JLPT N1 grammar by function

JLPT N1 Conjecture, likelihood, and judgment

ものと思われる and とされる report judgments in news and academic writing, and ではあるまいか is a hedged "isn't it perhaps". ないとも限らない and と言えなくもない leave room for a possibility, while でなくてなんだろう asserts something with rhetorical force. Double negatives like ないものでもない lean positive, which learners often misread as a denial.

21 N1 grammar points in this group

可能性がある (kanousei ga aru): may/might; there’s a possibility that

Use 可能性がある when you want to state that an event or condition has a real chance of occurring, without committing to certainty. It signals that you have considered the facts and see a credible path to that outcome.

明日は天気が崩れる可能性があるので、傘を持って行ったほうがいいです。 — The weather might turn bad tomorrow, so you should take an umbrella.

案の定 (an no jou): just as one thought; as usual; sure enough

Use 案の定 when you want to express that a result matches what you had already imagined or feared. It carries the flavor of “just as I thought” — not surprise, but a kind of expected inevitability.

天気予報が当たって、案の定午後から大雨になった。 — The weather forecast turned out right; sure enough, heavy rain started in the afternoon.

さぞ (sazo): surely; certainly; no doubt; indeed

Use さぞ when you want to express a strong conjecture about someone else's feelings or circumstances—something you can infer but haven't directly confirmed. It carries empathy and a high degree of certainty.

長時間のフライトでさぞお疲れでしょう。 — You must be tired after that long flight.

さも (samo): really (seem, appear); truly; as if

Use さも when you want to describe the manner in which something *appears* or *is presented*, often with the implication that you, the speaker, are watching closely and may be skeptical.

彼はさも嬉しそうに笑ったが、目は笑っていなかった。 — He smiled as if he were truly happy, but his eyes weren't smiling.

いかにも (ikani mo): indeed; really; truly; just (like); very; extremely

Use いかにも when you want to emphasize that something is genuinely typical, characteristic, or just as one would imagine. It can also appear as a one‑word reply meaning “exactly” or “indeed.

彼の話は嘘とは思わないが、いかにも出来すぎた感じがする。 — I don’t think his story is a lie, but it really feels too good to be true.

というわけだ (to iu wake da): that's why; no wonder; this means; it is the case that

Use というわけだ to present a conclusion, reason, or restatement that follows logically from the context. The speaker is saying “this is what it comes down to” — not just stating a fact, but connecting dots.

彼が遅刻したのは、寝坊した寝坊したというわけだ。 — So the reason he was late is that he overslept — that's what it boils down to.

というわけではない (to iu wake dewa nai): it’s not that; it doesn’t mean that

Use というわけではない when you want to say “it’s not that A is true” or “A does not mean B”. It rejects a conclusion that has been drawn – or might be drawn – from what was said or from the situation. Instead of simply negating the verb, it negates the whole proposition being attributed to the situation.

彼は怒ったというわけではない。ただ驚いただけだ。 — It’s not that he got angry. He was just surprised.

ものと思われる / ものと見られる (mono to omowareru / mono to mirareru): it is believed/expected that; to think; to suppose

Use ものと思われる when you want to express a personal conjecture — what the speaker or writer thinks is likely. It often softens an assertion in formal speeches, editorials, or polite correspondence.

首相は来月までに改革案をまとめるものと見られる — The prime minister is expected to finalise the reform plan by next month.

とされる (to sareru): is considered to; it is said that

Use とされる when you need to state that something is generally considered to be the case, according to common understanding, historical records, official sources, or expert consensus.

日本では、富士山が一番高い山だとされる。 — In Japan, Mt. Fuji is considered the tallest mountain.

ではあるまいか (dewa arumai ka): isn't it; I wonder if it’s not

Use ではあるまいか when you want to put forward a belief or suspicion while maintaining a formal, questioning stance. The speaker typically thinks the proposition is likely, but presents it as an open question for rhetorical or polite effect.

問題の解決策は、政府の協力なしには不可能ではあるまいか。 — Isn’t the solution to this problem impossible without government cooperation?

でなくてなんだろう (denakute nan darou): must be; is definitely

でなくてなんだろう is a rhetorical question that insists something must be identified as the preceding noun. Literally “if (it) is not X, then what is it?” — so the answer is forced: it has to be X.

完璧なタイミングで現れたなんて、これは奇跡でなくてなんだろう。 — Showing up at the perfect moment — this must be a miracle.

べくして (beku shite): as it is bound to (happen); following the natural course

Use べくして when you want to express that an event occurred exactly as it was bound to – a natural, almost predetermined result of the conditions leading up to it. The speaker is not surprised; the outcome feels logically inevitable.

事故は起こるべくして起こった。 — The accident happened as it was bound to happen.

ないとも限らない (nai tomo kagiranai): not necessarily; I can't say that; maybe; might

Use ないとも限らない when you want to express that you cannot deny the possibility of something—usually an event you don’t expect or an outcome you’d rather avoid.

明日雨が降らないとも限らないから、傘を持っていこう。 — It might rain tomorrow, so let’s take an umbrella.

と言えなくもない (to ienaku mo nai): one can even say that; it can also be said that

Use と言えなくもない when you want to express that a statement is not entirely out of the question — that you can tentatively agree or consider something to be the case. It's a way of saying "it wouldn't be wrong to say" or "one could even go so far as to claim.

成功した言えなくもないが、問題も残っている。 — One could even say it was a success, but problems remain.

ないものでもない (nai mono demo nai): is not entirely impossible

Use ないものでもない when you want to express that something is not wholly out of the question. You are not committing to “it is possible”; rather, you are saying “it is not entirely impossible”—a subtle but important difference.

彼の言っていることが理解できないものでもない。 — It is not that I cannot understand what he is saying. (I understand it, to some degree.)

に難くない (ni katakunai): easy to do; it’s not hard to (imagine, understand, guess)

Use に難くない when you want to express that it is easy to perform a certain mental act—typically imagining, understanding, guessing, or predicting—because the situation or evidence makes it obvious.

彼がなぜそんな行動をとったのかは、想像に難くない。 — It's not hard to imagine why he acted that way.

に言わせれば (ni iwasereba): if you ask; if one may say

Use に言わせれば when you want to present a personal opinion while signaling that it’s just one person’s viewpoint—yours or someone else’s.

私に言わせれば、それは間違っている。 — If you ask me, that is wrong.

ないものか / ないものだろうか (nai mono ka / nai mono darou ka): isn't there; can’t we…?; can’t I…?

Use ないものか / ないものだろうか when you want to express that the speaker is intensely hoping for or seeking a way for something to happen, often with a tone of “I wish there were…” or “isn’t there some way…?”.

何とか早く帰れないものか、ずっと考えている。 — I keep wondering, isn’t there some way I can go home sooner?

のやら / ものやら / ことやら (no yara / mono yara / koto yara): I wonder...; unsure; I don’t know

Use のやら / ものやら / ことやら when you want to express that you wonder about something — not to get a reply, but to voice your own uncertainty.

何を話し合ったのやら、結局何も決まらなかった。 — I wonder what they talked about; in the end nothing was decided.

のやら～のやら (no yara ~ no yara): or ~ (I don't know)

Use のやら～のやら when you list two (or more) possibilities and underline that you have no reliable information about which one is the case. The speaker’s stance is unclear, irritated, or simply resigned.

彼が来るのやら来ないのやら、さっぱりわからない。 — Whether he’ll come or won’t come, I have absolutely no idea.

とも～とも (tomo ~ tomo): unable to draw a conclusion; unable to judge

Use とも～とも when you want to present two opposing descriptions, judgments, or possibilities and then state that you cannot draw a conclusion about which one applies. The final verb is almost always negative — typically 言えない (can’t say), 決められない (can’t decide), or 分からない (can’t tell).

高いとも安いとも言えない。 — I can’t say whether it’s expensive or cheap.

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