Today in this course we will look at emphasis particles. I know we covered a lot of particles in the previous lesson but as promised this one won’t be as dense.
Emphasis particles, what are they? Emphasis particles are used to underline a word, to highlight it. By the way, you already know two emphasis particles that we have seen previously. The first is the particle は which underlines a noun or a nominal group as being the topic of the sentence, to indicate what the sentence is about. And the second is the particle も which underlines a word by indicating that it is a repetition and translates to « too » or « also ».
These particles of emphasis, like the particle も will often replace other particles. I’ll give you more details for each one as we go.
Without further ado, let’s get started !
The particle こそ is a particle of accentuated topic. The use of the particle こそ is similar to the particle は. It indicates the topic of the sentence by emphasizing strongly on part of the sentence. It replaces the particles が, は and を but is added to the other particles (に, で, から...).
Its translation can vary greatly depending on the context.
In the examples below, we will first present the sentence with the particle は... then the same sentence with the particle こそ to show the difference. Words that express the idea of determination will be in capital letters in the English translation.
今夜は私がピザを丸ごと食べる。
こんやはわたしがピザをまるごとたべる。
Tonight I’m eating a whole pizza.
今夜こそ私がピザを丸ごと食べる。
こんやこそわたしがピザをまるごとたべる。
Tonight IT’S GUARANTEED, I’m eating a whole pizza.
In the sentence above, the particle こそ replaces the particle は to emphasize the idea of determination on the noun 今夜 . こんや. The particle こそ has been translated as « IT’S GUARANTEED » but we could also have translated it as « FOR SURE » or « IT IS CERTAIN ».
Tonight, FOR SURE I’m eating a whole pizza.
Tonight, IT’S CERTAIN I’m eating a whole pizza.
The emphasis particle さえ is used to express something amazing, which shouldn’t be that way. It usually corresponds to a negative idea. It is placed after a noun or a nominal group and translates to « same » or « not even ». It replaces the particles が, は and を but is added to the other particles に, で, から...
教師さえ間違える。
きょうしさえまちがえる。
Even teachers are sometimes wrong. / Even teachers make mistake sometimes.
In the sentence above, we use the particle さえ because it is agreed that in principle, teachers are not supposed to be wrong… Although we could perfectly argue that it is human to be wrong even with all of your expertise in a field, but according to common sense, professors are not meant to be wrong.
Above, I said that the particle さえ generally expresses a negative idea but, of course, this is not always the case. Additionally, the particle さえ is sometimes combined with the particle も to reinforce the idea of repetition. Look at the sentence below :
私のフランス人の友人さえも日本語を流暢に話す。
わたしのフランス人のゆうじんさえもにほんごをりゅうちょうにはなす。
Even my French friend speaks Japanese fluently.
We could remove the particle さえ or the particle も but this would not remove anything from the meaning of the sentence in English. Depending on whether you use the particle さえ to express something surprising or the particle も to simply express a repetition or whether you combine the two, in English the meaning of the sentence will generally remain the same because the subtle nuances it is possible to express in Japanese are not always translatable.
The emphasis particle でも is used to express something extreme. It generally corresponds to a positive idea. It is sometimes used to make fun of something ridiculous. It is placed after a noun or a nominal group and is translated as « same » in an affirmative sentence or « not even » in a negative sentence. It replaces the particles が, は and を but is added to the other particles に, で, から...
水中でもノイズがある。
すいちゅうでもノイズがある。
Even underwater, there is noise.
In the sentence above, the fact that there are sounds even underwater is scientifically proven despite the idea that the underwater world is the world of silence (which is totally wrong!) is widespread.
Right ! We are already at the end of this course and as promised, it was not very long.
Before we leave, I would like to take a little parenthesis on the particles さえ and でも which look very similar. It is important to distinguish between the two.
The particle さえ is used to express something amazing, which shouldn’t be that way. It is sometimes used to express a negative idea.
The particle でも is used to express something extreme. It is sometimes used to make fun of something ridiculous.
We’ll be reviewing these three new particles in more detail much later, in season three, after seeing the past tense and the polite form in particular. We will also see more things about the particle こそ whose complexity we have just scratched the surface of.
Okay, last time I didn’t give you any exercises because I wanted to tackle adverbs, adverbial particles and emphasis particles first. Now that this is done, exercises await you. As usual, theme and version, and in all the sentences to translate you will have either adverbs, adverbial particles, or emphasis particles.
Work well, train as often as needed and you will succeed !
丸ごと .
まるごと . completely, in its entirety
間違える .
まちがえる . to be mistaken, to be wrong (new verb)
教師 .
キョウシ . the teacher
水中 .
スイチュウ . underwater
ノイズ . the noise
流暢に .
リュウチョウに . fluently (language level)
Introduction