Not at all / not much

Stage 4Degree, amount & limitsChunk 9 of 27 · items 406–410 of 484

The negative-degree scale: each sets how strong a 'no' is before a negative verb or adjective, from zenzen 'not at all' to sonna ni 'not that much'. nakanaka adds 'just won't', for things that are slow or hard to make happen.

Mix-ups

zenzen means 'not at all', hotondo 'hardly' and anmari 'not very'. sonna ni ('not that …') measures against a degree already in the air, either what someone said or what you'd expect, so it often answers a worry or a claim; anmari just rates the thing as low. nakanaka is about time and effort, not amount: nakanaka konai = it's taking ages, zenzen konai = it isn't coming at all. Without a negative, hotondo flips to 'almost all', sonna ni to 'so much' and nakanaka to 'pretty, more than expected' (nakanaka ii is close to kekkou ii but sounds like a verdict).

zenzen

+ negativedrama rank #241

(not) at all

全然 ぜんぜんPlay

Means 'not at all' before a negative verb or adjective. With a few words like daijoubu, ii, heiki and chigau it means 'totally' (zenzen daijoubu, zenzen chigau).

casualPlay

imi zenzen wakannai

I don't get it at all.

意味全然わかんない

politePlay

imi ga zenzen wakarimasen

I have no idea what it means.

意味が全然わかりません

'Zenzen ii' or 'zenzen daijoubu (desu)' means 'totally fine' and is the stock reply to an apology ('no worries at all'). It's heard all the time, in desu/masu speech too, though sticklers object. zenzen + other positive adjectives (zenzen oishii) is slangy, so don't produce it. imi wakannai on its own is also a casual 'that makes no sense'.

Learn alongside: anmari, hotondo, nakanakaLearn first: -nai

anmari

polite amari+ negativedrama rank #603

(not) very; (not) much

あんまりPlay あまりPlay

Means 'not very / not much' before a negative. It is the soft, hedged no, gentler than zenzen.

casualPlay

imi anmari wakannai

I don't really get it.

意味あんまりわかんない

politePlay

imi ga amari wakarimasen

I don't really get what it means.

意味があまりわかりません

'Anmari…' said alone, trailing off, is a polite 'not really'. Without a negative it means 'too much': anmari da yo! = that's going too far; amari ni takakute kaenakatta = it was so expensive I couldn't buy it. For 'not that …' (sonna ni warukunai), see sonna ni.

Learn alongside: zenzen, hotondo, nakanakaLearn first: -nai

hotondo

drama rank #953

hardly; almost all

ほとんどPlay

Before a negative it means 'hardly / barely' (hotondo nai). With a positive it means 'almost all' (hotondo owatta).

casualPlay

imi hotondo wakannai

I barely understand it.

意味ほとんどわかんない

politePlay

imi ga hotondo wakarimasen

I barely understand what it means.

意味がほとんどわかりません

Its meaning flips with the verb: hotondo shitteru = know almost all, hotondo shiranai = know hardly any. As a noun: hotondo no hito = most people; hotondo ga = most of them.

Learn alongside: zenzen, anmari, nakanakaLearn first: -nai

sonna ni

drama rank #2089

(not) that much; so much

そんなにPlay

Goes before a negative to say 'not as much as you'd think' (sonna ni warukunai = not that bad). Without a negative it means 'so much' (sonna ni tabeta no? = you ate that much?). Said alone, 'e, sonna ni?' reacts to an amount: 'what, that much?', usually surprise, sometimes doubt.

casualPlay

sonna ni warukunai yo

It's not that bad.

そんなに悪くないよ

politePlay

sonna ni warukunai desu yo

It's not that bad.

そんなに悪くないですよ

konna ni ('this much', about what's here) and anna ni ('that much', about something you both remember) work the same way: konna ni takusan iranai = I don't need this many; anna ni ganbatta noni = after all that effort. anmari can't do the 'not as much as you imply' job.

Learn first: anmari, sonna, -kunai / -ja nai

nakanaka

drama rank #494

(not) easily; just won't; quite

なかなかPlay

With a negative it means something just won't happen despite trying or waiting, or is taking ages (nakanaka konai, nakanaka oboerarenai, nakanaka umaku ikanai). Before an adjective it means 'pretty, more than expected' (nakanaka ii, nakanaka muzukashii).

casualPlay

basu, nakanaka konai ne

The bus is taking forever, huh.

バス、なかなか来ないね

politePlay

basu, nakanaka kimasen ne

The bus is taking a while, isn't it.

バス、なかなか来ませんね

Used as praise, it sounds like you're grading the thing. To a boss, or to the person who cooked, say hontou ni or sugoku instead.

Learn alongside: zenzen, anmari, hotondoLearn first: -nai