adverbial N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten
ただの — mere
ただの
Meaning
- a mere / just a / nothing but an ordinary ~ — downplaying something as no more than it appears
Key sentence
それはただの噂にすぎない。
That's nothing but a mere rumor.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | ただの + N | ただの偶然 |
Examples
彼はただの友達です。
He's just a friend, nothing more.
ただの風邪だと思っていたら、肺炎だった。
I thought it was just a common cold, but it was pneumonia.
When you can't use it
- Attaches to a noun. For 'merely / just' before a verb or clause, use the adverb ただ, not ただの (× ただの言っただけ).
Easily confused with
Notes
- Often reinforced by にすぎない or だけ ('just a mere ~'): ただの冗談にすぎない.
See ただの in real sentences
Jengo shows ただの 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, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.