同じ
The adjective for “same” is 同じ, but as is evident from its appearance and conjugations, it acts as if it is a hybrid between an adjective and an adjectival noun1.
| 未然形 | 連用形 | 終止形 | 連体形 | 仮定形 已然形2 | 命令形 | |
| 形容詞系 | 同じから | 同じく 同じかり | 同じ 同じい△ | 同じ 同じき 同じかる | 同じけれ | |
| 形容動詞系 | 同じなら | 同じで | 同じだ 同じである | 同じな 同じである | 同じであれ 同じなれ |
Not only is 同じ’s bases an amalgam of two parts of speech, there are a lot of contingencies over which base to use.
First, we will investigate its past forms and how they have shaped its current usage. Then, we will take a close look into how its modern forms behave. To conclude, we will look at the Sino-Japanese prefix 同～, which has the same meaning.
The History of 同じ
Long ago, 同じ was like any other adjective (形容詞). Moreover, all the bases shown as being 形容詞-derived in the chart above were in use for their respective situations. For example, the bases derived via the existential verb /ari-/—同じから, 同じかり, 同じかる—were all used with auxiliary verbs, and those not derived via this fusion with the underlining 同じく-連用形—同じく itself, 同じ, 同じき, 同じけれ—were conjoined either with conjunctive particles, or in the case of 同じ・同じき pertained to predicates.
While it is by no means important for you to understand how bases worked for adjectives in Classical Japanese, recognizing that you are still looking at 同じ when you encounter a new form will be a useful skill.
1. 集まり参じて人は変われど、仰ぐは同じき理想の光。（連体形）
People may change by coming together, but they all turn to the same ideals as light.
From the school song (校歌) of Waseda University.
2. 妹も我も心は同じ3 （終止形）
My wife and I have the same heart (for each other).
From Poem 3978 of the 万葉集
However, insinuating that 同じ simply jumped from being a 形容詞 to being a 形容動詞 is a gross simplification of what transpired. Firstly, there is the issue of 同じ and 同じき both functioning as the 連体形 even before the two bases became identical for all adjectives. In fact, in standard conversation, 同じ had already become the predominant form since the Heian Period, with おなじき appearing most frequently in formal settings4.
3. さのみ同じさまには言はじとて
I thought surely I wouldn’t say just that in the same way.
From the 更級日記.
4. 同じき年の冬、なほこの京に帰り給ひにき。
(The Emperor) returned to the capital in the winter of that same year.
From the 方丈記.
As for the /kari/-stem bases5 derived from /ari-/, one by one, they faded into oblivion, at times receiving modern adaptations before the 形容動詞-derived variants took hold.
The 連用形-同じかる was used with auxiliaries like ～べし (should/ought to be). In Modern Japanese, the form has been replaced by its unconjugated form 同じくある, which has incidentally almost been entirely replaced by 同じである.
5. されどもこの貧富強弱は国の有様なれば、固より同じかるべからず。
However, because this whole “rich vs. poor” and “strong vs. weak” are what define countries, they would not be the same from the start.
6. これが昔からのあり方だから、次の世代も同じくあるべきだ。
This has been the way since long ago, so the next generation also ought to be the same way.
7. 我々の態度は、キリストのと同じであるべきだと言っています。
I’m saying that our attitude should be the same as Christ’s.
The 連体形-同じである, would not be possible, of course, had speakers not begun to attach だ to the 終止形-同じ. Why this only occurred with 同じ, especially given that it was by no means the only adjective ending in ～じ, is an enigma, but before 同じだ became predominant, the expected descendent of 同じき, that being 同じい, did get used for centuries in the spoken language before ultimately not surviving past the early 1900s.
8. ただ一つの思想を知るということは、思想というものを知らないというに同じい。
Only knowing of one ideology is equal to not knowing what an ideology is.
A famous quote by 西田幾多郎.
同じい is not the only instance of a modern-like 形容詞 adaptation which failed to survive into the present. In fact, 同じかった could be seen as well, which utilizes the 連用形-同じかり just how one would expect it to function in modern grammar. While it is easy to want to correct it to 同じだった, this form was used throughout Early Modern Japanese.
9. 人は単に偶然に世話になった場合にも、謝礼に握り飯を贈れば相手の喜ぶことを知り、相手はまた狸兎の類を捕ってきて、これを答礼にして適当なりと考えたのも、やがては異種諸民族間の貿易の起原と同じかった。
Whenever people would simply receive a random favor from someone, they would present the other person rice balls as thanks, knowing that the receiver would be happy for them, and the recipient would then catch tanuki, rabbits, and the like thinking that such things would be sufficient for returning the courtesy, which ultimately was equal to the origin of trade between all the various tribes and races.
From 『山の人生』 by 柳田国男.
As these modern adaptations faded out of use, what was left was a largely 形容動詞-functioning word with the irregular 連体形 it inherited from its 形容詞 past as well as the convoluted state of its 終止形, which has resulted in the following scenarios just to enumerate a few.
■同じ and 同じである both being viable 連体形 when 同じ constitutes the head of an embedded clause modifying a noun.
10. 解が全く同じ（である）方程式は同じ方程式とみなせますか？
Can you view equations which have the exact same solution as the same equation?
■The 終止形‐同じだ being obligatory in dependent clauses created with a conjunctive particle.
11. 値段は同じだが、量が少なくなっている。
The price is the same, but the amount is less.
■だ-ellipsis being obligatory, which renders the 形容動詞-derived 終止形 identical to its formal 形容詞-derived 終止形 with no apparent change in function.
12. 君は僕と同じ｛さ 〇・ださ6 Ｘ｝！
You’re the same as me!
■Outdated honorific speech retaining 同じ’s 形容詞-derived functionality in the 終止形, thus creating the form 同じゅうございます7.
13.
Speaker A:「申し訳ございませぬ！」
Speaker B:「同じゅうございます・・・」
Speaker A: “I’m terribly sorry!”
Speaker B: “As am I…”
For the remainder of this lesson, we will focus on the forms that are in use today, referencing when necessary the grammatical knowledge that has been discussed thus far.
The 終止形「同じだ」
When used as the predicate in the main clause or inside a dependent clause, 同じ functions regularly as an adjectival noun. The greatest takeaway of this statement is that all the basic conjugations that we associate with the copula when using adjectival nouns are available.
14. 結果は同じだったよ。（だった = Plain Past)
The results were the same.
15. ずっと同じじゃないですか。(じゃないです = Polite Negative)
Is it not always the same?
16. 日本語と同じですね。(です = Polite Non-Past)
It’s the same as Japanese, huh.
As for whether the copula itself can be omitted, its ellipsis also occurs regularly with 同じ8. This begs the question, however, whether we are looking at an abbreviated form of the 形容動詞-derived 終止形 or the 形容詞-derived 終止形 that it has always had. Regardless of which is the right answer, the use of ～同じ concluding a sentence is widespread and certainly something to be aware of.
The Casual Form おんなじ
In casual speech, 同じ may be rendered as おんなじ.
17. 昨日とおんなじ（だ）よ。
It’s the same as yesterday.
The 連体形「同じ」
When placed before a true noun, the 連体形 is 同じ, behaving as a normal adjective minus its highly irregular appearance and classification.
18. 彼は、1年間くらい同じ服を着ていました。
He wore the same clothes for about a year.
19. ほぼ同じ意味です。
It has almost the same meaning.
20. 僕たちは同じ学校に通っています。(Male Speech)
We go to the same school.
21. 皆同じ穴のムジナだな。
Literally: They are all badgers from the same hole.
They are all birds of a feather.
22. 私たちは同じ年に生まれました。
We were born in the same year.
23. 私は同い年の人と結婚しています。
I’m married to someone of the same age.
Phrase Note: 同い年 is a set phrase meaning “the same age” in which the consonant /j/ is mysteriously ellipsed. This ellipsis, however, is what also triggers the voicing of 年.
The 形容動詞系の連体形「同じな」
Before the auxiliary verb ～のだ, as well as before the particles のに and ので which can be viewed as the derivates of ～のだ, we see that the 形容動詞-derived 連体形 of 同じな that we would expect the word to inherit from the copula だ does become viable. This is because the の in these structures can be alternatively viewed as an adnominal construct, prompting any all adjectival nouns and nouns alike that come before it to exhibit な as the connecting glue.
24. 音質は、CDと同じなのです。
That’s because the sound quality is the same as a CD.
25. 何故、惑星の公転方向は同じなんですか。
Why is it that the direction of revolution for the planets is the same?
26. 服装が同じなので、見分けがつきにくいですね。
Their clothes are the same, so it’s hard to distinguish them, huh.
However, when the adnominal の is used to mean “one” as a relative pronoun, we see that the 同じな form does not hold, with 同じ attaching directly to の as the correct 連体形.
27.
大丈夫ほら 七色の橋
涙を流しきると 空に架かる
ねぇ見えるでしょ はるか彼方に
僕にも見える 君と同じの
It’s ok, look! A seven-colored bridge!
When you’ve shed all your tears, it’s hanging in the sky.
Hey, I’m sure you see it out in the distance.
I see it too; it’s the same as yours.
From 『虹』 by Aqua Timez
28. これと同じのをください。
Please give me one the same as this.
Incidentally, the pattern ～わけだ9 often causes the な-連体形 of the copula to appear instead of である. Meaning, it should allow for the use of 同じな. However, the reality is not so clearcut. Examples can be found, but it is generally felt that な is not necessary.
29. 人が推してるものって気になるけど、それは書店さんでも同じわけだね。
(We) naturally curious about things other people are enthusiastic about, and the same applies to bookstores.
30. そんな人たちに対して「あなたは間違っている」「あなたは誤解している」といっていることと同じなわけだ。
Saying that is essentially the same as telling those people, “You are wrong,” or “You’re mistaken.”
The Adverbial Form 同じに
Whenever you encounter 同じに, 同じ functions as an adverbial noun, translating as “the same.” What follows will typically be verbs like なる, する, and 見える. Note that this is not the same as 同じように・同じく, which are to be discussed next.
31. 私達の結果と同じになりました。
(Their results) ended up the same as our results.
32. 全部同じに見えます。
They all look the same.
33. 実印と銀行印を同じにすることはできるんですか。
Is it possible to have one’s registered seal be the same as one’s bank transaction seal?
34. 同じクラスの男の子と塾が同じになった。
My cram school is now the same as a boy in the same class as me.
The Adverbial Form 同じように
By combining 同じ with ～ようだ and then using the adverbial form of the latter, you get the meaning of “similarly to/just like.” Thus, the addition of ～よう indicates that the thing in question is not actually the same but “similar.”
35. スパゲティをレシピと同じように作った。
I made spaghetti like the recipe says.
36. 猫からは周囲が人と同じように見えますか。
Do one’s surroundings look the same from a cat’s perspective?
37. 普通の人と同じように仕事が出来ません。
I can’t work like normal people.
38. 過去と同じように設定してください。
Please set the settings like in the past.
39. 猿たちはいつもと同じように遊んでいます。
The monkeys are playing like they always do.
The Adverbial Form 同じく
The adverbial form 同じく originates from 同じ functioning as a normal adjective. In practical use, it is similar to “ditto to” or “same as” and can be paraphrased as 同じように. It establishes that matter Y is the same as matter X. What makes it different from 同じに is that 同じに is referring to a transformation of X to Y, whereas 同じく are two entities/situations that are the same or are behaving the same.
40. （彼と）同じく私もイギリス出身です。
Ditto (to him), I too am from England.
41. 昨日と同じく今日も雨だ。
Same as yesterday, today is also rain.
42. 軌を一にするということは、車の通った跡を同じくすること。転じて、同じ行き方や立場をとることを意味する。
To make ruts one is to make wheel tracks the same. By extension, it means to take the same path or stance.
43. 志を同じくする同僚と生き生きと働きましょう！
Actively work with like-minded coworkers!
44. ラジオ局にも、一般の企業と同じく、「営業部」が存在します。
The “Sales Department” exists in radio stations just as it does in regular companies.
45. 同じく営業部の本田が対応いたしました。
Honda, who is also in sales, handled the matter.
The Adverbial? Form 同じ
When used in conjunction with the particle なら, which creates “if” statements when making suggestions, 同じ becomes an adverb meaning “anyhow” and is interchangeable with どうせ.
46. 同じ買うなら、地元で買った方がいい。
Anyhow, if you’re going to buy, it’s best to buy local.
Grammar Note: Verb + ～た方がいい is a grammatical pattern meaning “it’s best to…”
47. 同じ売るなら、少しでも得したい。
Anyhow, if I’m going to sell it, I want to get at least some profit.
Grammar Note: Verb + ～たい（と思う）is a grammatical pattern meaning “want to…”
48. 同じお金がかかるなら、自分の家を建てたいと思う。
Anyhow, if it’s going to cost money, I’d want to build my own house.
The Sino-Japanese Prefix 同～
Sino-Japanese compound words frequently feature the kanji 同, read with its ON reading ドウ. Most of these words are literary, but some basic vocabulary in the spoken language are formed with it such as the words 同情 (sympathy) and 同意 (agreement).
49. 上記、利用規約に同意します。
You agree to the above user agreement.
50. 由香里さんの彼氏と私の夫は同一人物に違いありません！
Yukari’s boyfriend and my husband are undoubtedly the same individual!
51. 前回と同様に実験を開始しました。
We began the experiment similarly to last time.
52. 英語の同音異義語をいくつか教えてください。
Please teach me some English homophones.
53. 被災者に同情します。
I sympathize with disaster victims.
54. なぜ東南アジアの国々も隣国同士は仲が悪いですか。
Why is it that neighboring countries among Southeast Asian nations have such bad relations?
55. 同志よ、行くぞ。
Comrades, let’s go!
Phrase Note: In Mandarin Chinese, 同志 means “homosexual.” However, in Japanese, it is a somewhat uncommon word meaning “comrade.”
56. 私は同性と付き合っています。
I’m dating someone of the same sex.
57. 私も全く同感です。
I completely agree/feel exactly the same way.
58. 外国人の同僚と喧嘩になった。
I got into an argument with a foreign colleague.
- To reflect how the word possesses bases of 形容詞 and 形容動詞 origin, but to also reflect how it is classified in Japanese education as a 形容動詞, designating it instead as a quasi-adjectival noun (準形容動詞) ought to be considered. ↩︎
- The 已然形 is etymologically the same as the 仮定形, but the terminology change reflects a shift in the meaning of the primary ending that follows it, the conjunctive particle ば. ↩︎
- In Old Japanese, 同じ could also be read as おやじ. ↩︎
- Most notably, in 漢文訓読-style writings. ↩︎
- In Classical Japanese, adjectives possessed two sets of bases: /ku/-stem and /kari/-stem bases. ↩︎
- The final particle さ cannot follow だ, thus making 同じ the only viable 終止形 in this sentence. ↩︎
- 同じゅう is the contracted form of 同じく. ↩︎
- although the copula is grammatically optional in plain speech in main clauses, that does not mean the feel of the sentence does not change. Because 同じ is still functioning as an adjectival noun, dropping the copula while also adding the final particles よ・わ is indicative of female speech. In male speech, adding さ is the only final particle at one’s disposal with the copula absent. Others like ぜ・ぞ require that だ be present. ↩︎
- Other patterns such as ～はずだ exhibit the same issue. ↩︎