さえ

さえ just states a fact about one extreme case (子供こどもさえ分わかる). さえ〜ば turns that into the one condition needed for a result (子供こどもさえ分わかればいい).

さえ picks an extreme case to argue about everyone (子供こどもでさえ知しっている). だけでも argues about nothing beyond itself, scaling a request down to its floor (話はなしだけでも聞きいて).

さえ argues that even the weakest case still holds, and fits a negative (時間じかんさえない). まで only adds one more surprising thing that did happen (子供こどもまで知しっている).

さえ marks a surprise on its own, and reads a bit bookish (名前なまえさえ書かかなかった). も usually needs a number beside it, or it just adds.

さえ pushes one item past expectation, and sounds more written (名前なまえさえ書かかなかった). も needs a number beside it, and is the everyday way to exaggerate (三みっつも).

さえ〜ない picks one least-likely case and denies just that (一円いちえんさえない, not even one yen). 一人ひとりとして〜ない instead denies every member of a group, one by one (だれ一人ひとりとして賛成さんせいしなかった).

さえ names an extreme case, to say every lesser case fails too (時間じかんさえない). しか just states a plain shortfall, with no scale (時間じかんしかない).

さえ picks the least likely one to show the rest follow (子供こどもさえ分わかる). こそ picks the one it wants and rules the rest out (今いまこそ動うごくときだ).