それに

Moreover/Furthermore

Level 2Sounds Like soreni

Use それに to say 'moreover' or 'besides' when you want to pile on extra reasons or facts that support your point.

How It Works

それに is a compound of the pronoun それ (that) and the particle に (to/at), literally meaning 'in addition to that [which was just said].'

Key Characteristics:

  • Reinforcement: It is used when you want to add more weight to your statement. If you say a restaurant is cheap, you use それに to add that it is also delicious.
  • Justification: It is often used to provide a final persuasive argument, reason, or excuse to convince the listener (e.g., 'I don't want to go out. It's cold, and besides, I'm tired').
  • Polarity: The information added must match the 'vibe' of the first part. You cannot use it to connect a positive trait to a negative one (e.g., 'The food is good, moreover the service is bad' is incorrect).
  • Common Pairings: It is very frequently used in conjunction with the し particle (listing reasons) and the particle も (also). For example: 「安いし、それに美味しいです」(It's cheap, and what's more, it's delicious).
  • Register: It is very common in daily conversation and standard spoken Japanese. In formal or neutral writing, また, さらに, or そのうえ are used instead.
  • Placement: It usually starts a new sentence, but it can also be used to add the final item in a list of nouns.

Examples (4)

  1. この店は安いです。それに、とても美味しいですよ。

    This shop is cheap. Moreover, it's very delicious.

    Word by Word: This shop (topic) cheap is. To that, very delicious is (assertive).

    Here, the speaker adds a second positive trait (delicious) to the first positive trait (cheap) to recommend the shop.

  2. 今日は雨だし、それに風も強いから、外出はやめよう。

    It's raining today, and besides, the wind is strong, so let's not go out.

    Word by Word: Today (topic) rain is and, to that wind also strong because, going out (topic) let's stop.

    The speaker uses それに to pile on reasons why they shouldn't go outside. Both reasons (rain and wind) are negative factors for going out.

  3. 彼は英語が話せます。それに、フランス語も少しできます。

    He can speak English. Furthermore, he can speak a little French too.

    Word by Word: He (topic) English (subject) can speak. To that, French also a little can do.

    This adds a supplementary skill to the subject's abilities, reinforcing how talented he is.

  4. りんご、バナナ、それにパンを買いました。

    I bought apples, bananas, and also bread.

    Word by Word: Apples, bananas, to that bread (object) bought.

    This shows how それに can be used to add the final item to a list of nouns, similar to 'and also'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using it to connect contrasting ideas (Polarity Mismatch).

    この料理は美味しいです。それに、高いです。
    この料理は美味しいですが、高いです。

    それに requires both points to be in the same direction. Since 'delicious' is positive and 'expensive' is usually negative, you should use a contrast marker like が or でも instead.

  • Using it for chronological sequences.

    朝ご飯を食べました。それに、学校へ行きました。
    朝ご飯を食べました。それから、学校へ行きました。

    それに is for adding information/reasons, not for describing a sequence of events. To say 'and then,' use それから.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

それにLevel 2Moreover/Furthermore

Learn This First

To understand 'sore ni' (moreover/furthermore), you need to understand how the demonstrative 'sore' refers to a previous idea and how the particle 'ni' functions to add information to that reference.

Words in This Pattern

それに