particle N3 common casualpolitewritten
こそ — precisely / it is exactly ~ that
こそ
Meaning
- precisely ~ / it is exactly ~ that — an emphatic particle singling out the preceding element as *the* one
Key sentence
今度こそ成功させる。
This time for sure, I'll make it work.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / phrase + こそ | N こそ / 〜てこそ / 〜からこそ | これこそ本物だ (this is the real thing) |
Examples
こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。
The pleasure is all mine.
努力したからこそ、成功したのだ。
It was precisely because I worked hard that I succeeded.
苦しい時こそ、笑顔が大切だ。
It's exactly in hard times that a smile matters.
When you can't use it
- こそ replaces は or が for emphasis rather than stacking before them: 私こそ, not 私はこそ.
Easily confused with
Notes
- 〜てこそ ('only by ~ing can you truly…': 努力してこそ意味がある) and 〜からこそ ('precisely because') are common fixed extensions.
See こそ in real sentences
Jengo shows こそ 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 Intermediate Japanese Grammar.