LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Sep 30, 2026

Together in Japanese: 一緒いっしょに, みんなで and 共ともに

"Together" in Japanese is usually 一緒いっしょに (issho ni) — but the most natural sentences often use と ("with"), みんなで ("as a group") or 二人ふたりで ("the two of us") and skip 一緒いっしょに entirely.

Learners tend to translate "together" one-to-one and stick 一緒いっしょに into every sentence. It works, but it sounds like a textbook. This article sorts out the five ways Japanese says "together," when each one fits, and the word-order mistake I hear most often.

The basics

What is the everyday word for "together"?

一緒いっしょに. It is an adverb that goes right before the verb and means "at the same time, in the same place, as a pair or group."

一緒いっしょに行いきましょう。 — Let's go together. (polite, the classic invitation) 一緒いっしょにご飯はんを食たべませんか。 — Would you like to eat together? (polite, a soft invitation)

Notice that the second sentence uses ませんか, not ましょう. Both invite, but ませんか is a question and leaves the other person room to say no. If that distinction is new, ましょう and ましょうか covers it in detail.

How do you say "together with someone"?

Put と ("with") after the person, then 一緒いっしょに, then the verb: [person]と一緒いっしょに + verb.

友達ともだちと一緒いっしょに映画えいがを見みました。 — I watched a movie with a friend. (polite, past tense) 先生せんせいと一緒いっしょに写真しゃしんを撮とった。 — I took a photo together with my teacher. (casual, plain past)

This と is the "with" particle, not the "and" particle. They look identical, but と in 友達ともだちと行いく is "go with a friend." If you want to check how と differs from や when you are listing things, see と vs や.

Does the sentence need 一緒いっしょに at all?

No. と alone already means "with," so 友達ともだちと映画えいがを見みました is complete and natural.

友達ともだちと映画えいがを見みました。 — I watched a movie with a friend. (polite; と carries the "together") 友達ともだちと一緒いっしょに映画えいがを見みました。 — I watched a movie together with a friend. (polite; 一緒いっしょに adds emphasis)

The difference is emphasis. Adding 一緒いっしょに says "we really did this side by side," which matters if someone might assume you were each in a different place. For an ordinary report of your weekend, と by itself is what a native speaker would say. In a friendship context you might also want the word itself — friend in Japanese sorts out 友達ともだち versus 親友しんゆう and the rest.

What about 一緒いっしょ without に?

Drop the に and 一緒いっしょ becomes a noun-like word meaning "the same." This one surprises people, because the English translation stops being "together."

私わたしも一緒いっしょです。 — Same here. (polite, agreeing) これとそれは一緒いっしょだよ。 — This and that are the same. (casual)

In this use 一緒いっしょ is a casual synonym of 同おなじ. When you want the sense of "different," the opposite lives in chigau and betsu.

Beyond the basics

When do you say みんなで instead?

Use みんなで when the whole group does something as a unit. It literally means "with everyone" (みんな = everyone + で = "by/as").

みんなで歌うたいましょう。 — Let's all sing together. (polite, said to a group) みんなで力ちからを合あわせよう! — Let's all pull together! (casual, rallying — a typical anime line)

みんなで already contains the "together" idea, so みんなで一緒いっしょに is redundant. It is not wrong, and you will hear it, but a careful speaker picks one.

What is 二人ふたりで, and how is it different from 一緒いっしょに?

Number of people plus で tells us the size of the group doing the action. 二人ふたりで = "the two of us," 一人ひとりで = "alone."

二人ふたりで行いきました。 — We went, just the two of us. (polite, no need to say who) 一人ひとりで行いきました。 — I went alone. (polite, the direct opposite)

一人ひとりで is the plain opposite of 一緒いっしょに — it just says nobody came along. 二人ふたりで does not name the other person, so it works when the listener already knows who it is.

What does 一緒いっしょにする mean?

Here 一緒いっしょ is a noun and する means "to do/make." 一緒いっしょにする = to lump together, to combine, to treat as the same.

この二ふたつを一緒いっしょにしないでください。 — Please don't lump these two together. (polite, in a discussion) 私わたしを彼かれと一緒いっしょにしないで。 — Don't put me in the same category as him. (casual, a little annoyed)

This is a case where "together" is not really the idea; it is about categorizing.

When is 共ともに the right word?

共ともに (tomo ni) is the written, speeches-and-lyrics version of "together." It shows up in songs, mottos, formal speeches, and fantasy anime where a hero declares a shared fate.

未来みらいへ共ともに進すすもう。 — Let's move forward together into the future. (formal or literary; typical of speeches and lyrics) 喜よろこびも悲かなしみも共ともにする。 — To share both joy and sorrow. (literary, fixed expression with 共ともにする)

You would not use it to invite a friend to lunch. It is a phrase to recognize, not one to build your daily speech on.

Can 付き合つきあう mean "together" too?

Yes, but it is a different flavor. 付き合つきあう means "to keep someone company" or "to date." It comes from going along with another person.

買い物かいものに付き合つきあってくれない? — Would you come shopping with me? (casual, asking a favor) 二人ふたりは付き合つきあっている。 — The two of them are dating. (neutral, a state of being together romantically)

The first sentence asks for someone's company. The second one uses 付き合つきあっている as a state — "they are together." Context decides which meaning you get, and the object of 付き合つきあう is usually a person or an activity marked with に.

What do you say in the "we are always together" sense?

For a lasting closeness, Japanese leans on 一緒いっしょ as a noun or on ずっと一緒いっしょに.

ずっと一緒いっしょだよ。 — We'll be together forever. (casual, warm; a stock line in anime and love songs) 家族かぞくは一緒いっしょがいい。 — Family should be together. (casual, expressing a preference)

Common mistakes

  • Word order: 一緒いっしょに友達ともだちと行いく. It is understandable, and some speakers say it as an afterthought, but the default order is the person first: 友達ともだちと一緒いっしょに行いく. Say who you are with, then 一緒いっしょに, then the verb.
  • Using を or に instead of と for the companion. 友達ともだちに行いく is not "go with a friend." You need と for "with."
  • Stacking everything. みんなで一緒いっしょに二人ふたりで is exhausting. Pick one marker of "together" per sentence.
  • Translating "with me" clumsily. 私わたしと一緒いっしょに is perfectly fine in an invitation — 私わたしと一緒いっしょに行いきませんか is natural. But when the "me" is obvious from context, plain 一緒いっしょに行いきませんか is better.
  • Confusing 一緒いっしょ (same) with 一緒いっしょに (together). 私わたしも一緒いっしょです means "same here," not "I am together." One small に changes the meaning.

Which "together" should you use?

Expression Best situation Feel
一緒いっしょに Doing something side by side, inviting someone Neutral, everyday
[person]と Plain "with a friend" Neutral, the default
みんなで The whole group acts as one Warm, casual to polite
二人ふたりで / 三人さんにんで Stating the exact size of the group Neutral, very common
一人ひとりで Doing it alone (the opposite) Neutral
共ともに Speeches, songs, dramatic declarations Formal, literary
付き合つきあう Keeping company; dating Casual to neutral
一緒いっしょ (noun) "The same"; 一緒いっしょにする = lump together Casual

FAQ

What is the most common way to say "together" in Japanese? 一緒いっしょに. It goes before the verb, and 友達ともだちと一緒いっしょに is the usual pattern for "together with a friend."

Is 一緒いっしょに the same as 共ともに? They overlap, but the register differs. 一緒いっしょに is for everyday speech, and 共ともに is for speeches, lyrics and writing.

Do I need 一緒いっしょに if I already used と? No. と alone already means "with." Add 一緒いっしょに only for emphasis, such as making clear you were physically together.

How do I invite someone to do something with me? Use 一緒いっしょに + ませんか: 一緒いっしょに行いきませんか. It is a polite question that leaves them room to decline.

Does 一緒いっしょ mean "the same"? Yes, when it stands alone as a noun. 私わたしも一緒いっしょです is "same here." It is a casual synonym of 同おなじ.

How do you say "let's do it together" to a group? みんなで + volitional form: みんなで頑張がんばろう ("let's all do our best together"). The volitional form ending (よう/ましょう) makes it an invitation.

Practice

Build each answer before opening it. Questions 1 and 2 are a pair, and so are 5 and 6 — the same letters, different meanings.

1. Say "I went to the store with a friend," using 一緒いっしょに.

Show answer

友達ともだちと一緒いっしょに店みせに行いきました — person + と + 一緒いっしょに + verb.

2. Say the same sentence without 一緒いっしょに. Is it still natural?

Show answer

友達ともだちと店みせに行いきました — yes, fully natural. と alone already means "with," so 一緒いっしょに is only there for emphasis.

3. What is odd about 一緒いっしょに友達ともだちと行いく?

Show answer

The order. It is understandable, but the default is to name the companion first: 友達ともだちと一緒いっしょに行いく.

4. Invite a coworker to lunch politely, as a question that lets them say no.

Show answer

一緒いっしょにお昼ひるを食たべませんか — ませんか is a question, so the listener can decline easily.

5. 私わたしも一緒いっしょです means "I am together too." True or false?

Show answer

False. 一緒いっしょ without に is the noun-like "the same," so it means "same here."

6. What does この二ふたつを一緒いっしょにしないで mean?

Show answer

"Don't lump these two together." 一緒いっしょにする means to treat things as the same, not to do something together.

7. A group of friends wants to sing at karaoke. Say "Let's all sing together" using みんなで.

Show answer

みんなで歌うたいましょう — みんなで already means "together as a group," so you do not need 一緒いっしょに too.

8. How do you say "I went alone" and "we two went"?

Show answer

一人ひとりで行いきました / 二人ふたりで行いきました — number of people plus で states the size of the group.

9. You are writing a speech and want a formal "let's move forward together." Which word do you choose over 一緒いっしょに?

Show answer

共ともに — 未来みらいへ共ともに進すすもう. 共ともに is the written, speech-and-lyrics register of "together."

10. 買い物かいものに付き合つきあってくれない? — what is being asked?

Show answer

"Would you come shopping with me?" 付き合つきあう here means to keep someone company, not to date. The same verb can mean dating depending on context.

In a trial lesson, invite someone with 一緒いっしょに, then drop it and use みんなで or 二人ふたりで the way people really talk.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

一緒に	いっしょに — together
一緒	いっしょ — the same (casual)
一緒にする	いっしょにする — to lump together
みんなで	みんなで — all together, as a group
共に	ともに — together (written, formal)
二人で	ふたりで — the two of us
一人で	ひとりで — alone
付き合う	つきあう — to keep company; to date
友達	ともだち — friend
映画	えいが — movie
歌う	うたう — to sing
力を合わせる	ちからをあわせる — to pull together
未来	みらい — future
進む	すすむ — to move forward
ずっと	ずっと — forever, the whole time

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 一緒いっしょに turns up in the first invitation almost every learner tries to make. 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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