Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 8: 21/22

流石(さすが)

as one would expect, only natural, that is just like..., even

Structure

さすが + （に）+ Phrase
さすが + （の）+ Noun

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About さすが

さすが, also often appearing in the kanji form 流石(さすが), is an adverb that indicates the speaker's feeling of being impressed that something has lived up to its reputation, or what was expected of it. In English, this comes across as 'as expected of (A)', or 'that is just like (A)'.
As 流石(さすが) is an adverb, it may appear at the beginning of phrases (either with or without に), or directly preceded a noun when の is used.
  • すごい！さすが先輩(せんぱい)！
    Wow! That's what I would expect from you senpai!
  • 流石(さすが)に今日(きょう)は雨(あめ)が降(ふ)りすぎだろ...
    As one would expect, it is raining way too much today.
  • さすがの君(きみ)でもこの問題(もんだい)は難(むずか)しいだろう。
    Even for someone like you, this problem is difficult, isn't it?
Caution - Although uncommon, さすが may occasionally have a negative connotation. In these cases, it is similar to 'even' in English. This use of さすが implies that 'as one had though, even (A) couldn't (B)', and similar nuances.
  • さすが田中(たなか)くん！発注(はっちゅう)ミスの天才(てんさい)だね！
    As expected, Tanaka-kun! You are a genius at making order errors!
Fun-fact - The kanji structure of 流石(さすが) is a type of kanji use known as 借字(しゃくじ) in Japanese. This basically means 'borrowed symbol', and indicates that the meaning of the kanji is not related to the meaning of the word at all.

Examples

  • さすがに食(く)いすぎたな。椅子(いす)から立(た)てない。

    As expected, I ate too much. I can't get up from a chair.

  • さすがに空手(からて)の稽古(けいこ)を積(つ)んできただけに、15kgのダンベルは持(も)てる。

    As might be expected from a person who trains karate, he can lift 15kg dumbbells.

  • さすがの神戸牛(こうべぎゅう)だ。世界一(せかいいち)脂(あぶら)の乗(の)った肉(にく)だ。

    As one would expect from Kobe beef, it has the best marbling in the world.

  • 一流(いちりゅう)のオーケストラの演奏(えんそう)はさすがですね。

    The performance was as would be expected from a first rate orchestra.

  • さすがに落(おと)し物(もの)が多(おお)すぎる。注意(ちゅうい)しないと。

    As one would expect, you lose too many things. You need to be careful.

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さすが – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (1 in total)

  • wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV

    About 1 year ago

    Just dropping this there here in case other people encounter it.

    image702×256 17.3 KB

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