nominalizer N4 common casualpolitewritten
ところ — point / moment / aspect (nominalizer)
ところ
Meaning
① ①moment/juncture: the point / moment / scene of an action — pins down the stage something is at
② ②aspect/part: a point / aspect / part / respect — an abstract 'place' within something
Key sentence
① ①moment/juncture
ちょうどいいところに来たね。
You came at just the right moment.
② ②aspect/part
彼のいいところは正直なところだ。
His good point is that he's honest.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (tense-marked) / adjective / の + ところ | Vる・Vている・Vた + ところ; Aい + ところ; Nの + ところ | 今のところ (at this point / for now) |
Examples
① ①moment/juncture
もう少しのところで電車に乗り遅れた。
I missed the train by a hair.
危ないところを助けてもらった。
They saved me at a dangerous moment.
② ②aspect/part
その考えにはおもしろいところがある。
There's an interesting aspect to that idea.
今のところ、問題はない。
For now, there's no problem.
Easily confused with
Notes
- ところ literally means 'place,' and every abstract sense extends from that — a point in time, a stage of an action, an aspect of something. The specialized connective forms each have their own page: 〜ところで ('by the way' / 'even if'), 〜ところに・へ ('right when'), 〜ところが ('however').
See ところ in real sentences
Jengo shows ところ 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.