LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Oct 26, 2026

Same in Japanese: 同おなじ (onaji) takes no な, and 一緒いっしょ is not always "same

"Same" in Japanese is 同おなじ (おなじ, onaji): put it straight in front of a noun with no な and no の (同おなじ店みせ), say "X is the same" as 同おなじです, and say "the same as X" as Xと同おなじ.

That much fits on a flashcard. The trouble starts in real sentences, because English has one word "same" and Japanese splits the job between 同おなじ, 一緒いっしょ, 同おなじくらい, 同おなじように and a few formal cousins. This article sorts out which one you want. If you are also learning the opposite side, 違ちがう and 別べつ are covered here.

The basics

What is the rule for 同おなじ before a noun?

Put 同おなじ directly in front of the noun. No な, no の, no particle of any kind.

昨日きのうと同おなじ店みせに行いきましょう。 — Let's go to the same shop as yesterday. (polite, making plans) あの二人ふたりは同おなじ日にちに引っ越ひっこしてきた。 — Those two moved in on the same day. (plain form, narrating; 引っ越ひっこす = ひっこす, to move house)

Most な-adjectives (静しずかな, 有名ゆうめいな) need な before a noun, so 同おなじな店みせ feels logical. It is simply not how this word works. A handy way to remember it: noun after it, 同おなじ; end of sentence, 同おなじです.

The slip I hear most

✗ 同おなじな店みせ / ✗ 同おなじの店みせ → ✓ 同おなじ店みせ 店みせWhy: neither な nor の can sit between 同おなじ and a noun. の only appears when the noun is gone and 同おなじの means "the same one," as in 同おなじのをください.

Does 同おなじ mean the same single thing, or the same kind?

Either one. Context tells you which, and it is worth noticing because English "the same" does the same trick.

雨あめが降ふってきたので、二人ふたりで同おなじ傘かさに入はいった。 — It started raining, so the two of us shared one umbrella. (plain form, one physical umbrella) 姉あねと同おなじ傘かさを買かった。 — I bought the same umbrella as my sister. (plain form, two umbrellas of the same type)

The grammar is identical in both sentences. The verb is what shows you whether there is one object or two.

How do you say "X is the same" and "the same as X"?

As a predicate, 同おなじ behaves like any other な-adjective: 同おなじです, 同おなじだ, 同おなじじゃない. The thing you compare with takes と.

私わたしのスマホは姉あねのと同おなじです。 — My phone is the same as my sister's. (polite; same model, not the same object) この色いろ、さっきのと同おなじだよ。 — This color is the same as the one from before. (casual)

The pattern is AはBと同おなじ. In front of ので the な returns, because ので is not a noun: 色いろが同おなじなので, "since the colors are the same."

How do you ask for "the same" when ordering?

At a restaurant or café, 同おなじ plus で works as a short order.

私わたしも同おなじでお願ねがいします。 — I'll have the same, please. (polite, restaurant)

同おなじ stands for "what the person before me ordered," and お願ねがいします does the asking. If you want a plain "me too," the も particle is the tool, and 私わたしも同おなじです stacks both ideas.

Beyond the basics

Is 一緒いっしょ a second word for "same"?

Partly. 一緒いっしょ has two jobs, and the whole trap is mixing them up.

  • 一緒いっしょに + verb means "together." It never means "same."
  • 一緒いっしょだ / 一緒いっしょの + noun means "the same," in relaxed speech. Natives say 昨日きのうと一緒いっしょの店みせ without blinking.
  • 同おなじ works in every register and every position.

The question I ask in the classroom is: is anyone doing something together in this sentence? If yes, 一緒いっしょに. If you only mean "identical," 同おなじ is always safe, and 一緒いっしょだ / 一緒いっしょの is the casual alternative.

毎朝まいあさ、友ともだちと一緒いっしょに学校がっこうに行いく。 — I go to school with my friend every morning. (plain form; together) これとそれ、一緒いっしょだよ。 — These two are the same thing. (casual, comparing objects) 私わたしたちは同おなじ学校がっこうに通かよっている。 — We attend the same school. (plain form; no suggestion that we travel together)

The slip I hear most

✗ 私わたしたちは一緒いっしょに学校がっこうに通かよっている → ✓ 私わたしたちは同おなじ学校がっこうに通かよっている いるWhy: the first sentence means "we commute to school together," so it does not say you share a school. Anywhere you mean "same" and a verb is next to it, don't reach for 一緒いっしょに.

Form Means Register Sits before
一緒いっしょに together neutral a verb
一緒いっしょだ / 一緒いっしょの the same casual end of sentence / a noun
同おなじ the same any a noun, or end of sentence

How do 同おなじくらい and 同おなじように differ?

They answer different questions. 同おなじくらい compares amount or degree: how much, how big, how often. 同おなじように says the manner or state is shared: how something is done, or what condition both are in.

この店みせのラーメンは、あの店みせのラーメンと同おなじくらい人気にんきがある。 — The ramen here is about as popular as the ramen at that place. (neutral, degree) 先生せんせいと同おなじように発音はつおんしてみてください。 — Please try pronouncing it the same way as the teacher does. (polite, manner)

Both can sit next to adjectives and verbs, and the meaning shifts with them. この店みせも、あの店みせと同おなじように高たかい says both shops are expensive. この店みせは、あの店みせと同おなじくらい高たかい says the prices are about equal.

The slip I hear most

✗ 兄あにと同おなじように食たべる (meaning "I eat as much as my brother") → ✓ 兄あにと同おなじくらい食たべる るWhy: 同おなじように食たべる describes the way you eat, such as slowly or with chopsticks. To compare amounts, you need くらい.

What are 同様どうよう, 同然どうぜん and おなじみ?

Three words that look or sound close to 同おなじ, but each does a separate job.

  • 同様どうよう(に) — "likewise, in the same way," in formal or written Japanese, such as notices and business emails.
  • 同然どうぜん — "as good as" or "practically." The basic shape is noun + 同然どうぜん (新品しんぴん同然どうぜん, ただ同然どうぜん), and it also appears as 〜も同然どうぜん after a verb.
  • おなじみ — "familiar, well known," about a person or thing you keep running into. It sounds like 同おなじ but is its own word.

他ほかの店みせと同様どうように、こちらも月曜日げつようびが定休日ていきゅうびです。 — Like the other shops, this one is also closed on Mondays. (formal notice; 定休日ていきゅうび = ていきゅうび, regular day off) この車くるまは新品しんぴん同然どうぜんだ。 — This car is as good as new. (plain form, describing a used car) このバイクはただ同然どうぜんで買かった。 — I bought this bike for practically nothing. (plain form) あの人ひとはテレビでおなじみの俳優はいゆうだ。 — That person is an actor familiar from TV. (plain form) 試合しあいはもう勝かったも同然どうぜんだ。 — We've as good as won the match. (plain form)

How does 同おなじ sound in casual speech and anime?

Three things happen. First, speakers stretch it to おんなじ, a spoken form that keeps the same meaning. Second, a bare 同おなじ works as a reply when the other person has just said something you can compare with. Third, 同おなじく at the start of a clause means "likewise" and is more formal.

「答こたえ、3だった?」「うん、私わたしも同おなじ。」 — "Was the answer 3?" "Yeah, same for me." (casual, two classmates) このバッグ、私わたしのとおんなじ! — This bag is exactly like mine! (casual, surprised) 同おなじく新入社員しんにゅうしゃいんの田中たなかです。 — I'm also a new employee, Tanaka. (formal, introducing yourself after someone else; 新入社員しんにゅうしゃいん = しんにゅうしゃいん)

In anime, 「俺おれも同おなじだ。」 turns up in serious scenes. Depending on what came before, it can be "Same here," "I feel the same," or "I'm in the same boat," so read the previous line before choosing a translation.

Related reading: これ・それ・あれ for これと同おなじ patterns, and どれ・どっち・どちら for asking "which one is the same?"

Common mistakes

  • Reading 同おなじ as "similar." 同おなじ says the thing you are comparing is the same, and what is the same depends on context: model, kind, amount. For "alike but not the same," say 似にている (にている).
  • Showing the comparison without と. ✗ 私わたしの同おなじ本ほん does not mean "the same book as mine"; it reads as "my same book." Use 私わたしと同おなじ本ほん, or 私わたしの本ほんと同おなじ本ほん if you want to name the owner.

同おなじ words at a glance

Form Register Where it sits Meaning
同おなじ + noun neutral before a noun same
AはBと同おなじ neutral end of sentence A is the same as B
同おなじく formal / spoken start of a clause likewise
同おなじくらい neutral before an adjective or verb about the same amount
同おなじように neutral before an adjective or verb in the same way / state
同様どうよう(に) formal, written start of a clause likewise
同然どうぜん neutral to formal after a noun, or 〜も同然どうぜん as good as
おんなじ casual like 同おなじ same

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 4 and 5 test 一緒いっしょ and 同おなじ from both sides, as do questions 6 and 7 for 同おなじくらい and 同おなじように.

1. Say "We take the same train" using 電車でんしゃ.

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私わたしたちは同おなじ電車でんしゃに乗のる — 同おなじ goes directly before the noun 電車でんしゃ with no な and no の.

2. Is 同おなじな傘かさ correct for "the same umbrella"? Fix it if not.

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同おなじ傘かさ — な cannot stand between 同おなじ and a noun.

3. Say "Since the colors are the same, either is fine."

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色いろが同おなじなので、どちらでもいいです — ので is not a noun, so the な comes back.

4. Say "We work at the same company."

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私わたしたちは同おなじ会社かいしゃで働はたらいている — you mean a shared company, not doing the work together, so 同おなじ.

5. Say "Shall we go home together?"

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一緒いっしょに帰かえりませんか — doing something with someone is 一緒いっしょに plus a verb.

6. Say "My bag is about as heavy as yours."

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私わたしのかばんはあなたのと同おなじくらい重おもい — you are comparing degree, so 同おなじくらい.

7. Say "Please write it the same way as in the textbook."

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教科書きょうかしょと同おなじように書かいてください — you want to copy the manner, so 同おなじように.

8. The person before you in a café orders a latte, and you want the same. What do you say?

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同おなじでお願ねがいします — 同おなじ stands for the previous order, and お願ねがいします asks politely. 同おなじのをください also works.

9. After someone says "I'm a first-year student," how do you add "I am too" in a formal introduction?

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同おなじく一年生いちねんせいです — 同おなじく opens the clause and marks it as matching what the previous speaker said.

10. Your friend got a sofa for free from a neighbor. How do you say it was "practically free"?

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ただ同然どうぜんだった — 同然どうぜん follows the noun ただ (free of charge) and means "as good as."

Try describing two of your favorite anime in a trial lesson using 同おなじ + noun, 同おなじくらい and 同おなじように, and notice which one your sentence needs.

FAQ

How do I say "not the same"? Use 同おなじじゃない or the polite 同おなじではありません. The tidy opposite is 違ちがう (違ちがいます), which sounds more natural when you are correcting someone.

How do I put 同おなじ in the past tense? Treat it as a plain な-adjective: 同おなじだった (plain) or 同おなじでした (polite). 同おなじかった does not exist.

Is there a more formal or legal word for "identical"? Yes, 同一どういつ. It shows up in forms and rules, as in 同一人物どういつじんぶつ (the same person), and rarely in conversation.

How do I say "at the same time"? 同時どうじに is the phrase that stresses simultaneity. 同おなじ時間じかんに ("at the same time of day") overlaps with it, and 二人ふたりが同おなじ時間じかんに着ついた can also describe a simultaneous arrival, but 同時どうじに makes the simultaneity explicit.

Does "the same as usual" use 同おなじ? Yes: いつもと同おなじ is the direct way to say it. いつもの is the version used when ordering something you usually choose.

Can I write 同おなじ as おなじ in hiragana? Yes, and many materials for beginners do. The kanji 同おなじ is the standard form in ordinary text.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab.

同じ	おなじ — same
一緒	いっしょ — together; (casual) same
同じくらい	おなじくらい — about the same amount
同じように	おなじように — in the same way
同様	どうよう — likewise (formal)
同然	どうぜん — as good as
おなじみ	おなじみ — familiar, well known
同じく	おなじく — likewise
新品	しんぴん — brand-new item
似ている	にている — to be similar
同時に	どうじに — at the same time
同一	どういつ — identical (formal)
引っ越す	ひっこす — to move house
定休日	ていきゅうび — regular day off
新入社員	しんにゅうしゃいん — new employee

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, where 同おなじ and 一緒いっしょ get swapped in the first few weeks. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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