Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
“Freshly done,” “newly made,” or “just completed.” It emphasizes the immediate result of an action.
🎯 Primary Function
To create a noun or a noun-modifying phrase that emphasizes the newness, immediacy, or freshness of the resultant state of an action.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb ます-stem + たて
N/A (This suffix only attaches to verb stems)
N/A (This suffix only attaches to verb stems)
N/A (This suffix only attaches to verb stems)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used neutrally, usually in descriptive or product-related statements.
Informal Situations
Very common and natural, especially when appreciating food (e.g., 揚げたてで美味しい!).
Written Language
Used in product descriptions, recipes, and descriptive literature.
Spoken Language
Highly frequent when describing the state of things, particularly food and fresh products.
💡 Common Applications
Describing freshly prepared food (Cooking/Baking)
Used with verbs like 焼く (yaku – bake), 揚げる (ageru – fry), or 煮る (niru – boil) to highlight the high quality due to freshness.
Example: 焼き立てのパン (yakitate no pan)
Describing newly completed tasks or states
Used with verbs like 塗る (nuru – paint), 磨く (migaku – polish), or 洗う (arau – wash) to describe a newly established clean state.
Example: 塗り立ての壁 (nuritate no kabe)
Indicating the beginning of a skill or status
Used with verbs like 習う (narau – learn) or 働き始める (hataraki-hajimeru) to imply being a novice or beginner in a new field.
Example: 習い立ての技術 (naraitate no gijutsu)
Frequency
High, especially in commercial and conversational contexts related to quality and food.
Difficulty
N3
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
このパンは焼き立てで、まだ温かいです。
Furigana: このパンは**やきたて**で、まだあたたかいです。
Romaji: Kono pan wa yakitate de, mada atatakai desu.
English: This bread is freshly baked and still warm.
Example #2
コーヒーは淹れたてが、一番美味しい。
Furigana: コーヒーは**いれたて**が、いちばんおいしい。
Romaji: Kōhī wa iretate ga, ichiban oishii.
English: Coffee is most delicious when freshly brewed.
Example #3
ペンキ塗りたての壁に触らないでください。
Furigana: ペンキ**ぬりたて**のかべにさわらないでください。
Romaji: Penki nuritate no kabe ni sawaranaide kudasai.
English: Please don’t touch the freshly painted wall.
Example #4
彼は習い立ての英語で話しかけてきた。
Furigana: かれは**ならいたて**のえいごではなしかけてきた。
Romaji: Kare wa naraitate no Eigo de hanashikakete kita.
English: He spoke to me in English that he had just started learning.
Example #5
揚げたてのフライドポテトは最高だ。
Furigana: **あげたて**のフライドポテトはさいこうだ。
Romaji: Agetate no furaido poteto wa saikō da.
English: Freshly fried french fries are the best.
Example #6
引っ越ししたての部屋は、まだ何もなくて広い。
Furigana: ひっこし**したて**のへやは、まだなにもなくてひろい。
Romaji: Hikkoshi shitate no heya wa, mada nani mo nakute hiroi.
English: The room we just moved into is empty and spacious.
Example #7
洗い立てのタオルは気持ちがいいね。
Furigana: **あらい**たてのタオルはきもちがいいね。
Romaji: Araitate no taoru wa kimochi ga ii ne.
English: Freshly washed towels feel nice, don’t they?
Example #8
このお刺身はさばきたてだから新鮮だよ。
Furigana: このおさしみは**さばき**たてだからしんせんだよ。
Romaji: Kono osashimi wa sabakitāte dakara shinsen da yo.
English: This sashimi is fresh because it was just prepared.
Example #9
採りたての野菜をサラダにして食べよう。
Furigana: **とり**たてのやさいをサラダにしてたべよう。
Romaji: Toritate no yasai o sarada ni shite tabeyou.
English: Let’s make a salad with the freshly picked vegetables.
Example #10
作りたてのアイスクリームはすぐに溶けてしまう。
Furigana: **つくり**たてのアイスクリームはすぐにとかけてしまう。
Romaji: Tsukuri tate no aisukurīmu wa sugu ni tokete shimau.
English: The freshly made ice cream melts quickly.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Functions as a Noun Modifier
たて generally modifies a noun directly using the particle の, forming a compound noun phrase (Verb stem + たて + の + Noun).
Example: 採りたてのみかん (Toritate no mikan)
Implies Newness/Lack of Experience
It often expresses the newness of a state or skill, carrying the nuance that the skill or state is still undeveloped or fresh.
Example: 習い立てだから、まだ下手です。(Naraitate dakara, mada heta desu.)
Limited Verb Usage (Lexicalized)
たて is only used with certain verbs, primarily those related to cooking, cleaning, or production (e.g., 煮る, 磨く, 洗う, 習う). It is rarely used with transitive verbs of motion or passive verbs.
Example: 煮立てのスープ (Nitate no sūpu), 磨き立ての靴 (Migakitate no kutsu)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 揚げたていポテト (Agetatei poteto)
✅ 揚げたてのポテト (Agetate no poteto)
たて is a suffix that acts like a noun, so it must modify a noun using の, or be treated as a noun itself (e.g., 焼き立ては最高だ). It does not function as a standalone adjective.
❌ 食べ立てのご飯 (Tabetate no gohan)
✅ 働き始めたばかり (Hataraki hajimeta bakari)
たて is limited to specific verbs, mainly those involving creation, preparation, or an instantaneous change of state (e.g., 煮る, 洗う, 習う). It is not typically used with broad verbs like 食べる (taberu).
❌ 作ったて (Tsukuttate)
✅ 作りたて (Tsukuritate)
Always attach たて to the ます-stem (連用形) of the verb, not the plain form or past tense form.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. The overall sentence’s politeness is determined by the final predicate (e.g., です/ます).
Social Situations: Frequently used in commerce (marketing fresh products) and casual conversation about quality.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese across all regions.
🔍 Subtle Differences
〜たて vs. 〜たばかり (ta bakari)
たて emphasizes the physical/sensory *freshness* and *quality* of the resulting object. たばかり emphasizes the temporal *immediacy* of the action’s completion.
When to use: Use たて when describing food, products, or states where freshness is key (e.g., freshly baked). Use たばかり for actions or events that just occurred (e.g., just arrived, just started).
〜たて vs. 〜た直後 (ta chokugo)
たて describes the resultant *state* as new and fresh. た直後 is a strict temporal marker meaning “immediately after.”
When to use: Use たて to modify a noun and highlight its quality. Use た直後 when precision in timing is required (e.g., 着陸した直後に地震が起こった).
〜たて vs. 新しい (atarashii)
新しい is a general adjective for “new.” たて specifically refers to something that is new *because* of a recent action/process.
When to use: Use たて when you want to link the newness directly to the verb that created it (e.g., freshly washed vs. simply new).
📝 Conjugation Notes
The suffix たて always attaches directly to the ます-stem (連用形) of a verb. This means dropping the ます from the polite form. (e.g., 買う -> 買います -> 買い立て).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The pronunciation stress is typically flat (heiban) across the whole construction (e.g., yakiTAte). The verb stem is always pronounced fully before たて.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of the word “newly **set**” or “**set up**” (like a new stage or display). The verb-stem emphasizes the action, and たて emphasizes the newly **set** result. Focus on the pairing: **Freshness/Newness** = **たて**.
Other Grammar
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