Sae in Japanese can be used for emphasis, explained in detail

What does “sae” mean in Japanese?

Japanese native speakers sometimes use “sae” to mean ‘even’, ‘only’, or ‘besides’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain this binding particle in detail together with example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “sae”
• Example #1: “sae” after a noun
• Example #2: “sae” after a case particle
• Example #3: “sae” in a Japanese conditional clause
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “sae”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meanings of “sae”.

• sae – さえ : a binding particle put after a noun, conjugated verb, conjugated adjective, case particle, or conjunctive particle to add the meaning of ‘even’, ‘only’, or ‘besides’ to it. When this particle is used in a conditional clause, it can emphasize the meaning of ‘if’ or ‘as long as’ in the clause.

Its definition and meanings are a bit confusing to Japanese learners, I think. To understand this particle more clearly, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: “sae” after a noun

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle put after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
• nenrei – 年齢 (ねんれい) : a noun meaning ‘age’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle put after a noun to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase, “kare no nenrei”, to make the object in the sentence.
• shira – 知ら (しら) : one conjugation of the verb, “shiru”, which means ‘to know’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb or adjective to deny its meaning. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “shira”, to deny its meaning, ‘to know’.

This is a typical usage of “sae”. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “kanojo”, to emphasize the person who doesn’t know his age. So, the Japanese sentence has been translated into English as “even she doesn’t know his age.”

As this example shows, “sae” can be used just after a noun. This is the most typical usage, I think. Sometimes, however, they look connected via a case particle. More precisely, the binding particle is sometimes used after a case particle. I will explain this point through the example sentence below.

Example #2: “sae” after a case particle

Below are the new words and particles used in the example sentence.

• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a particular direction in which the action described by a verb is heading. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kanojo”, to indicate the particular direction in which the action described by the verb, “oshie”, is heading.
• wo – を : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the noun, “nenrei”, to make the object word in the sentence.
• oshie – 教え (おしえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “oshieru”, which means ‘to tell’, ‘to teach’, or ‘to inform’. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• taku – たく : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “tai”, which is put after a verb to make its desire form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “oshie”, to make its desire form, “oshie tai”, which means ‘to want to tell’. The formed verb phrase has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• nai – ない : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the conjugated verb phrase, “oshie taku”, to deny its meaning.

This is another typical usage of “sae”. In this example, it is used to add the meaning of ‘even’ to its preceding case particle, “ni”. The formed phrase, “ni sae”, has been translated as ‘even to’. The binding particle works to emphasize the direction of the action.

Example #3: “sae” in a Japanese conditional clause

In this example, I will explain how to use “sae” together with a conjugated verb and a conjunctive particle in a Japanese conditional clause. So, three usages at one stroke.

Below are the new words and particles used in the example sentence.

• shigoto shi – 仕事し (しごとし) : one conjugation of the verb, “shigoto suru”, which means ‘to work’. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “shigoto shi”, to make its te form, “shigoto shi te”.
• ire – いれ : one conjugation of the verb, “iru“, which means ‘to present’ or ‘to be’ in Japanese. In this example, however, its role is more like an auxiliary verb to express the continuity of the action described by the verb, “shigoto shi”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb or adjective to make its conditional form. Perhaps, it is well known as a part of Japanese ba form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “ire”, to make its conditional form, “ire ba”.
• okane – お金 (おかね) : a noun meaning ‘money’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : the same as explained in the last examples. In this example, it is put after the noun, “okane”, to make the object word in the sentence.
• mora – 貰 (もら) : one conjugation of the verb, “morau”, which means ‘to get’ or ‘to receive’. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• eru – える : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “mora”, to make its potential form, “mora eru”, which means ‘to be able to get’ or ‘can get’.

This is another typical usage of “sae”. In this example, it is used after the combination of the conjugated verb, “shigoto shi”, and the conjunctive particle, “te”, in the conditional clause. Honestly speaking, a conditional form without “sae” would also be able to do the same work. In other words, to mean ‘as long as’ in Japanese. Yet, Japanese native speakers sometimes use “sae” intentinally to emphasize the meaning of a conditional clause.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the binding particle, “sae”, in detail together with the example sentences. Let me summarize them again as follows.

• sae – さえ : a binding particle put after a noun, conjugated verb, conjugated adjective, case particle, or conjunctive particle to add the meaning of ‘even’, ‘only’, or ‘besides’ to it. When this particle is used in a conditional clause, it can emphasize the meaning of ‘if’ or ‘as long as’ in the clause.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.