diff --git a/src/queryBuilder/InternalOptions.ts b/src/queryBuilder/InternalOptions.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f126e1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/queryBuilder/InternalOptions.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { nany } from "../ninja.ts";
+
+export class InternalOptions {
+  skipUndefined: boolean;
+  keepImplicitJoinProps: boolean;
+  returnImmediatelyValue?: nany;
+  isInternalQuery: boolean;
+  debug: boolean;
+  schema?: nany;
+
+  constructor() {
+    this.skipUndefined = false;
+    this.keepImplicitJoinProps = false;
+    this.returnImmediatelyValue = undefined;
+    this.isInternalQuery = false;
+    this.debug = false;
+    this.schema = undefined;
+  }
+
+  clone() {
+    const copy = new InternalOptions();
+
+    copy.skipUndefined = this.skipUndefined;
+    copy.keepImplicitJoinProps = this.keepImplicitJoinProps;
+    copy.returnImmediatelyValue = this.returnImmediatelyValue;
+    copy.isInternalQuery = this.isInternalQuery;
+    copy.debug = this.debug;
+    copy.schema = this.schema;
+
+    return copy;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderContext.ts b/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderContext.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e96f4fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderContext.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { nany } from "../ninja.ts";
+import { QueryBuilderContextBase } from "./QueryBuilderContextBase.ts";
+
+export class QueryBuilderContext extends QueryBuilderContextBase {
+  runBefore: nany[];
+  runAfter: nany[];
+  onBuild: nany[];
+
+  constructor(builder?: nany) {
+    super(builder);
+
+    this.runBefore = [];
+    this.runAfter = [];
+    this.onBuild = [];
+  }
+
+  clone() {
+    const ctx = new QueryBuilderContext();
+    super.cloneInto(ctx);
+
+    ctx.runBefore = this.runBefore.slice();
+    ctx.runAfter = this.runAfter.slice();
+    ctx.onBuild = this.onBuild.slice();
+
+    return ctx;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderContextBase.ts b/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderContextBase.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6e9c5f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderContextBase.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import { Knex } from "knex";
+import { nany } from "../ninja.ts";
+import { InternalOptions } from "./InternalOptions.ts";
+import { QueryBuilderUserContext } from "./QueryBuilderUserContext.ts";
+
+export class QueryBuilderContextBase {
+  userContext?: QueryBuilderUserContext;
+  options?: InternalOptions;
+  knex?: Knex;
+  aliasMap?: Map<nany, nany>;
+  tableMap?: Map<nany, nany>;
+
+  constructor(builder?: nany) {
+    this.userContext = builder
+      ? new QueryBuilderUserContext(builder)
+      : undefined;
+    this.options = builder ? new InternalOptions() : undefined;
+  }
+
+  static get InternalOptions() {
+    return InternalOptions;
+  }
+
+  cloneInto(
+    newContext: QueryBuilderContextBase,
+  ): void {
+    newContext.userContext = this.userContext;
+    newContext.options = this.options?.clone();
+    newContext.knex = this.knex;
+    newContext.aliasMap = this.aliasMap;
+    newContext.tableMap = this.tableMap;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderUserContext.ts b/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderUserContext.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..65baaf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/queryBuilder/QueryBuilderUserContext.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { nany } from "../ninja.ts";
+import { Knex } from "knex";
+
+export class QueryBuilderUserContext {
+  #builder: nany;
+
+  constructor(builder: nany) {
+    this.#builder = builder;
+  }
+
+  get transaction(): Knex {
+    return this.#builder.knex();
+  }
+
+  newFromObject(builder: nany, obj: unknown): QueryBuilderUserContext {
+    const ctx = new QueryBuilderUserContext(builder);
+    Object.assign(ctx, obj);
+    return ctx;
+  }
+
+  newMerge(builder: nany, obj: unknown): QueryBuilderUserContext {
+    const ctx = new QueryBuilderUserContext(builder);
+    Object.assign(ctx, this, obj);
+    return ctx;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/queryBuilder/RawBuilder.ts b/src/queryBuilder/RawBuilder.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8a7f12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/queryBuilder/RawBuilder.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+import { isPlainObject } from "../utils/object.ts";
+import { buildArg } from "../utils/build.ts";
+import { nany } from "../ninja.ts";
+import { Knex } from "knex";
+
+export interface BuilderWithKnex {
+  knex(): Knex;
+}
+
+export class RawBuilder {
+  #sql: string;
+  #args: nany[];
+  #as?: string;
+
+  constructor(sql: string, args: nany[]) {
+    this.#sql = `${sql}`;
+    this.#args = args;
+  }
+
+  get alias(): string | undefined {
+    return this.#as;
+  }
+
+  as(as: string) {
+    this.#as = as;
+    return this;
+  }
+
+  toKnexRaw(builder: BuilderWithKnex): Knex.Raw {
+    let args = null;
+    let sql = this.#sql;
+
+    if (this.#args.length === 1 && isPlainObject(this.#args[0])) {
+      args = buildObject(this.#args[0], builder);
+
+      if (this.#as) {
+        args.__alias__ = this.#as;
+        sql += " as :__alias__:";
+      }
+    } else {
+      args = buildArray(this.#args, builder);
+
+      if (this.#as) {
+        args.push(this.#as);
+        sql += " as ??";
+      }
+    }
+
+    return builder.knex().raw(sql, args);
+  }
+}
+
+export function buildArray(arr: nany[], builder: nany) {
+  return arr.map((it) => buildArg(it, builder));
+}
+
+export function buildObject(obj: nany, builder: nany) {
+  return Object.keys(obj).reduce((args, key) => {
+    args[key] = buildArg(obj[key], builder);
+    return args;
+  }, {} as nany);
+}
+
+export function normalizeRawArgs(argsIn: [string, ...nany[]]) {
+  const [sql, ...restArgs] = argsIn;
+
+  if (restArgs.length === 1 && Array.isArray(restArgs[0])) {
+    return {
+      sql,
+      args: restArgs[0],
+    };
+  } else {
+    return {
+      sql,
+      args: restArgs,
+    };
+  }
+}
+
+export function raw(...argsIn: [string, ...nany[]]) {
+  const { sql, args } = normalizeRawArgs(argsIn);
+  return new RawBuilder(sql, args);
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/build.ts b/src/utils/build.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ead7474
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/build.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { Knex } from "knex";
+import { nany } from "../ninja.ts";
+import { isFunction, isObject } from "./object.ts";
+
+export interface ToKnexRaw {
+  toKnexRaw(builder: nany): Knex.Raw;
+}
+export type Arg = number | string | boolean | ToKnexRaw | nany; // TODO: add QueryBuilderBase type
+
+// deno-lint-ignore no-explicit-any
+function isToKnexRaw(arg: any): arg is ToKnexRaw {
+  return isFunction(arg.toKnexRaw);
+}
+
+export function buildArg(arg: Arg, builder: nany) {
+  if (!isObject(arg)) {
+    return arg;
+  }
+
+  if (isToKnexRaw(arg)) {
+    return arg.toKnexRaw(builder);
+  } else if (arg.isObjectionQueryBuilderBase === true) { // TODO: replace with instance check
+    return arg.subqueryOf(builder).toKnexQuery();
+  } else {
+    return arg;
+  }
+}