同然(どうぜん)

同然(どうぜん) attaches to nouns, adjectives, or verb phrases as a suffix meaning "as good as" or "practically equivalent to." It expresses that something is not literally X but so close as to be virtually the same.

Common patterns

• ただ同然(どうぜん): practically free
• 新品(しんぴん)同然(どうぜん): as good as new
• ぼろ同然(どうぜん): practically in tatters
• 死(し)んだも同然(どうぜん): as good as dead (after a verb, も同然(どうぜん): 勝(か)ったも同然(どうぜん), as good as won)
• 廃墟(はいきょ)同然(どうぜん): practically a ruin

When modifying a noun, 同然(どうぜん) is followed by の: ただ同然(どうぜん)の値段(ねだん) (a price that's practically free).

Etymology

同(どう) (same) + 然(ぜん) (so, thus) — literally "the same as."