部
Components

Grammar detail: さえ, でさえ

さえ, でさえ
even, not ~ even, let alone
90 words
My current mastery of this grammar point:
LOG IN to view grammar mastery data
Grammar games:
GRAMMAR MATCH
SENTENCE BUILDER
BOOST
noun
+
(で)さえ
or
verb stem
+
さえ
or
verb て form
+
さえ
means
even, not even, not so much as
かれ
彼
は
わたし
私
にさよならさえ
い
言
わなかった
。
He did not so much as say good-by to me.
The form でさえ is only used with nouns, and adds emphasis:
こども
子供
でさえこれを
よ
読
む
ことが
でき
出来
る
。
Even a child can read this.
かれ
彼
の
せんせい
先生
でさえも
かれ
彼
の
い
言
う
ことを
りかい
理解
しなかった
。
Even his teacher didn't understand him.
You may also encounter the forms すら and ですら, which are just older forms of さえ and でさえ, and in modern Japanese typically only encountered in written texts. As with でさえ, ですら is only used with nouns.
さえ can also be used within conjugations, for added emphasis:
ちょっと
ちから
力
を
い
入
れて
け
蹴
とばし
さえすれば
たいてい
大抵
のものはあっけなく
たお
崩
れ
さ
去
り
そうに
おも
思
えた
。
It felt as though as the bulk of it would just collapse with the slightest kick.
Please LOG IN for free flashcards

Kanji used in this grammar

彼
ヒ   かれ he   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
私
シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
言
ゲン   ゴン   say; word   こと word, saying   いう to say   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
子
シ   ス   こ child   
供
キョウ   ク   そなえる to make an offering   とも servant, attendant   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
読
ドク   トク   トウ   よむ to read   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
出
シュツ   スイ   だす to take out, to put out   でる to go out, to exit   
来
ライ   くる to come   きたる to be forthcoming   きたす to induce   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
先
セン   さき ahead   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
生
セイ   ショウ    life   なま raw   いかす to enliven   いきる to live   いける to arrange flowers   うまれる to be born   うむ to give birth to   き pure, undiluted   おう to grow, to sprout   はえる to grow, to sprout   はやす to grow, cultivate   
理
リ    logic   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
解
カイ   ゲ   とく to untie, solve, resolve   とける to come undone, disappear   とかす to melt, dissolve   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
力
リョク   リキ   ちから effort; power   
入
ニュウ   いる to enter   はいる to enter   いれる to put in   
蹴
シュウ   ける to kick   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
大
ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
抵
テイ    resist   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
崩
ホウ   fall to pieces   くずれる to fall to pieces, to collapse   くずす to destroy, to pull down   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
去
キョ   コ   さる leave   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
思
シ   おもう to think   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
Problem with this grammar? Question or comment? Please CONTACT US.
Kanshudo is your AI Japanese tutor, and your constant companion on the road to mastery of the Japanese language. To get started learning Japanese, just follow the study recommendations on your Dashboard. You can use Quick search (accessible using the icon at the top of every page) to look up any Japanese word, kanji or grammar point, as well as to find anything on Kanshudo quickly. For an overview, take the tour.
×