同(おな)じ

同(おな)じ means 'same' or 'identical.' It has unusual grammar—acting as both pre-noun adjectival and predicate.

GRAMMAR PATTERNS:

• 同(おな)じ + noun: the same ~ (同(おな)じ本(ほん))
• 〜と同(おな)じ: same as ~ (AとBは同(おな)じだ)
• 〜と同(おな)じように: in the same way as ~
• 同(おな)じく: likewise, similarly (adverb)

COMMON EXPRESSIONS:

• 同(おな)じ年(とし): same age
• 同(おな)じ時間(じかん): same time
• 同(おな)じ意見(いけん): same opinion

GRAMMAR NOTE:
同(おな)じ is grammatically unusual—it modifies nouns directly (like a pre-noun adjectival) but also works as a predicate (同(おな)じだ).

CONTRAST:

• 違(ちが)う: different (antonym)
• 似(に)ている: similar (not identical)