connective N2 common casualpolitewritten
ちなみに — incidentally / by the way
ちなみに
Meaning
- incidentally / by the way / for your information — adds a related but secondary aside to what was just said
Key sentence
会議は三時からです。ちなみに場所は変わりました。
The meeting is from three. Incidentally, the location has changed.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sentence-initial, introducing a supplementary remark | (…)。ちなみに [related extra detail]。 | ちなみに私も行きます |
Examples
この店は日曜も開いている。ちなみに駐車場もある。
This shop is open on Sundays too. By the way, it also has parking.
ちなみに、これは私の個人的な意見です。
For what it's worth, this is just my personal opinion.
When you can't use it
- ちなみに adds a tangent that is RELATED to the current topic; it isn't used to switch to a wholly new subject — for that use さて or ところで.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Often used to volunteer a small relevant fact the listener didn't ask for, in a helpful or mildly show-off tone.
See ちなみに in real sentences
Jengo shows ちなみに the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.