The ～まま Grammar Point: "As-Is" and "Without Changing" in Japanese

The ～まま grammar pattern marks that one state stays unchanged while something else happens or while time passes. It is often glossed "as is," "while remaining (A)," or "left in the state of (A)."¹ For learners, it is the everyday way to say things like sleeping with the light still on, going out in pajamas, or eating vegetables raw.

Overview

What ～まま expresses

At its core, ～まま expresses that the same state continues without changing.² The デジタル大辞泉 dictionary gives the first sense as "the condition of no change in that state; the same condition."³

Dictionaries classify まま as a 形式名詞 (formal noun): a noun with no concrete meaning of its own that needs a modifier in front of it.³ Because it is a formal noun, it takes a 連体修飾語 (attributive modifier). Verbs attach in plain form, な-adjectives with な, and nouns with の.

With verbs, ～まま often carries a sharper nuance: something that normally would have been changed back was left as it was, such as falling asleep with the light still on.¹² That held-state reading is the core idea of the pattern and is developed under "Nuance and usage contexts."

この町まちは昔むかしのまま変かわっていない。²
"This town is unchanged, just as it was long ago."

まま is neutral in register

～まま is used in both everyday speech and writing. The sources consulted note no dialect restriction.¹² With verbs, the た-form is by far the most common attachment.¹

JLPT level and register

J-Compass places ～まま at N3, the level Bunpro assigns to the plain pattern.¹ Other references list it lower: JLPTsensei tags it N4.⁴ This split is genuine, and the reason is structural.

The JLPT publishes no official grammar list. The Japan Foundation and JEES state that the pre-2010 "Test Content Specifications," which included kanji, vocabulary, and grammar lists, are no longer issued. The test measures communicative competence rather than memorized items.⁵ Every "N3" or "N4" tag for ～まま therefore reflects a third-party reference's judgment, not an official ruling.

A separate sense, ～ままに, means "as directed by" or "following someone's will." It is commonly catalogued at N1 and is out of scope here. Only its etymological root is covered in "Good to know."⁶

ありのままの君きみが好すきだ。¹
"I like you just the way you are."

How to attach まま

まま takes the attributive (連体) form of whatever comes before it, because it is a formal noun.³¹² That single rule produces the whole attachment table below.

Preceding word	Form before まま	Example
Verb (past/completed state)	た-form + まま	電気をつけたまま
Verb (negative non-action)	ない-form + まま	鍵をかけないまま
い-adjective	plain い-adjective + まま	熱いまま
な-adjective	な-adjective + な + まま	静かなまま
Noun	noun + の + まま	昔のまま
Demonstrative	この／その／あの + まま	このまま

Verb past form (た形) + まま

The た-form names a completed action and its resulting state. It is the most frequent verb attachment.¹ The action happened, and its resulting state is still in force when the next thing occurs.

た is used rather than the dictionary form or ている because ～まま names a state that already holds. The た-form supplies that already-established state.¹² Common base examples in the sources are 電気をつけたまま ("with the light turned on") and 窓を開けたまま ("with the window open").²⁷

昨日きのうは窓まどを開あけたまま寝ねた。¹
"Last night I slept with the window left open."

口くちを開あけたまま寝ねている。⁷
"He is sleeping with his mouth open."

着替きがえるのが面倒めんどうだったので、パジャマのままコンビニへ行いった。²
"Changing was a hassle, so I went to the convenience store in my pajamas."

い-adjective + まま and な-adjective + な + まま

い-adjectives attach in their plain form with no inserted particle: 熱いまま, 新しいまま.² な-adjectives insert な before まま. This is their attributive form: 静かなまま, 綺麗なまま.¹²

この靴くつは買かってから一度いちども履はいていないので、新あたらしいままだ。²
"I haven't worn these shoes once since buying them, so they are still new."

私わたしの妻つまは十年じゅうねん前まえも今いまも綺麗きれいなままだ。²
"My wife is as beautiful now as she was ten years ago."

スープが熱あついまま出だしてください。¹
"Please serve the soup while it is still hot."

Noun + の + まま

Nouns attach with の: 昔のまま, 制服のまま, 生のまま, 靴のまま.⁴²

どうぞ靴くつのまま、お入はいりください。⁴
"Please come in with your shoes on."

この野菜やさいは、生なまのままで食たべてもおいしいですよ。⁴
"These vegetables are tasty even eaten raw."

昔むかしのままの景色けしきがそこに広ひろがっていた。²
"The scenery, unchanged from long ago, spread out before us there."

この / その / あの + まま

このまま ("just like this / as things stand"), そのまま ("just like that / as it is"), and あのまま ("that way, unchanged") are fixed demonstrative + まま expressions.⁷ そのまま also works as an adverb meaning "directly / without alteration," as when leaving something exactly as received.⁷

このまままっすぐ進すすんでください。⁷
"Keep going straight, just as you are now."

このまま行いくと図書館としょかんが見みえます。¹
"If you keep going like this, you will see the library."

疲つかれていたので、そのまま寝ねてしまった。⁷
"I was tired, so I fell asleep just like that."

～ないまま: without doing

～ないまま attaches to the ない-form and names a lingering non-action: an action that did not occur, with that not-having-done state still in force.¹ It can be glossed as "while still not having done X" or "leaving X undone."¹⁸

This connects to the ～ずに and ～ないで comparison under "Nuance and usage contexts." All three can mean "without doing," but ～ないまま foregrounds the persisting unresolved state.¹

鍵かぎをかけないまま出でかけてしまった。¹
"I went out without locking the door."

質問しつもんの答こたえがわからないまま、試験しけんが終おわった。¹
"The exam ended with me still not knowing the answer to the question."

朝あさご飯はんを食たべないまま学校がっこうへ行いった。⁸
"I went to school without having eaten breakfast."

Nuance and usage contexts

The held-state nuance: an expected change does not happen

The core meaning of ～まま is this: a state that normally would have been changed back was left in place. The sentence flags that lingering, often unintended, persistence.¹²

A standard example is 電気をつけたまま寝た ("slept with the light still on"). The light would ordinarily have been turned off before sleeping, and ～まま marks that the expected change did not occur.²

Wasabi describes this as a "noteworthy situation" requirement: ～たまま is natural when the persisting state is in some way contrary to the normal course of events. It sounds odd when the state is entirely expected.⁹ The pitfall on 服を着たまま in "Good to know" shows the limit.

まま vs ながら

This is the most useful contrast for learners. ～ながら joins two simultaneous active actions performed by the same subject; both verbs are ongoing.⁹ ～たまま keeps one resultant state in place while a second action happens. Only one verb is an active action; the other is a held state.⁹

テレビを見みながら宿題しゅくだいをした。⁹
"I did my homework while watching TV."

電気でんきをつけたまま寝ねてしまいました。⁹
"I fell asleep with the light still on."

A common error is using ながら where the first element is a state rather than an action. つけながら寝た is wrong because つける here yields a state (the light is on), not a continuous activity. The correct form is つけたまま寝た.²⁹

A quick surface diagnostic for ながら vs まま

～ながら attaches to the verb stem (the ます-stem). ～まま attaches to the た-form, ない-form, or attributive form. The shape of the word before each one tells you which pattern is in play.²⁹

まま vs てある

～てある describes a state set up on purpose and still in effect. 窓が開けてある implies someone opened the window deliberately and left it that way for a reason.¹ ～まま is neutral about purpose. It only reports that the state persists, so 窓を開けたまま家を出た simply says the window was left open with no claim about intent.¹

Both patterns can describe an open window. The difference is that ～てある adds purposeful setup, while ～まま stays neutral.¹

窓まどを開あけたまま家いえを出でてしまった。¹
"I left the house with the window open."

部屋へやには花はなが飾かざってある。¹
"Flowers have been arranged in the room (and left there on purpose)."

～ないまま vs ～ずに / ～ないで

All three can mean "without doing (A)," but they emphasize different things. ～ないまま foregrounds the lingering unresolved non-action: the action is still undone, and that state persists into the next event.¹⁸

～ずに and ～ないで both mean "without doing (A)." ～ずに is the written, more formal and literary form. ～ないで is more conversational. Only ～ないで can also serve as a negative request ("don't do A," ～ないでください); ～ずに cannot (there is no ～ずにください).¹⁰¹¹

The practical difference is emphasis. 朝ご飯を食べずに and ～ないで put weight on how the going happened (without breakfast). 朝ご飯を食べないまま puts weight on the breakfast staying uneaten as a lingering state.

宿題しゅくだいをしないまま、学校がっこうへ行いってしまった。¹
"I ended up going to school with my homework still undone."

朝あさご飯はんを食たべずに学校がっこうへ行いった。¹⁰
"I went to school without eating breakfast."

Good to know

まま comes from 儘, "the state of things"

The kanji is 儘 (also written 侭). Dictionaries gloss it as "as-is, in accordance with, leaving things to their natural course."³¹²⁶ デジタル大辞泉 traces まま to まにま (随, "in accordance with, at the mercy of") through sound change.³

The 学研全訳古語辞典 records three senses for まま, all attested in 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji, early 11th century), including "as / in the manner of" and "as one wishes."⁶ It notes that まま is "mostly used as a formal noun," which is exactly its modern grammatical role. Knowing this history explains both the "leave it as it is" feeling and why 儘 also carries "as one wishes."³⁶

Don't substitute ながら for たまま

When the first element is a held state rather than an active action, ～ながら is wrong even though the English "while" may tempt you toward it. Saying 電気をつけながら寝た for "slept with the light on" is incorrect, because つける here produces a resulting state rather than a continuous activity.²⁹ The correct form keeps the state with ～たまま.

電気でんきをつけたまま寝ねた。⁹
"I slept with the light on."

Reserve ～たまま for a noteworthy, unexpected state

～たまま flags a persisting state that is in some way contrary to the normal course of events. That is why it sounds odd for an entirely expected situation.⁹ Saying 服を着たまま出かけた for a neutral "I went out wearing clothes" is unnatural, because wearing clothes to go out is expected. The plain sequential ～て carries the unremarkable case.

服ふくを着きて出でかけた。⁹
"I got dressed and went out."

ありのまま and そのまま are everyday, not stiff

Fixed まま expressions are neutral and common in ordinary speech and writing. They do not need formal-register hedging.⁷ ありのまま means "as it truly is," そのまま means "just like that," and このまま means "as things stand."

The に on ままに is usually dropped

まま can be followed by the case particle に, but in the everyday "as-is" sense, に is very often omitted. When present, it adds emphasis to the following verb.¹ For the held-state reading, ままで (with で) and bare まま are the everyday shapes, while ままに with kept に is marked and emphatic.⁷

The に survives in fixed accordance phrases such as 言われるままに ("just as one is told"). These phrases lean toward the separate, higher-level ～ままに "as directed by" sense. They should not be confused with the plain "as-is" point treated here.⁷

See also

• ～間に (aida ni): During / While
• ～うちに: How to Say "While" and "Before X Changes" in Japanese
• The Te-Form in Japanese: Uses (Linking, Cause, Light Imperative, Continuation)
• Na-Adjective vs. Noun in Japanese: The Blurred Boundary

References

Footnotes

1. Bunpro. "まま(に) (JLPT N3)." https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/%E3%81%BE%E3%81%BE (limitation: language-learning platform, not an academic or government reference). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷

2. 日本語教師ネット（日本語NET）. 「【JLPT N4】文法・例文：〜まま」. https://www.nihongokyoshi-net.com/2019/05/24/jlptn4-grammar-mama (Japanese-language teacher resource; pedagogy reference, no academic standing). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹

3. デジタル大辞泉（小学館）. 「まま【×儘／▽随／▽任】」. Via コトバンク. https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%84%98-635662 (entry aggregated by Kotobank from Shogakukan's Digital Daijisen). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

4. JLPTsensei. "JLPT N4 Grammar: まま (mama) Meaning." https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%81%BE%E3%81%BE-mama-meaning/ (limitation: language-learning platform, not an academic or government reference). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. The Japan Foundation & Japan Educational Exchanges and Services. "FAQ: Studying for the test / Are there official lists of kanji, vocabulary, and grammar?" Official JLPT site. https://www.jlpt.jp/e/faq/index.html ↩

6. 学研全訳古語辞典. 「まま【儘】」. Via Weblio 古語辞典. https://kobun.weblio.jp/content/%E5%84%98 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. Maggie Sensei. "★How to use 〜まま ( = mama)." https://maggiesensei.com/2014/03/09/%E2%98%85how-to-use-%E3%81%BE%E3%81%BEmama/ (limitation: language-learning blog). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

8. 絵でわかる日本語. 「〜まま（で）｜日本語能力試験 JLPT N4」. https://www.edewakaru.com/archives/20319907.html (limitation: language-teacher blog; pedagogy reference, no academic standing). ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Wasabi. "Simultaneous Actions: …ながら and …たまま." https://wasabi-jpn.com/magazine/japanese-grammar/simultaneous-actions/ (limitation: language-learning platform). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

10. Maggie Sensei. "〜ずに ( = zuni) & 〜ないで ( = naide)." https://maggiesensei.com/2013/10/22/%E3%80%9C%E3%81%9A%E3%81%AB-zuni-%E3%80%9C%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%81%A7naide/ (limitation: language-learning blog). ↩ ↩²

11. Bunpro. "ないで (JLPT N4)." https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%81%A7 (limitation: language-learning platform, not an academic or government reference). ↩

12. 精選版 日本国語大辞典（小学館）. 「まんま【儘】」「まま【儘】」. Via コトバンク. https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%84%98-635662 ↩