Just thinking of it: 〜だに
動詞辞書形 + だに；名詞 + だに〜ない
Verb of thought + だに + dread = “just to think of it”; noun + だに + negative = “not even” (夢にだに, 微動だに). Literary and fixed.
In short
だに is a literary particle with two fixed uses. After a few verbs (想像する, 考える, 聞く, 思う), it means “just to…”: 想像するだに恐ろしい = it's terrifying just to think of it. After a noun, with a negative, it means “not even”: 夢にだに思わなかった, 微動だにしない. Very written register.
- 大地震が都市を襲うことは、想像するだに恐ろしい。おおじしんがとしをおそうことは、そうぞうするだにおそろしい。A major earthquake striking the city — it's terrifying just to think of it.
- 自分が賞をもらうなど、夢にだに思わなかった。じぶんがしょうをもらうなど、ゆめにだにおもわなかった。Never, not even in my dreams, did I imagine I'd win an award.
- 衛兵は一時間、微動だにしなかった。えいへいはいちじかん、びどうだにしなかった。For an hour, the sentry didn't move a muscle.
The basics
だに is a remnant of classical Japanese, a cousin of すら and さえ. Today it survives only in a few fixed expressions, which give a text a literary, dramatic colour.
First use: verb of thought + だに + adjective of dread. The idea: even the mere thought of X is enough to trigger the emotion.
It's frightening just to think of it.
- verb
- particle
- adjective
- 想像するだに恐ろしい。そうぞうするだにおそろしい。It's frightening just to think of it.
- あの戦争の話は、聞くだに胸が痛む。あのせんそうのはなしは、きくだにむねがいたむ。Just hearing about that war makes my heart ache.
How to form it
The list of combinations is short: best to learn them as expressions.
| Construction | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 想像する／考える + だに | 想像するだに恐ろしい | just to think of it |
| 聞く + だに | 聞くだに身の毛がよだつ | just to hear it |
| 夢に + だに〜ない | 夢にだに思わない | not even in one's dreams |
| 微動 + だにしない | 微動だにしない | not move an inch |
| 一顧／予想 + だにしない | 一顧だにしない | not give a single glance |
- 社長は私たちの提案を一顧だにしなかった。しゃちょうはわたしたちのていあんをいっこだにしなかった。The CEO didn't give our proposal so much as a glance.
A very written register
だに belongs to novels, essays and articles written in a polished style. In speech, you'd rather say 考えるだけで怖い or 夢にも思わなかった. Using だに in ordinary conversation would sound theatrical.
- そんなこと、夢にも思わなかったよ。そんなこと、ゆめにもおもわなかったよ。I never would have imagined that!
だに, すら, さえ, だけで
すら and さえ (“even”) are used freely with any noun. だけで (“just with”) is the everyday form of “just thinking about it”. だに covers both meanings, but only in its fixed expressions and in literary language.
| Form | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜だに | literary, fixed | 想像するだに恐ろしい |
| 〜だけで | everyday | 想像するだけで怖い |
| 〜すら | written, free | 名前すら知らない |
| 〜さえ | everyday, free | 名前さえ知らない |
- 想像するだけで怖くなる。そうぞうするだけでこわくなる。Just thinking about it scares me.
Common mistakes
- Using it freely like すら: “名前だに知らない” sounds archaic; だに is limited to a few expressions.
- Using it in everyday speech: you say 考えるだけで, 夢にも思わない.
- Forgetting the negative with a noun: 夢にだに思わなかった, 微動だにしない.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Hokuriku Line (Arts and crafts) of the Shinkansen.