for a result to occur.
Example: お金さえあればいい。 (All I need is money.)
Expressing regrets or wishes
Often used to express that a single missing element prevented a desired outcome.
Example: もう少し時間さえあれば… (If only I had a little more time…)
Giving advice or instructions
Providing a simple solution by highlighting the key action required.
Example: これさえ飲めば治るよ。 (As long as you drink this, you’ll get better.)
Frequency
High. It’s a staple in both daily conversation and literature to emphasize a singular condition.
Difficulty
JLPT N3 (Intermediate)
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
お金さえあれば、何でも買える。
Furigana: おかん（金）さえあれば、なん（何）でもか（買）える。
Romaji: Okane sae areba, nandemo kaeru.
English: As long as I have money, I can buy anything.
Example #2
薬を飲みさえすれば、すぐに治ります。
Furigana: くすり（薬）をの（飲）みさえすれば、すぐになお（治）ります。
Romaji: Kusuri o nomi sae sureba, sugu ni naorimasu.
English: As long as you take the medicine, you will get better soon.
Example #3
君さえいれば、何もいらない。
Furigana: きみ（君）さえいれば、なに（何）もいらない。
Romaji: Kimi sae ireba, nani mo iranai.
English: As long as you are here, I don’t need anything else.
Example #4
静かでありさえすれば、どんな部屋でもいい。
Furigana: しず（静）かでありさえすれば、どんなへや（部屋）でもいい。
Romaji: Shizuka de ari sae sureba, donna heya demo ii.
English: As long as it’s quiet, I don’t care what kind of room it is.
Example #5
天気さえよければ、富士山が見えるはずだ。
Furigana: てんき（天気）さえよければ、ふじさん（富士山）がみ（見）えるはずだ。
Romaji: Tenki sae yokereba, Fujisan ga mieru hazu da.
English: If only the weather is good, we should be able to see Mt. Fuji.
Example #6
練習さえすれば、絶対に上手になります。
Furigana: れんしゅう（練習）さえすれば、ぜったい（絶対）にじょうず（上手）になります。
Romaji: Renshuu sae sureba, zettai ni jouzu ni narimasu.
English: As long as you practice, you will definitely improve.
Example #7
道が込みさえしなければ、30分で着く。
Furigana: みち（道）がこ（込）みさえしなければ、30ぷん（分）でつ（着）く。
Romaji: Michi ga komi sae shinakereba, sanjuppun de tsuku.
English: If only the roads aren’t crowded, we will arrive in 30 minutes.
Example #8
マニュアルを読みさえすれば、使い方が分かります。
Furigana: マニュアルをよ（読）みさえすれば、つか（使）いかた（方）がわ（分）かります。
Romaji: Manyuaru o yomi sae sureba, tsukaikata ga wakarimasu.
English: As long as you read the manual, you will understand how to use it.
Example #9
住所さえ分かれば、自分で行けます。~
Furigana: じゅうしょ（住所）さえわ（分）かれば、じぶん（自分）でい（行）けます。
Romaji: Juusho sae wakareba, jibun de ikemasu.
English: If only I knew the address, I could go there by myself.
Example #10
納豆さえ食べなければ、日本の料理は全部好きだ。
Furigana: なっとう（納豆）さえた（食）べなければ、にほん（日本）のりょうり（料理）はぜんぶ（全部）す（好）きだ。
Romaji: Nattou sae tabenakereba, Nihon no ryouri wa zenbu suki da.
English: As long as I don’t eat natto, I like all Japanese food.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Exclusivity of Condition
It excludes all other conditions, implying that ‘you’ are the only thing that matters.
Example: あなたさえいれば幸せです。 (As long as I have you, I’m happy.)
Minimal Requirement
It suggests that the result is guaranteed once the single condition is met.
Example: 勉強さえすれば合格できる。 (As long as you just study, you can pass.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 飲むさえれば (Nomu saereba)
✅ 飲みさえすれば (Nomi sae sureba)
When using a verb, you must use the ‘masu’ stem + sae + sureba (the conditional form of ‘to do’). You cannot just attach ‘ba’ directly to ‘sae’.
❌ 静かさえあれば (Shizuka sae areba)
✅ 静かでさえあれば (Shizuka de sae areba)
For Na-adjectives, the ‘de’ particle is required before ‘sae’.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral to Polite. The structure itself doesn’t change politeness, but the ending of the sentence (e.g., ~desu vs ~da) does.
Social Situations: Useful for expressing priorities or the ‘one thing’ that matters most in a situation.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.
🔍 Subtle Differences
~ば (ba) vs. ~さえ~ば (sae… ba)
‘~ば’ is a general ‘if’. ‘~さえ~ば’ adds the nuance of ‘if ONLY’ or ‘the ONLY thing needed is…’.
When to use: Use ‘sae… ba’ when you want to emphasize that one specific condition is the key to everything else.
📝 Conjugation Notes
For verbs, the most common pattern is [Masu-stem] + さえすれば. For nouns, it is [Noun] + さえ + [Verb in conditional form]. For adjectives, use the ‘ku’ (i-adj) or ‘de’ (na-adj) forms followed by ‘sae areba’.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The emphasis is usually on the word immediately preceding ‘sae’.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘Sae’ as a spotlight. It puts a spotlight on one single thing, saying ‘If THIS one thing happens, we are good!’
Other Grammar
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