How to tell them apart
次第 without だ links two actions: the first finishes, then the second starts immediately, as in 判明次第ご連絡申し上げます. Adding だ turns it into a predicate meaning the outcome hinges on the noun before it, as in 金次第だ. The connector form moves the sentence forward; the copula form closes it by stating what something depends on.
- 次第 Use 次第 without だ when one action triggers the next right away.
- 次第 Use 次第だ to state that a result depends entirely on the preceding noun.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| 次第 | as soon as; depending on; gradually | N3 |
| 次第 | hinges on; at random; little by little | N3 |
次第
as soon as; depending on; gradually
次第 works in three ways shown here: after a noun it means the outcome depends on that thing (天気次第), after a verb stem it means as soon as an action is done, and as the adverb 次第に it means gradually. In 手当たり次第 it acts adverbially to mean doing something indiscriminately.
-
手当たり次第に買物をするのはやめたほうがいいですよ。
You had better stop buying things at random.
-
明るくなりはじめて、物が次第に見えるようになった。
It began to be light, and things were becoming visible by degrees.
次第
hinges on; at random; little by little
次第 works in two ways: after a noun it means the outcome depends on that noun, as in 天気次第, and in the pattern 手当たり次第 it means doing something randomly or indiscriminately. It also appears as the adverb 次第に, meaning gradually or by degrees.
-
手当たり次第に買物をするのはやめたほうがいいですよ。
You had better stop buying things at random.
-
明るくなりはじめて、物が次第に見えるようになった。
It began to be light, and things were becoming visible by degrees.
次第 and 次第 are both JLPT N3 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.