particle N2 uncommon politewrittenliterary
ですら — even ~
ですら
Builds on でさえ
Meaning
- even ~ — cites an extreme or surprising example to imply 'if even this is so, then surely the rest is too'
Key sentence
専門家ですら、答えられない質問だ。
It's a question that even experts can't answer.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (often a subject or topic) | N + ですら | 子どもですら / プロですら |
When: Literary and emphatic — more written and forceful than でさえ. Common in formal writing and dramatic statements.
Examples
そんなことは、小学生ですら知っている。
Even a grade-schooler knows something like that.
忙しくて、食事をする時間ですらない。
I'm so busy I don't even have time to eat.
Easily confused with
でさえ Same meaning ('even ~'). ですら is the more literary, emphatic variant; でさえ is the everyday form usable in ordinary speech and writing. すら すら is the bare particle 'even.' ですら adds で (on a subject/topic noun), parallel to さえ vs でさえ. さえ さえ is the neutral everyday 'even' (and forms さえ〜ば 'if only'). ですら carries the same extreme-example sense but with a heavier, more written tone.
See ですら in real sentences
Jengo shows ですら 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.