“tokorode”: ① By the Way (topic change) / ② Even If 〜 (in vain) [JLPT N3]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
“By the way, what are your plans for tomorrow?” — abruptly switching to a new topic
「ところで、話は変わるけど…」 — gently steering the talk elsewhere mid-chat
Done chatting about the weather, you want to ask what matters: 「ところで、例の件はどうなった？」 (by the way, what happened with that matter?) — 「ところで」 is a topic-shift connective: gently setting aside the current topic to jump to a new (often unrelated) one, like “by the way, so.” This guide covers 「ところで」's topic-shift use, notes its other 「〜たところで (even if …)」 meaning, and separates it from the reversal 「ところが」.
Core: by the way, so (shifting the topic)
「(done with the prior chat.) ところで」 = “by the way, so” — used to break off the current topic and open a new one (often unrelated to the prior):
- (after chatting about a holiday) ところで、来月の予定は決まった？ (by the way, are next month's plans set?)
- 楽しかったね。ところで、そろそろ本題に入ろうか (that was fun. So, shall we get to the main point?).
Feel: “by the way／so” — the core is “changing the topic”: turning the talk to new, often unrelated content. Natural, colloquial, it's the lubricant for switching topics in conversation.
Use & another meaning
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (clause-initial) ところで | by the way, so (topic shift) | ところで、話は変わるけど |
| verb た-form ＋ ところで | even if ～ (in vain, no use) | 今さら急いだところで、間に合わない （even if you hurry now, you won't make it） |
See it in context
- 今日はいい天気ですね。ところで、お仕事はお忙しいですか。(Nice weather today. By the way, is work busy?)
- 映画、面白かった。ところで、お腹すかない？ (The movie was fun. So, aren't you hungry?)
- レポートは無事提出した。ところで、君の分は終わった？ (I submitted the report fine. By the way, did you finish your part?)
- ところで、話は変わりますが、来週の件です。(By the way, changing the subject, it's about next week.)
- (contrast) いくら勉強したところで、一日では覚えられない。(No matter how much I study, I can't memorize it in a day.) — even if … in vain
⚠️ Where learners slip up
① 「ところで」 (topic shift) ≠ 「ところが」 (reversal surprise). One kana apart, opposite functions. ところで = by the way, so (cut off the prior, jump to a new topic, the two unrelated) (ところで、最近どう？); ところが = and yet, unexpectedly (pick up the prior, an unexpected result, the two related) (頑張った。ところが、ダメだった). 「ところで」 changes the topic, 「ところが」 marks surprise — don't confuse them. (ところが: see 〈ところが〉.)
② Clause-initial 「ところで」 and 「〜たところで」 are entirely different. Standalone clause-initial 「ところで」 = topic shift (by the way); 「verb た-form ＋ ところで」 = even if ～ (in vain) (急いだところで間に合わない = even if I hurry, I won't make it). Same 「ところで」, but position changes the meaning drastically: clause-initial → topic shift; attached to た-form → even if, no use. Check whether it stands alone at the head or follows a verb た-form.
③ 「ところで」 shifts to an often ‘unrelated' topic — for branching off or returning to the point. 「ところで」 is typically for jumping to a new topic unrelated to the prior (weather → asking about work), or pulling small talk back to the point (after chit-chat → ところで、本題ですが). It's not “continuing on,” but “changing the topic.” To “continue and add to the prior” use 「それで／それから」; only to “change the topic” use 「ところで」.
🔄 Compare: ところで／ところが／それはそうと／さて
| Form | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ところで | by the way, so (shift to a new topic) | ところで、話は変わるけど |
| ところが | and yet, unexpectedly (reversal ＋ surprise) | 頑張った。ところがダメ |
| それはそうと | (that aside,) by the way (branch off) | それはそうと、あの件は？ （By the way, what about that matter?） |
| さて | (switching, moving on) now, well then | さて、始めましょうか |
💡 Learning tip
「ところで」 (clause-initial) = by the way, so, a topic-shift connective in conversation: gently setting aside the current topic to jump to a new (often unrelated) one (done with weather → ところで、仕事は？). Three points: ① don't confuse it with 「ところが」 — ところで = by the way (change topic, unrelated), ところが = and yet (reversal surprise, related), one kana apart, opposite directions (see 〈ところが〉); ② clause-initial 「ところで」 and 「〜たところで」 are two different things — clause-initial = topic shift, attached to た-form = even if … in vain (急いだところで無駄だ); ③ ところで shifts to an often unrelated topic, for branching off or returning to the point. To naturally “change the subject” in conversation, ところで is the handiest line.
❓ Questions you might have
Q: How exactly do I tell 「ところで」 from 「ところが」? I keep reversing them.
These 「ところ」 twins are the easiest to reverse; the key is whether the two are related, and the direction: 「ところで」 = by the way, so (topic shift) — it cuts off the prior topic and jumps to a new, usually unrelated one, the two with no logical link: 「桜がきれいだね」「ところで、昼ごはんは食べた？」 (“The cherry blossoms are lovely” “By the way, have you had lunch?” — blossoms and lunch are unrelated, a pure topic change). 「ところが」 = and yet, unexpectedly (reversal surprise) — it picks up the prior, bringing out an unexpected result related to it, the two with a logical link: 「桜を見に行った。ところが、もう散っていた」 (I went to see the cherry blossoms. And yet they'd already fallen — “fallen” is the unexpected result of “went to see,” related). Memory aid: ところ「で」→ (change of setting/topic) branch off, unrelated; ところ「が」→ (but) reversal, an unexpected turn, related. Or: で = by the way (change topic), が = and yet (unexpectedly). One cuts off to a new topic, one picks up for a surprise — grasp “related or not” and they separate.
Q: Are clause-initial 「ところで」 and verb-following 「〜たところで」 the same?
Wholly different — two distinct uses, told apart by position: ① standalone clause-initial 「ところで」 = by the way, so (topic shift): ところで、明日は何時に集合？ (by the way, what time do we meet tomorrow? — clause-initial, opening a new topic). ② 「verb た-form ＋ ところで」 = even if ～ (marking ‘even if done, falls short of hopes, in vain,' followed by a negative or bleak result): 今から走ったところで、終電には間に合わない (even if I run now, I won't make the last train — “even running is no use”); いくら後悔したところで、過去は変えられない (no matter how much you regret, you can't change the past). This 「〜たところで」 carries a “doing it is futile” feel, almost always followed by a negative or bleak result like 「無駄だ・変わらない」, often reinforced by 「いくら〜たところで」「今さら〜たところで」. Test: 「ところで」 standalone at the head → topic shift (by the way); 「ところで」 right after a verb た-form → even if … in vain. Check whether a “verb た-form” is stuck in front of it.
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「___、来週の予定は決まりましたか。」（by the way, has next week's schedule been decided?）
(A) ところで (B) ところが (C) それで (D) しかも
Q2. 「今さら後悔した___、どうにもならない。」（regretting now is of no use）
(A) ところで (B) とたんに (C) ばかりに (D) うちに
Q3. 「いくら急いだところで間に合わない」の意味は?
(A) No matter how much you hurry, you won't make it (futile)
(B) If you hurry, you'll make it
(C) You'll make it even without hurrying
(D) You must hurry
Q4. 句首の「ところで」の働きは?
(A) Changing the subject (by the way, incidentally)
(B) Indicates contrast (however)
(C) Indicates a reason
(D) Indicates a conclusion
Q5. 「ところで」と「ところが」の違いとして正しいのは?
(A) ところで = changing the subject / futility; ところが = contrast (however)
(B) The two are exactly the same
(C) ところで = contrast
(D) ところが = changing the subject
Answer Explanations
1. (A) ところで ── Sentence-initial, changes the subject: "by the way".
2. (A) ところで ── 「たところで〜ない」 = even if ~, it's futile.
3. (A) ── No matter how much you hurry, you won't make it (futile).
4. (A) ── Sentence-initial ところで = changing the subject.
5. (A) ── ところで: changing the subject / futility; ところが: contrast.