KotojutsuStart

Version française

Not even: 〜すら

名詞(+助詞)+ すら(ですら)

X すら(ですら)= “even X”: an extreme case, often with a negative. More written than さえ, and never in 〜さえ〜ば.

In short

X すら means “even X”: X is the extreme case, the most basic or the most unexpected, which shows how serious the situation is. Very often with a negative (名前すら知らない). For a subject, you say ですら (専門家ですら). すら is more written and literary than さえ, and isn't used in the condition 〜さえ〜ば. Written register.

  • 彼は隣の人の名前すら知らない。かれはとなりのひとのなまえすらしらない。He doesn't even know his neighbour's name.
  • この問題は、専門家ですら解くのが難しい。このもんだいは、せんもんかですらとくのがむずかしい。This problem is hard to solve, even for specialists.
  • 疲れ果てて、立ち上がる力すら残っていなかった。つかれはてて、たちあがるちからすらのこっていなかった。I was exhausted: I didn't even have the strength left to stand up.

The basics

すら marks the limiting case: if even X is affected, then everything else is all the more so. 名前すら知らない = he doesn't even know the name, so as for the rest… It's an emphatic word, often tinged with surprise or reproach.

The sentence, piece by piece
隣の人のthe neighbour's
名前name
すらeven
知らないdoesn't know

He doesn't even know his neighbour's name.

  • noun
  • particle
  • verb
  • 隣の人の名前すら知らない。となりのひとのなまえすらしらない。He doesn't even know his neighbour's name.
  • 当時は、電話をかけることすら簡単ではなかった。とうじは、でんわをかけることすらかんたんではなかった。In those days, even making a phone call wasn't easy.

How to form it

すら replaces が and を, but is added after other particles. For the subject, ですら is readily used. A verb is nominalised with こと.

PositionConstructionExample
objectnoun + すら名前すら知らない
subjectnoun + ですら専門家ですらわからない
other particlenoun + に/と + すら親にすら言えない
verb〜ことすら立つことすらできない
  • この悩みは、親にすら打ち明けられなかった。このなやみは、おやにすらうちあけられなかった。I couldn't even confide this worry to my parents.

すら and さえ

In the sense of “even”, すら and さえ are almost interchangeable; すら is more written. But さえ has a second use that すら lacks: the minimal condition 〜さえ〜ば (“as long as”). You say 時間さえあれば, never “時間すらあれば”.

  • お金さえあれば、何でもできると思うのは間違いだ。おかねさえあれば、なんでもできるとおもうのはまちがいだ。Thinking that money alone lets you do anything is a mistake.

すら, さえ, だに, も

も is the neutral form (一度も). さえ is common in speech and writing. すら is more written. だに is literary and fixed (夢にだに思わない). The higher you go, the more formal the register.

FormRegisterExample
〜もneutral一度も行ったことがない
〜さえeveryday名前さえ知らない
〜すらwritten名前すら知らない
〜だにliterary, fixed夢にだに思わない
  • 彼とは一度も話したことがない。かれとはいちどもはなしたことがない。I've never once spoken to him.

Common mistakes

  • Using すら for a condition: you say 時間さえあれば, not “時間すらあれば”.
  • Keeping が or を: you say 名前すら知らない, not “名前をすら”.
  • Using it for an ordinary case: すら marks an extreme, the case you didn't expect.

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.