Manner & State — ずくめ/まみれ/ぐるみ/めく/ともなく/ながらに
This lesson covers grammar for describing manner and state, mostly suffixes that attach to nouns. 「ずくめ」 means everything, from top to bottom, is of one kind; 「まみれ」 means a liquid, powder or dirt covers the surface; 「ぐるみ」 means a whole group takes part together; 「めく」 means something shows signs of or feels like something; 「ともなく」 and 「ともなしに」 mean doing something without really meaning to, or "from somewhere or other, by someone or other"; and 「ながらに（して）」 and 「ながらの」 mean staying in a state unchanged. Each of these combines with only a small set of words, nearly always as set phrases, and the N1 test mainly checks which noun goes with which suffix — so learn them together with their collocations.
Vocabulary
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 目撃 | もくげき | n, suru-verb witnessing; seeing with one's own eyesusually of a crime or accident犯行を目撃する to witness a crime目撃者 a witness |
| 息が詰まる | いきがつまる | idiom to feel stifled; to suffocateliterally one's breath catches, usually of an oppressive atmosphere息が詰まるような毎日 stifling days規則ばかりで息が詰まる so many rules one can hardly breathe |
| 更新 | こうしん | n, suru-verb renewal; update; breaking (a record)記録を更新する to set a new record契約を更新する to renew a contract |
| 命に別状はない | いのちにべつじょうはない | set phrase one's life is not in dangera fixed expression in news reports on injuries幸い命に別状はない fortunately their life is not in danger |
| 物置 | ものおき | n storeroom; sheda small room or hut for storing things物置にしまう to put away in the storeroom物置小屋 a storage shed |
| のめり込む | のめりこむ | v, intrans. to get hooked on; to become absorbed insinking deep into something, often negativeギャンブルにのめり込む to get hooked on gambling研究にのめり込む to throw oneself into research |
| 陥る | おちいる | v, intrans. to fall into (a bad state)危機に陥る to fall into crisis経営難に陥る to run into financial trouble |
| 改ざん | かいざん | n, suru-verb falsification; tamperingaltering documents or data, in kanji 改竄データの改ざん falsified data公文書を改ざんする to doctor official documents |
| 隠蔽 | いんぺい | n, suru-verb cover-up; concealmentdeliberately hiding inconvenient facts, common in news事実を隠蔽する to cover up the facts隠蔽工作 a cover-up operation |
| 発覚 | はっかく | n, suru-verb coming to light; being exposedonly of wrongdoing or secrets不正が発覚する the fraud comes to light発覚を恐れる to fear exposure |
| 追い込む | おいこむ | v, trans. to drive into (a corner, a situation)often passive 〜に追い込まれる辞任に追い込まれる to be forced to resign窮地に追い込む to drive into a tight spot |
| 浮かべる | うかべる | v, trans. to show (an expression); to floatusually of a look on one's face or tears in one's eyes笑みを浮かべる to smile涙を浮かべる to have tears in one's eyes |
| 凍りつく | こおりつく | v, intrans. to freeze (solid); to freeze upfiguratively, of tension or fear空気が凍りつく the atmosphere freezesその場に凍りつく to freeze on the spot |
| 漂う | ただよう | v, intrans. to drift; to hang in the airof smells and moods as well as floating objects香りが漂う a scent hangs in the air緊張感が漂う there is tension in the air |
| 製法 | せいほう | n method of production; recipemostly for food and crafts伝統的な製法 a traditional method製法にこだわる to be particular about how it's made |
| 蔵元 | くらもと | n brewery; brewera maker of sake, soy sauce or miso, often a long-established one老舗の蔵元 a long-established brewery蔵元を訪ねる to visit a brewery |
1. 〜ずくめ ~zuku me (Nothing but… / All…)
Conjugation
- Noun + ずくめ
- 〜ずくめの + noun / 〜ずくめだ
※ Common combinations: 黒ずくめ, 白ずくめ, いいことずくめ, 結構ずくめ, ごちそうずくめ, 規則ずくめ, 異例ずくめ, 記録ずくめ, 初めてずくめ.
Meaning
"Nothing but…" or "all… from head to toe". Everything on someone, around them or over a period of time is of the same kind.
Restrictions:
- Only a limited set of nouns, basically the set phrases above.
- Mostly positive or neutral (いいことずくめ, ごちそうずくめ, 黒ずくめ); only a few, such as 「規則ずくめ」, are negative.
- Not for something covering a surface: ❌ 「汗ずくめ」 → ⭕ 「汗まみれ」.
- Not for many things scattered all over: ❌ 「間違いずくめの答案」 → ⭕ 「間違いだらけの答案」.
Example Sentences
- 事件の直後、黒ずくめの服を着た男が現場から走り去るのが目撃されている。(Shortly after the incident, a man dressed all in black was seen running from the scene.)
- 昇進に結婚、念願のマイホームと、今年はいいことずくめの一年だった。(A promotion, a wedding and the house I'd always wanted — this year has been nothing but good news.)
- 新入社員研修は朝から晩まで規則ずくめで、息が詰まりそうだった。(New-employee training was rules, rules, rules from morning till night, and I felt I could hardly breathe.)
- 今大会は、史上最年少での優勝や大会記録の更新など、記録ずくめとなった。(This tournament was one record after another, from the youngest winner ever to a new tournament record.)
- 祖母の誕生日には親戚一同が集まり、食卓はごちそうずくめだった。(The whole family gathered for my grandmother's birthday, and the table was laden with nothing but treats.)
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2. 〜まみれ ~mamire (Covered in… / Smeared with…)
Conjugation
- Noun + まみれ
- 〜まみれの + noun / 〜まみれになる / 〜まみれだ
※ Common combinations: 泥まみれ, 血まみれ, 汗まみれ, 油まみれ, ほこりまみれ, 砂まみれ; figurative: 借金まみれ.
Meaning
"Covered in…" or "smeared with…". A liquid, powder, dirt or the like is stuck all over the surface, looking messy.
Restrictions:
- Only for things that stick to a surface (liquids, powders, mud, sweat, blood). Anything else doesn't work: ❌ 「間違いまみれの答案」 → ⭕ 「間違いだらけの答案」; △ 「本まみれの部屋」 → ⭕ 「本だらけの部屋」.
- Almost always negative, an unpleasant state.
- A few figurative uses exist, such as 「借金まみれ」 — debt that clings to you and won't come off.
Example Sentences
- 子どもたちは泥まみれになって、日が暮れるまで遊んでいた。(The children played until dark, covered in mud.)
- 救助された男性は全身血まみれだったが、幸い命に別状はなかった。(The rescued man was covered in blood from head to toe, but fortunately his life was not in danger.)
- 真夏の工事現場で、作業員たちは汗まみれになって働いている。(At the building site in midsummer, the workers toil drenched in sweat.)
- 物置の奥から、ほこりまみれのアルバムが出てきた。(A dust-covered photo album turned up at the back of the storeroom.)
- ギャンブルにのめり込んだ末、彼は借金まみれの生活に陥った。(After getting hooked on gambling, he ended up drowning in debt.)
Comparison
| Expression | Meaning | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| ずくめ | all of one kind | mostly positive or neutral; set phrases (黒ずくめ, いいことずくめ) |
| まみれ | smeared all over | only liquids, powders, dirt and the like; negative |
| だらけ | full of / all over | many things scattered everywhere; negative; also fine for dirt (N3 Lesson 49) |
⭕ 泥まみれ / ⭕ 泥だらけ (both work; 「まみれ」 stresses being caked all over)
⭕ 傷だらけ / ⭕ 間違いだらけ (many, scattered: 「だらけ」)
⭕ いいことずくめ → △ いいことだらけ (「だらけ」 sounds negative, odd with good things)
N3 Lesson 49 describes 「まみれ」 as physical only — that's the core use; at N1 you also need figurative uses like 「借金まみれ」.
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3. 〜ぐるみ ~gurumi (The whole… / … as a whole)
Conjugation
- Noun + ぐるみ
- 〜ぐるみの + noun / 〜ぐるみで + verb
※ Common combinations: 家族ぐるみ, 町ぐるみ, 村ぐるみ, 地域ぐるみ, 学校ぐるみ, 会社ぐるみ, 組織ぐるみ; the set phrase 「身ぐるみ剥がれる／剥がされる」 (to be robbed of everything).
Meaning
"The whole…" or "… as a whole". A group takes part as one unit, not just some of its members.
Restrictions:
- The noun is a group: 家族, 町, 地域, 会社, 組織 and the like. Not an individual: ❌ 「田中さんぐるみ」.
- 「会社ぐるみ」 and 「組織ぐるみ」 are mostly about wrongdoing the whole organisation took part in (fraud, cover-ups, falsification), so they sound negative; 「家族ぐるみ」 and 「地域ぐるみ」 are mostly neutral or positive.
- 「身ぐるみ」 is a set phrase meaning everything one is wearing or carrying.
Example Sentences
- 隣の田中さんとは、もう二十年来の家族ぐるみの付き合いだ。(Our family and the Tanakas next door have been close for twenty years now.)
- 調査の結果、データの改ざんは会社ぐるみで行われていたことが明らかになった。(The investigation revealed that the data had been falsified with the whole company involved.)
- この町では、子どもたちの安全を守るため、地域ぐるみで登下校の見守りを行っている。(In this town, the whole community watches over children on their way to and from school to keep them safe.)
- 組織ぐるみの隠蔽が発覚し、社長は辞任に追い込まれた。(An organisation-wide cover-up came to light, and the president was forced to resign.)
- 旅先で強盗に遭い、身ぐるみ剥がされてしまった。(I was robbed while travelling and lost everything I had on me.)
Comparison
| Expression | Meaning | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| ぐるみ | the whole group together | group noun; stresses everyone's involvement |
| ごと | together with… (as is) | part of a thing, kept with it: 「皮ごと食べる」, 「丸ごと」 |
| 全体で | as a whole | the plain way to say it; no set-phrase limits |
「りんごを皮ごと食べる」= eat an apple skin and all → ❌ 皮ぐるみ
「会社ぐるみの不正」= fraud the whole company was in on → △ 会社ごとの不正 (this reads as "each company's fraud")
The 「ぐるみ」 in 「ぬいぐるみ」 (a stuffed toy) has nothing to do with this pattern.
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4. 〜めく ~meku (Show signs of… / Have a touch of…)
Conjugation
- Noun + めく (a godan verb: めいて, めいた, めいている)
- 〜めいた + noun (the most common form)
※ Common combinations: 春めく, 秋めく, 冗談めく, 皮肉めく, 謎めく, 言い訳めく, 説教めく, 脅迫めく.
Meaning
"Shows signs of…" or "has a touch of…". Not entirely that yet, but already showing its features or signs. With seasons, it means the feel of the season is gradually arriving (「春めいてきた」).
Restrictions:
- Only a limited set of nouns, basically the set phrases above; you can't coin new ones freely: ❌ 「学生めく」. 「大人めく」 is not common and mostly appears before a noun, as in 「大人めいた口調」; for "grown-up-ish" the usual words are 「大人びる」 or 「大人っぽい」.
- With seasons, mostly 「〜めいてきた」, showing a change in progress.
- Before a noun, use 「〜めいた」, not 「〜めく」: △ 「皮肉めく一言」 → ⭕ 「皮肉めいた一言」.
Example Sentences
- 三月に入り、日差しもだいぶ春めいてきた。(Now that it's March, the sunshine is starting to feel quite spring-like.)
- 彼女は謎めいた笑みを浮かべるだけで、何も答えなかった。(She just gave an enigmatic smile and said nothing.)
- 彼は冗談めいた口調で言ったが、目は笑っていなかった。(He said it in a joking sort of tone, but his eyes weren't smiling.)
- 上司の皮肉めいた一言に、会議室の空気が凍りついた。(At the boss's faintly sarcastic remark, the atmosphere in the meeting room froze.)
- 遅刻の理由を聞かれたが、言い訳めいたことは言いたくなかった。(I was asked why I was late, but I didn't want to say anything that sounded like an excuse.)
Comparison
| Expression | Meaning | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| めく | has a touch of… | written; set phrases; "not quite yet" |
| っぽい | -ish; tends to… | casual; combines with many words (N3 Lesson 42) |
| らしい | typical of…; a proper… | matches the features the thing should have (N5 Lesson 14) |
| げ | looking… | after adjectives; a mood seen from outside (N2 Lesson 74) |
| じみる | smacking of… (unflattering) | negative: 所帯じみる, 年寄りじみた |
「春めいてきた」= it's starting to feel like spring (the season is changing)
「子どもっぽい」= childish (casual, rather negative)
「春らしい天気」= proper spring weather (true to type)
「言い訳めいた」 and 「言い訳じみた」 both exist; the second is more critical.
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5. 〜ともなく/〜ともなしに ~tomo naku / ~tomo nashi ni (Without meaning to… / From somewhere or other)
Conjugation
- Verb dictionary form + ともなく / ともなしに (見る, 聞く, 考える, 言う…)
- Question word (+ particle) + ともなく: どこからともなく, 誰からともなく, いつからともなく, どちらからともなく
※ The first type often repeats the verb: 「見るともなく見る」, 「聞くともなく聞く」. 「ともなしに」 is slightly more formal than 「ともなく」.
Meaning
- Verb + ともなく: "without really meaning to…". Looking, listening or thinking with no particular intention, almost without noticing.
- Question word + ともなく: "from somewhere or other / by someone or other". You can't say exactly who or where; it just happens naturally.
Restrictions:
- The verbs are basically ones of perceiving or thinking: looking, listening, thinking, saying. A purposeful action doesn't work: ❌ 「試験のために覚えるともなく覚えた」.
- 「どちらからともなく」 is typical of two people doing something at the same moment, naturally: 「どちらからともなく手を握った」.
- Mostly in fiction and essays, describing a character's state or a scene.
Example Sentences
- 休日の午後、見るともなくテレビを見ていたら、学生時代の友人が画面に映った。(One afternoon on my day off, I was half-watching TV when a friend from my school days appeared on the screen.)
- 電車の中で、聞くともなしに隣の乗客の会話を聞いていた。(On the train, I found myself listening to the conversation of the passengers next to me without meaning to.)
- 窓の外を眺めながら、考えるともなく将来のことを考えていた。(Gazing out of the window, I drifted into thinking about the future.)
- どこからともなく、金木犀の甘い香りが漂ってきた。(From somewhere or other came the sweet scent of fragrant olive.)
- 誰からともなく拍手が起こり、やがて会場全体に広がった。(Someone or other started clapping, and soon the whole hall had joined in.)
Comparison
| Expression | Meaning | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 見るともなく見る | to look without really looking | written; an absent-minded state; the verb repeats |
| なんとなく | somehow; for no clear reason | casual; you can't say why |
| 何気なく | casually; offhandedly | an action with no special intent; any verb |
| どこからともなく | from somewhere or other | unknown source; often with 「聞こえる」, 「漂う」, 「現れる」 |
「見るともなく窓の外を見ていた」= I was gazing absently out of the window
「何気なく手に取った本」= a book I picked up without thinking (△ 「手に取るともなく」: 「ともなく」 really belongs with looking, listening, thinking, saying)
Don't confuse it with 「ともなると」 ("once it comes to…", N1 Lesson 81), a conditional.
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6. 〜ながらに（して）/〜ながらの ~nagara ni (shite) / ~nagara no (While still… / As it has always been)
Conjugation
- Noun / verb masu-stem + ながらに（して）
- Noun / verb masu-stem + ながらの + noun
※ Only a handful of set phrases: 生まれながら（に／の）, いながらにして, 涙ながらに, 昔ながらの, 陰ながら, 生きながら（に）.
Meaning
"While still…" or "just as it is". A state stays unchanged, and what follows happens in that state.
- 生まれながらに（して）: from birth, by nature
- いながらにして: without leaving where one is (one can…)
- 涙ながらに: in tears, through one's tears
- 昔ながらの: unchanged since long ago, traditional
- 陰ながら: from behind the scenes (supporting someone), a modest phrase in letters and speeches
Restrictions:
- Not a pattern you can attach to any verb — only the set phrases above: ❌ 「歩きながらに」, 「食べながらにして」.
- 「いながらにして」 is usually followed by 「〜できる」, stressing "without having to go there".
- Completely different from 「ながら」 meaning "while" and 「ながら（も）」 meaning "although".
Example Sentences
- 彼女は生まれながらにして、優れた音感を持っていた。(She was born with an excellent ear for music.)
- インターネットのおかげで、家にいながらにして世界中の美術館の所蔵品を鑑賞できる。(Thanks to the internet, you can view the collections of museums all over the world without leaving home.)
- 被害者の母親は、涙ながらに事件当日の様子を語った。(The victim's mother, in tears, described what happened on the day of the incident.)
- この蔵元では、江戸時代から続く昔ながらの製法で酒を造り続けている。(This brewery still makes its sake by the traditional method handed down since the Edo period.)
- 遠くからではありますが、皆さんのご活躍を陰ながら応援しております。(Though I am far away, I will be quietly cheering you all on.)
Comparison
| Expression | Meaning | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| ながらに（して）／ながらの | in a state that stays the same | set phrases only |
| ながら (simultaneous) | while doing… | two actions at once; any action verb (N5 Lesson 16) |
| ながら（も） (concessive) | although… | the two halves contrast (N3 Lesson 38) |
「家にいながらにして買い物ができる」= you can shop without leaving home (unchanged state)
「音楽を聞きながら勉強する」= study while listening to music (at the same time)
「狭いながらも楽しい我が家」= our home, small but happy (contrast)
What N1 tests is mainly 「生まれながらにして」, 「いながらにして」, 「涙ながらに」 and 「昔ながらの」; don't read them as "while doing".
✍ Practice this point (3 questions)
Practice
Part 1: Choose the appropriate grammar (ずくめ / まみれ / だらけ / ぐるみ / めく / ともなく / ながら)
- 弟の部屋は脱いだ服や漫画（ ）で、足の踏み場もない。
- 雨の中の試合で、選手たちのユニフォームは泥（ ）になった。
- 犯人は、黒（ ）の服装で防犯カメラに映っていた。
- この村では、毎年春に村（ ）で川の清掃活動を行っている。
- 十月に入って、朝晩の風もすっかり秋（ ）てきた。
- 寝る前に、聞く（ ）ラジオを聞いていた。
- 彼は自分の過ちを認め、涙（ ）に謝罪した。
- 二人はどちらから（ ）笑い出した。
Part 2: Translate into Japanese
- This year has been nothing but good news. (Use ずくめ)
- He came running up, drenched in sweat. (Use まみれ)
- Our family and theirs have been close friends for years. (Use ぐるみ)
- She made a remark that sounded sarcastic. (Use めく)
- From somewhere or other came the sound of a piano. (Use ともなく)
- These days you can see scenery from all over the world without leaving home. (Use ながらにして)
Answers
- だらけ (lots of things scattered about, not something stuck to a surface, so not まみれ)
- まみれ (「泥だらけ」 also works; 「まみれ」 stresses that the whole kit was caked in mud)
- ずくめ
- ぐるみ
- めい (「秋めいてきた」)
- ともなく (「ともなしに」 also works)
- ながら (「涙ながらに」)
- ともなく (「どちらからともなく」)
- 今年はいいことずくめだった。
- 彼は汗まみれになって走ってきた。
- うちとあの家とは、昔から家族ぐるみの付き合いをしている。
- 彼女は皮肉めいたことを言った。
- どこからともなく、ピアノの音が聞こえてきた。
- 今では家にいながらにして、世界各地の風景を見ることができる。
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