Breakdown of ano hutago ha huku made onazi de, hontou ni sokkuri desu.
Questions & Answers about ano hutago ha huku made onazi de, hontou ni sokkuri desu.
Why is あの used here, and what does あの双子 mean?
あの is a demonstrative word meaning that / those over there.
So:
- あの双子 = those twins
- more literally, that pair of twins over there
A useful comparison:
- この = this
- その = that
- あの = that over there
In this sentence, あの is directly modifying the noun 双子.
Why is 双子 treated like one noun even though it means two people?
双子 means twins as a pair. Japanese often treats it as a single unit meaning the twin pair.
So:
- あの双子は = as for those twins...
Even though it refers to two people, the grammar works just like with a normal noun phrase.
This is similar to how English can sometimes treat a couple or a pair as one unit.
What is the role of は in あの双子は?
は marks the topic.
So あの双子は means:
- as for those twins, ...
- those twins, ...
It tells you what the sentence is about.
The rest of the sentence then comments on them:
- 服まで同じで、本当にそっくりです
- even their clothes are the same, and they really look alike
Why is there no の between 双子 and 服? Shouldn’t it be 双子の服?
That is a very natural question.
Yes, a fuller version could be:
- あの双子は、服まで同じで...
- understood as those twins are such that even their clothes are the same
You do not need 双子の服 here because 服 is not directly being used as the twins’ clothes inside one noun phrase. Instead, it is part of the predicate:
- 服まで同じ = even their clothes are the same
The ownership is understood from context: we are talking about the twins, so 服 naturally means their clothes.
Japanese often leaves out possessive words when they are obvious.
What does まで mean here?
Here, まで means even.
So:
- 服まで同じ = even their clothes are the same
It adds a sense of surprise or emphasis. The speaker is saying the similarity goes very far — not only do the twins look alike, but even their clothes match.
This is different from the common meaning of まで as until.
For example:
- 3時まで = until 3 o’clock
In this sentence, it is the even meaning.
Is 同じ an adjective? Why does it work like this?
同じ means same, and it behaves somewhat like an adjective, but it is a little special in Japanese.
In this sentence:
- 服まで同じ = even their clothes are the same
You can think of 同じ here as describing 服.
It does not behave exactly like a regular い-adjective, and learners often just memorize common patterns such as:
- A は B と同じです = A is the same as B
- 服が同じ = the clothes are the same
So here, 同じ is simply being used in the very common sense of the same / identical.
Why is で attached to 同じ?
The で here connects 同じ to the next part of the sentence.
So:
- 服まで同じで、本当にそっくりです
- even their clothes are the same, and they really look alike
You can think of this で as a linking form, similar to:
- and
- being
- with ... being ...
A more literal feel is:
- their clothes being the same as well, they really look alike
This で is a very common way to join clauses in Japanese.
Why is there a comma after で?
The comma marks a pause between two connected parts:
- 服まで同じで
- 本当にそっくりです
It helps readability and shows that the first part leads into the second.
Japanese commas are often used more flexibly than English commas, so they do not always match English punctuation exactly.
What does 本当に do here?
本当に means really or truly.
It emphasizes そっくりです:
- 本当にそっくりです = they really look alike
The base word is 本当 meaning truth / real / genuine, and 本当に is its adverb form.
Compare:
- 本当です = it is true
- 本当に似ています = they really resemble each other
- 本当にそっくりです = they really look exactly alike
What does そっくり mean, and how is it different from 同じ?
This is an important distinction.
- 同じ = the same
- そっくり = extremely alike / almost identical in appearance
In this sentence:
- 服まで同じ = even their clothes are the same
- 本当にそっくりです = they really look exactly alike
So 同じ talks about actual sameness, while そっくり talks about strong resemblance.
For example:
- 同じ服 = the same clothes
- そっくりな顔 = very similar faces
Using both together makes the sentence stronger: they resemble each other so much that even their clothes are the same.
Why is it そっくりです and not something like そっくりなです?
そっくり can be used directly as the predicate with です:
- そっくりです = are very much alike
When it comes before a noun, it can use な:
- そっくりな二人 = two people who look very alike
So:
- before a noun: そっくりな + noun
- at the end of a sentence: そっくりです
That is why そっくりです is correct here.
Could this sentence be translated more literally?
Yes. A fairly literal version would be:
- As for those twins, even their clothes are the same, and they really are exactly alike.
A more natural English translation would be:
- Those twins really look alike — even their clothes are the same.
Or:
- Those twins are so alike; even their clothes are the same.
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