Lesson 165: 最後の 一枚

N2 · Lesson 165 · 20 min — Late January in Kyoto: Rin finally meets Hana. Tie together the patterns from Lessons 160–164, then try N2 short-passage reading.

No new grammar in this lesson! Follow Rin, Neko-sensei and Hana through an old house and an udon shop in Kyoto. You will pull together the judgment, opinion and exclamation patterns from Lessons 160–164. Then you can try N2 short-passage reading. The kanji (characters borrowed from Chinese that carry meaning) in the vocabulary come with hiragana readings.

After this lesson, you can:

• Share your judgments and feelings with に決きまっている・かのようだ・ものがある
• Tell かねる ("I'm afraid I can't ~") from かねない ("might well ~"), and talk about possibility with 得える・っこない
• Say "no way to / have no choice / hard to / keep going to the end" with ようがない・ざるを得えない・がたい・抜ぬく
• Express reasoning and resolve with というものだ・というものではない・ものか・まい
• Show strong feeling, call people to act, and say "without ever ~" with ことか・ことに・ようではないか・ことなく
• Read N2 short texts such as notices, columns and diaries, and find what the writer really means

Kyoto: Meeting Hana at Last

The petition has passed 3,000 signatures. We asked to meet the ward mayor and are still waiting for the ward office to reply. In late January, Rin and Neko-sensei go to Kyoto to see Hana! (当時とうじ = back then, そっくり = the spitting image)

に決きまっている = surely ~; ようがない = no way to ~. Next lesson: back in Tokyo, Rin opens his dictionary the moment he gets home...

At Hana's House

Can you spot the patterns from Lessons 160–164? The 24 lines hide 19 of them. Tap any line to hear the Japanese.

Vocabulary for This Lesson

• 祖母そぼ (sobo): my grandmother (when talking to others)
• 祖父そふ (sofu): my grandfather (when talking to others)
• 遠とおく (tōku): a far place, a distance
• そっくり (sokkuri): the spitting image, very similar
• 当時とうじ (tōji): at that time, back then
• 戻もどる (modoru): to go back (to a place or a time)
• 驚おどろく (odoroku): to be surprised
• 慎重しんちょう (shinchō): careful, cautious
• 認みとめる (mitomeru): to admit, to recognize
• 響ひびく (hibiku): to echo (a sound); to touch (the heart)
• 二度にどと (nido to): never again
• 後悔こうかい (kōkai): regret
• 信しんじる (shinjiru): to believe
• 我慢がまん (gaman): patience, to put up with
• 耐たえる (taeru): to bear, to endure
• 〜杯はい (hai): counter for bowls and cups (of food or drink)
• 〜分ぶん (bun): portion, share
• きつねうどん (kitsune udon): udon with sweet fried tofu
• 血ちは 争あらそえない (chi wa arasoenai): blood will tell (you can't deny family)
• 本日ほんじつ (honjitsu): today (used on notices)
• 公開こうかい (kōkai): opening to the public
• 足元あしもと (ashimoto): the ground at your feet, footing
• 生いきる (ikiru): to live, to be alive
• 直なおす (naosu): to repair, to fix
• 当店とうてん (tōten): this shop
• おかわり (okawari): a refill, seconds
• お一人様ひとりさま (ohitori-sama): one (customer)

Grammar 1 / 5: に決きまっている・かのようだ・ものがある

に決きまっている = surely ~ (your own firm judgment); かのようだ = as if ~ (but it isn't); ものがある = there is something ~ about it (you feel it deep inside)

• に決きまっている: Plain form + に決きまっている: surely ~. This is the speaker's own judgment, and a very sure one. It carries a little of "it goes without saying". Nouns and な-adjectives attach directly (元気げんきに 決きまって いる). In speech, you say に決きまってる.
• かのようだ: Plain form + かのようだ: as if ~. In fact it isn't so; it only looks or feels that way. After a noun, we usually connect with "である" (夢ゆめで あるかの よう). To describe a noun, use かのような (夢ゆめで あるかの ような 話はなし). To describe a verb or adjective, use かのように (何なにも 知しらないかの ように 笑わらう).
• ものがある: Noun-modifying form + ものがある: there is something ~ about it. It is the feeling that wells up when you see or hear something. It often goes with 心こころに 響ひびく・心こころを 動うごかす・すばらしい.

• あの 店みせの ラーメンなら、おいしいに 決きまって いる。 — If it's that shop's ramen, it must be delicious.
• 雪ゆきの 町まちは、時間じかんが 止とまったかの ように 静しずかだった。 — The snowy town was so quiet, as if time had stopped.
• この 町まちの 古ふるい 家いえには、心こころを 動うごかす ものが ある。 — The old houses in this town have something that moves the heart.

Grammar 2 / 5: かねる・かねない・得える・っこない

かねる = hard to ~, I'm afraid I can't ~ (polite refusal); かねない = might well ~ (a bad result); 得える = it is possible to ~; っこない = there's no way ~ (casual)

• かねる: ます-form stem + かねる: I'd like to, but it's hard for me to ~; I'm afraid I can't ~. A polite refusal often used in service jobs and government offices: 賛成さんせいしかねます・お答こたえしかねます.
• かねない: ます-form stem + かねない: might well ~. Only used for bad results: 事故じこに なりかねない・風邪かぜを ひきかねない.
• 得える／得うる: ます-form stem + 得える: it is possible to ~. The dictionary form can be read える or うる. The ます-form and ない-form are read only え: あり得えます・あり得えない (impossible).
• っこない: ます-form stem + っこない: there's no way ~. Very casual, used between friends: わかりっこない・勝かてっこない・できっこない.

• 個人こじんの 情報じょうほうは、お教おしえしかねます。 — I'm afraid I can't give out personal information.
• そんなに 急いそいだら、転ころびかねないよ。 — If you hurry like that, you might fall, you know.
• 大おおきい 地震じしんは、いつでも 起おこり得うる。 — A big earthquake could happen at any time.
• こんな 難むずかしい 問題もんだい、一日いちにちで できっこない。 — A problem this hard? There's no way you can finish it in one day.

Grammar 3 / 5: ようがない・ざるを得えない・がたい・抜ぬく

ようがない = you want to, but there's no way; ざるを得えない = have no choice but to ~; がたい = hard to ~ (emotionally); 抜ぬく = keep ~ing to the end

• ようがない: ます-form stem + ようがない: you want to, but there is no way. With する verbs, say しようがない. On its own, "しようがない" = it can't be helped, I just have to accept it.
• ざるを得えない: Take ない off the ない-form and put ざる + を得えない: the situation forces you to ~ (you don't really want to). 行いかない → 行いかざるを得えない; する → せざるを得えない.
• がたい: ます-form stem + がたい: hard to ~ in your heart: 信しんじがたい・忘わすれがたい. For things that are "hard to do" because they are heavy or the writing is too small, use にくい.
• 抜ぬく: ます-form stem + 抜ぬく: keep ~ing to the very end, ~ thoroughly: やり抜ぬく・走はしり抜ぬく・考かんがえ抜ぬく.

• 電話でんわ番号ばんごうが わからないので、連絡れんらくしようが ない。 — I don't know the phone number, so there's no way to contact them.
• 台風たいふうが 来くるので、旅行りょこうは 中止ちゅうしせざるを 得えない。 — A typhoon is coming, so we have no choice but to cancel the trip.
• 初はじめて 日本にほんで 見みた 雪ゆきは、忘わすれがたい 思おもい出でだ。 — The snow I saw for the first time in Japan is an unforgettable memory.
• マラソンを 最後さいごまで 走はしり抜ぬいた。 — I ran the marathon all the way to the finish.

Grammar 4 / 5: というものだ・というものではない・ものか・まい

というものだ = that's what ~ is; というものではない = it's not (always) true that ~; ものか = no way ~, never ~; まい = I will never ~, probably won't ~

• というものだ: Plain form + というものだ: that's what ~ is; that's how ~ works. You state the true nature of a thing or a principle, in a very sure tone.
• というものではない: Plain form + というものではない (でもない): it's not (always) true that ~. Before it there is often "～ば いい": 安やすければ いいと いう ものでは ない.
• ものか: Usually plain form + ものか: no way ~! I'll never ~! ものか is already a strong negative, so the part before it is positive. In speech you also say もんか.
• まい: Dictionary form + まい: I will never ~ (resolve) / probably won't ~ (guess). Group 2 verbs and する can also take the ます-form stem: 食たべまい・しまい.

• 困こまって いる 人ひとを 助たすける。それが 友達ともだちと いう ものだ。 — Helping people in trouble: that's what a friend does.
• 値段ねだんが 高たかければ いいと いう ものでは ない。 — It's not that something is good just because it's expensive.
• あんな 店みせ、二度にどと 行いく ものか。 — I'll never go to a place like that again!
• もう 遅刻ちこくは する まい。 — I will never be late again.

Grammar 5 / 5: ことか・ことに・ようではないか・ことなく

ことか = how ~!; ことに = what is ~ is that...; ようではないか = let's ~ together (a call to action); ことなく = without ~ing, and ~; never stopping ~

• ことか: A degree adverb (どれほど・どんなに) or a question word (何度なんど) ... noun-modifying form + ことか: how ~! It is an exclamation at the end of the sentence, not a question.
• ことに: た-form, い-adjective, or な-adjective + な + ことに: what is ~ is that... It goes at the start of the sentence and gives your feeling first: うれしい ことに・驚おどろいた ことに・残念ざんねんな ことに.
• ようではないか: Volitional form + ではないか: let's ~ together! Used in speeches and when calling on everyone, with a strong tone. When speaking in です・ます style, change it to ではありませんか (守まもろうでは ありませんか), which is more polite.
• ことなく: Dictionary form + ことなく: without ~ing, and ~; never stopping ~. It is more formal than ないで: 休やすむ ことなく・迷まよう ことなく.

• 留学りゅうがくして いた ころ、何度なんど 国くにへ 帰かえりたいと 思おもった ことか。 — While I was studying abroad, how many times I wished I could go back home!
• うれしい ことに、試験しけんに 合格ごうかくした。 — To my delight, I passed the exam.
• この 町まちの 祭まつりを、みんなで 守まもろうでは ないか。 — Let's all protect this town's festival together!
• 彼かれは 一度いちども 休やすむ ことなく、店みせを 続つづけた。 — He kept the shop open without taking a single break.