さぞ (日本語能力試験 N1)

「さぞ」の情報

さぞ is a fairly formal adverb in Japanese that is used emphatically to highlight that the following statement is something that the speaker understands to be true. This is often in relation to the feelings or situation of another. Common translations include 'you must be very (A)', 'how (A) you must be', or 'I dare say that (A)'. 'I dare to say that (A)' is probably the closest to the literal meaning of さぞ, as the speaker is empathizing with someone else by trying to imagine the situation from their point of view.
As さぞ is an adverb, it will usually appear at the beginning of a sentence, modifying the whole phrase that follows.

あの一流(いちりゅう)企業(きぎょう)で働(はたら)いているなら、さぞいいところに住(す)んでいるんでしょう。
If you work for that prestigious company, you must live in a very nice place.
おばあさんが急(きゅう)に入院(にゅういん)されて、さぞご心配(しんぱい)でしょう。
Your grandmother's sudden hospitalization must be very worrisome.
あんなニコニコしている斎藤(さいとう)さんは初(はじ)めて見(に)た。さぞ嬉(うれ)しい出来事(できごと)があったんでしょう。
I had never seen Saito-san smiling like that before. He must have had something good happen to him.

The phrase following さぞ will often finish with だろう or でしょう. This highlights the speaker's opinion about the situation as being limited by their own knowledge.

Caution

さぞ comes from the kanji 嘸(さぞ), which has two alternative readings, 嘸(さぞ)や, and 嘸(さぞ)かし. Both 嘸(さぞ)や, and 嘸(さぞ)かし are occasionally used as even further emphasized versions of さぞ.

あんなに大切(たいせつ)にしていた車(くるま)を盗(ぬす)まれたなんて、さぞや悔(くや)しかっただろう。
You must have been so frustrated to have such a cherished car stolen.
あの人が彼(かれ)の父(ちち)だなんて、さぞかし驚(おどろ)いただろう。
He must have been very surprised that that man was his father.

Despite being almost identical in meaning, さぞかし is used more often than さぞや.

例文

「夜勤(やきん)の仕事(しごと)もさぞ大変(たいへん)だろう。」
How tough the night shift work must be!
「智子(さとこ)は昇進(しょうしん)が見送(みおく)られて、さぞがっかりしたに違(ちが)いない。」
Not getting the promotion, Satoko must be very disappointed. (How disappointed Satoko must be after not getting the promotion!)
「初(はじ)めての赤(あか)ちゃんのお誕生(たんじょう)にさぞ嬉(うれ)しいことでしょう。」
You must be very happy to have your first child. (How happy you must be to have your first child!)
硬(かた)い手紙(てがみ)：「ご子息(しそく)様(さま)のこと、さぞご心配(しんぱい)のことと思(おも)います。」
Formal letter: 'You must be very worried about your son.' ('How worried you must be about your son!')
「家族(かぞく)が一生懸命(いっしょうけんめい)働(はたら)いているのに、あなただけ毎日(まいにち)遊(あそ)んでいるだけ、さぞ楽(たの)しいでしょうね！」
'Even though your family is working so hard, you are just having fun, how fun it must be!'
While さぞ is used to express empathy, depending on the context it might be taken as sarcasm, so be careful when using it.
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