adverbial N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten
仮に — supposing / hypothetically / for argument's sake
仮に ・ かりに
Meaning
- supposing / hypothetically / for argument's sake — sets up a premise as a deliberate supposition
Key sentence
仮に宝くじが当たったら、何をしますか。
Supposing you won the lottery, what would you do?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adverb | 仮に + conditional clause (〜たら / 〜ても / 〜としたら / 〜なら) | 仮に〜としても |
When: Flags the premise as not (yet) real — purely for the sake of argument or thought experiment.
Examples
仮に失敗したとしても、よい経験にはなる。
Even supposing I fail, it'll still be a good experience.
仮にその話が本当だとしたら、大変なことだ。
If, hypothetically, that story is true, it's a serious matter.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Frequently 仮に〜としたら / 仮に〜としても, pairing with a conditional ending to carry the supposition.
See 仮に in real sentences
Jengo shows 仮に 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.