other N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜自身 — oneself / itself (emphatic)
〜自身 ・ じしん
Meaning
- ~ oneself / ~ itself / that very ~ — attaches to a noun or pronoun to emphasise that exact person or thing
Key sentence
私自身がそう思っている。
I myself think so.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun or pronoun | N/pronoun + 自身 | 彼自身 / 自分自身 / 日本自身 |
Examples
それは君自身が決めるべきことだ。
That's something you yourself should decide.
問題は制度自身にある。
The problem lies in the system itself.
When you can't use it
- 自身 is bound — it must follow a noun or pronoun it emphasises (私自身, 会社自身). It can't stand alone as a subject the way 自分 can.
Easily confused with
See 〜自身 in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜自身 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo