N4 · Conditions · about 5 minutes
In case of: ばあい(は)
the noun ばあい as "if, in the case that"
ばあいは means "in the event that": the conditional of instructions, notices and rules.
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Words you will need11
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- 場合case; occasion; if
- 下under; below
- 早めにa little early; in good time
- 係person in charge
- 必要necessary; needed
- キャンセルcancellation
- 料金charge; fee; fare
- 半分half
- 商品product; merchandise
- 交換exchange
- ピクニックpicnic
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Understand
Rememberばあいは is the "if" of notices and rules; between friends, say たら.
- Signal words
- 〜場合は
- 〜の場合
- 〜な場合
- 〜た場合
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Japanese.
negation
| in case of fire | 火事の場合は |
| if it rains | 雨の場合は |
| if necessary | 必要な場合は |
| if you will be late | 遅れる場合は |
| if you cannot come | 来られない場合は |
| if you have lost it | なくした場合は |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
場合は after a noun takes の.
地震の場合は、机の下に入ってください。In the event of an earthquake, get under a desk.
After a verb or an i-adjective, the plain form goes directly before 場合.
授業を休む場合は、先生に連絡してください。If you are going to miss class, please let the teacher know.
After a na-adjective, 場合 takes な.
無理な場合は、早めに教えてください。If it is not possible for you, please tell me early.
The second half is usually an instruction or a rule.
カードをなくした場合は、すぐ銀行に電話してください。If you lose your card, call the bank immediately.
Example sentences
雨の場合は、運動会は中止です。If it rains, the sports day is cancelled.
分からない場合は、係の人に聞いてください。If anything is unclear, please ask a member of staff.
必要な場合は、こちらから連絡します。We will contact you if necessary.
10 more example sentences
予約をキャンセルする場合は、前の日までにお知らせください。If you cancel your booking, please let us know by the day before.
子どもの場合、料金は半分です。For children, the fare is half.
商品が壊れていた場合は、交換します。If the item arrives damaged, we will exchange it.
遅れる場合は、必ず電話してください。If you are going to be late, be sure to phone.
具合が悪い場合は、無理をしないでください。If you feel unwell, please do not push yourself.
緊急の場合は、この番号にかけてください。In an emergency, please call this number.
答えが二つある場合もあります。There are also cases where there are two answers.
参加できない場合は、メールでお知らせください。If you cannot take part, please let us know by email.
道が込んでいる場合は、電車のほうが早いです。When the roads are busy, the train is quicker.
学生の場合は、入場料が安くなります。For students, the admission fee is reduced.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English "if" works in a rule book and in a chat with a friend. 場合 belongs to the rule book: it treats the condition as a category of cases. For one friend and one evening, the natural conditional is たら.
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
場合 is a noun meaning "case" or "circumstance". Placed after a clause and followed by は, it states a condition and what to do if it arises: 火事の場合は、エレベーターを使わないでください, "in case of fire, do not use the lift". It is the conditional of instructions, notices, manuals and rules.
Because it is a noun, it attaches like one: after a noun with の (雨の場合), after a na-adjective with な (必要な場合), and after the plain form of a verb or an i-adjective (遅れる場合, 遅れた場合, 来られない場合).
The second half is usually an instruction, a rule or a consequence: てください, ことになっています, a fee, a procedure. That is what separates it from たら and ば. Those talk about one situation; 場合は talks about a type of situation that may or may not arise, and sounds careful and impersonal.
English "if" covers all of this, and learners use 場合 for ordinary, one-off conditions: 明日暇な場合、映画に行こう sounds like a regulation applied to a friend. Between friends that is たら: 明日暇だったら.
A closer look
Why a noun makes a careful conditional
たら and ば are verb endings, and they tie the condition to the situation in front of the speaker. 場合 turns the condition into a noun — "the case in which…" — and so lifts it out of the moment. That is exactly what a rule needs: it has to cover everybody to whom the case ever applies.
The same noun appears in other phrases with the same flavour: この場合, "in this case"; 場合によっては, "depending on the circumstances"; 最悪の場合, "in the worst case". All of them sound considered rather than chatty.
Exceptions and special cases1
Exception
When the condition is in the past form
then it means "if it has happened" rather than a past event: なくした場合は, "if you have lost it".
電車が止まった場合は、バスで来てください。If the trains stop, please come by bus.
Why? As in a clause before a noun, the past form only places the condition before the instruction: first the loss, then the phone call.
Worth knowing1
Worth knowing
In notices: ばあい with ご
Notices often pair 場合は with a polite request: ご連絡ください, お問い合わせください. Reading a sign, look for 場合 first: what stands before it is the case, and what follows is what to do.
忘れ物をした場合は、駅の窓口にお問い合わせください。If you have left something behind, please ask at the station counter.