Table of Contents
The Basics
事, or its hiragana version こと, can be employed in a variety of ways, making it highly useful. However, due to its abstract nature it can be quite challenging for beginning and intermediate learners of Japanese to master.
In myriad situations, 事 can simply translate to "thing(s)." For example, if you had a quarrel with your friend over a trivial issue, you could say:
- 小さい事で、友達とケンカをした。
- I got into a fight with a friend over the littlest thing.
After taking some time to cool down, you decide you want to make things right. To apologize, you can say:
- 謝りたい事がたくさんある。
- I have a lot of things I want to apologize for.
But 事 doesn't always mean "thing(s)." In fact, dictionaries list a wide array of definitions for 事, such as "thing," "what," "matter," "incident," and "circumstance," to name but a few. So, what does 事 really mean?
In a nutshell, 事 refers to "something intangible." Sometimes it's what you say, sometimes it's what you think, sometimes it's what you do, and sometimes it's just what occurs. Whatever "it" is, it's a transitory, indefinable entity that can appear, emerge, change, end, and vanish at any time.
So, if you think 事 is elusive, you've actually come close to understanding it, because 事 is, indeed, a term for cloudy, fuzzy ideas that are difficult to grasp. In short, it's a word that helps you turn those hazy notions into something more solid so you can talk about them.
That being said, this page will assist you in developing a more concrete understanding of 事, giving plenty of examples while explaining what 事 is doing in each instance. So without further ado, let's go check out how 事 is put to use!
〜事 for "Thing(s)"
As explained previously, 事 can be used to denote "thing(s)" in a variety of contexts. However, when using 事 to talk about a "thing," usually you don't use 事 on its own; it normally follows a description that indicates what kind of "thing(s)" you're talking about. And to explain "what thing," or "what kind of thing," you often use adjectives or verbs.
For example, if someone tells you something interesting, you can use the い-adjective 面白い (interesting) with 事 and say:
- 面白い事を言われた。
- They told me interesting things.
On the other hand, if the thing they told you was rather unpleasant, you can use the な-adejctive 嫌な (unpleasant) with 事 and say:
- 嫌な事を言われた。
- They told me unpleasant things.
While the English translations of these sentences makes it sound like in both cases you were told a number of interesting or unpleasant things, it's actually unclear whether 事 is referring to just one interesting or unpleasant thing, or whether there were multiple. In short, 事 can cover "all of the interesting or unpleasant things someone said to you" and present them as a whole.
Now, let's take a look at another example, this time using a verb to describe what kind of "thing" you're talking about. To express that you have a lot on your plate, you can combine the verb やる (to do) and 事, like:
- やる事がたくさんある。
- I have a lot of things to do.
And if the opposite is true, you can use 事 in a negative sentence with ない (not) to mean "nothing," as in:
- やる事がない。
- I have nothing to do.
In both cases, 事 is serving the same function as in earlier examples. It enables you to express "all of the things you need to do" as an abstract whole.
You can also combine 〜の事 with a time-related word, like 昨日 (yesterday):
- 昨日の事は、何も覚えてない。
- I don't remember anything from yesterday.
In this case, 事 indicates "all the things from yesterday."
Got it? In the examples we've seen so far 事 is basically serving the same function as "thing(s)" does in English. However, this isn't its only function, only its most essential. Having a strong understanding of 事 as "thing(s)" should help you grasp the other, more difficult examples, so let's keep going.
〜事 for About "Activity/Action"
It's common to use 事 to refer to a certain activity or action. 運動をする, for example, is a verb phrase that means "to exercise." By adding 事, you can talk about the general concept of exercise, as in:
- 運動をする事は、大切だ。
- It's important to exercise.
In this case, 事 is used to indicate exercise as a general concept that encompasses all forms of physical activity. Let's take a look at another example. ヒジをなめる refers to the action of licking your own elbow. By adding 事 to it, you can express elbow-licking as a general concept.
- ヒジをなめる事は、不可能だ。
- Licking your own elbow is impossible.
Here, 事 indicates that you're discussing "licking elbow" in general, allowing you to express your thoughts about it.
Did you notice that by attaching to a verb, 事 is sort of turning it into a noun? In that sense, we can call 事 a nominalizer — something that turns another part of speech into a noun, similar to the particle の. This also means you can use the particle の in place of 事:
- 運動をするのは、大切だ。
- It's important to exercise.
- ヒジをなめるのは、不可能だ。
- Licking your own elbow is impossible.
While mostly interchangeable, there is a slight difference in nuance between 事 and の. While 事 is used to talk about broad, abstract concepts, の is used to talk about more concrete actions or something familiar to you. So using the particle の here sounds more casual because it indicates you're referring to something personal.
〜事 for "Fact"
When following a sentence, 事 can also refer to a fact. For example, your friend Jenny doesn't eat meat. To describe that fact — ジェニーがお肉を食べない (Jenny doesn't eat meat) — you can say:
- ジェニーがお肉を食べない事
- the fact that Jenny doesn't eat meat
Pretty simple right? 事 is following a factual statement. This comes handy because you can use it to ask whether someone knows the fact or not. For example:
- ジェニーがお肉を食べない事を知っていますか。
- Did you know that Jenny doesn't eat meat?
(Literally: Do you know the fact that Jenny doesn't eat meat?)
You can also add 〜という before 事 when using it this way:
- ジェニーがお肉を食べないという事を知っていますか。
- Did you know that Jenny doesn't eat meat?
という is an expression used to define things. It consists of the particle と, which marks quotations, and the verb 言う (to say). Those two combined literally mean "to be called…" or "to be said that…" In this case, however, という is simply used to link the factual statement with 事 and doesn't add any extra meaning.
Grammatically, what 事 is doing here is creating a noun phrase — a sentence with a nominalizer at the end, like 事 that allows the phrase to be grouped together as a whole. Without 事, the example sentences above wouldn't have worked. Remember how I mentioned earlier that the particle の functions similarly to 事 as a nominalizer? You can use them interchangeably in this case too!
- ジェニーがお肉を食べないのを知っていますか。
- Did you know that Jenny doesn't eat meat?
To reiterate, 事 tends to refer to abstract concepts while の is generally used to talk about something that is more concrete or familiar to you. So in this case too, the 事 version sounds more rigid, whereas the の version sounds quite casual.
〜の事 To Talk About "Someone/Something" As A Whole Entity
When talking about something or someone, 〜の事 is often attached to the word referring to them. For example, when describing that you're in love with someone it's quite common to use 〜の事, as in:
- 花子の事が好きなんだよね。
- I'm in love with Hanako.
"Why do you add 〜の事?" you might be wondering. You can just say 花子が好きなんだよね too, but that just indicates that you like Hanako, and that's it. By adding 〜の事 you're implying that you like everything about Hanako — what she does, what she says, her looks, her personality, even the way that she smells. You love everything that has to do with Hanako.
Let's take a look at a different scenario. Let's say your friend is throwing a birthday party and you're curious whether Hanako has been invited. You might want to ask:
- 誕生日会の事、もう花子にも言った？
- Did you tell Hanako about the birthday party already?
In this case, the 〜の事 is crucial. This is because, again, 〜の事 is referring to "everything about" the birthday party, from the fact that your friend is throwing it, to the date and time, and any other party-related details. Thus, by adding 〜の事, you can indicate you're asking if your friend told Hanako "about any information related to the party."
And if your friend isn't planning on inviting Hanako, they might respond with:
- あー、悪いけど、花子の事は、誘わないよ。
- Uh, I'm sorry, but I'm not inviting Hanako.
You might think the use of 〜の事 seems strange here. You are not inviting "everything about Hanako" — what does that even mean? Technically your friend could say 花子は誘わない, which can be taken as quite a direct statement. However, by adding 〜の事, your friend can make a more ambiguous reference to all sorts of things related to Hanako. Here, the 〜の事 softens the seemingly harsh comment by making sound a bit more indirect, and adds the nuance "given that,” — whatever "that" unspoken thing is — "I won't invite Hanako."
Beyond The Basics
〜た事がある To Talk About "Past Experience"
事 can also refer to past experiences when used in 〜事がある following a sentence in the past tense. For example, if you have been to Japan, you can combine 日本に行った (went to Japan) and 事 and say:
- 日本に行った事がある。
- I've been to Japan.
(Literally: I have had the experience of going to Japan.)
If you've been to Japan but never eaten sushi, you can say お寿司を食べた (ate sushi) with 〜事がない, the negative form of 〜事がある, and say:
- でも、お寿司を食べた事がない。
- But, I've never eaten sushi.
(Literally: I have no experience(s) eating sushi.)
Earlier you learned that 事 can be replaced with the nominalizer の when talking about something of a more personal nature. However, using の like this, as in 日本に行ったのがある or お寿司を食べたのがない doesn't work.
〜事がある To Talk About "Occasional Experiences"
事 can also refer to occasions. This is especially true of a verb in the dictionary form followed by 〜事がある. Itt indicates that the activity or event happens only occasionally. For example, if you and your partner are in a mostly-good relationship but sometimes have disagreements, you can say:
- 時々、ケンカをする事がある。
- We fight occasionally.
(Literally: There are times we have quarrels.)
And if these quarrels occasionally lead to a week of not speaking to each other, you can say:
- 一週間ぐらい喋らない事もある。
- We also sometimes don't talk with each other for about a week.
(Literally: There are also times we don't talk to each other for about a week.
Here, the particle が in 〜事がある is replaced with the particle も (also) to indicate that it's additional information. Otherwise, what 〜事がある is doing is the same, which is to refer to an event (not talking to each other) or occasion.
Note that when used this way, you can't replace 事 with the nominalizer の.
〜事 for "Giving Rules or Directions"
By ending a sentence with 事, you can convey rules or directions to be observed. When used this way 事 can be written in kanji but it's also common to see it written in kana. For example, if a teacher wants to give the students an instruction, they might say:
- 友達には、意地悪しないこと。
- Don't be mean to your friends.
Used this way, 事 sort of makes the sentence into a bullet point — "not being mean to your friends" — as if it's a part of a list of dos and don'ts, and in fact, this type of sentence is often used when compiling a list, like:
- 友達には、意地悪しないこと、優しくしてあげること、助け合うこと。
- Don't be mean to your friends. Be nice to them. Help each other out.
Then, after listing all the points (or sometimes just one point), the speaker tends to ask a confirmation question, such as:
- 友達には、意地悪しないこと、優しくしてあげること、助け合うこと。分かったね？
- Don't be mean to your friends. Be nice to them. Help each other out. Alright?
It's also common to add something to wrap up your bullet points, such as:
- 友達には、意地悪しないこと、優しくしてあげること、助け合うこと。以上のことを、しっかり守っていきましょう。
- Don't be mean to your friends. Be nice to them. Help each other out. These things should be followed to the letter.
〜事ができる To Talk About "Ability"
事 can also be used to talk about someone's ability to do something using the verb, できる (can do). In case you're not familiar with できる, it's a convenient word — you can use it with a noun and describe the thing you can do, as in これができる (I can do this) or スキーができる (I can ski). Since 事 is a noun, it can connect to できる as in 事ができる. With this pattern, you can talk about abilities by describing exactly what "kind of thing" you're referring to with 事.
Let's take a look at an example. Imagine you're at a job interview where they ask you about the unique things you can do. If you can sing some songs in Japanese, you can say:
- 日本語で歌う事ができます。
- I can sing in Japanese.
Here, 日本語で歌う事 represents "singing in Japanese" as a general act and 〜ができます (the polite form of 〜ができる) states you are capable of doing it. As a result, the 事 here, when talking about your generalized ability to sing in Japanese, cannot be replaced with the nominalizer の because it is used for concrete actions, not general activities. So the sentence 日本語で歌うのができます doesn't make sense here.
Now, some of you might have been wondering how 〜事ができる is different from 〜れる, or the potential form of verbs. This verb suffix expresses the ability, or possibility, to do the action described by the verb, so you can conjugate the verb 歌う to 歌える to mean "can sing." The difference is that the potential form frequently reflects the speaker's view, as in "I can do this!," whereas 〜事ができる objectively describes the fact that someone can do something.
Hence, 〜事ができる is generally more appropriate in a formal setting, such as a job interview, or when objectively describing someone else's abilities. On the other hand, if you're casually talking to your friend about your talents, it's more common to employ the potential form of a verb, like:
- 私この曲、日本語で歌えるよ！
- I can sing this song in Japanese.