LEARN + JAPANESE / 29 of 186 JLPT N5
Not All That あまり
あまり paired with a negative verb means “not very” or “not much,” softening a denial instead of stating it flatly. 別に～ない means “not particularly / not really,” often as a calm or casual denial. なかなか～ない means “not easily / not for a long time,” emphasizing difficulty or delay. It almost never appears without a negative ending nearby.
Suzuki doesn't drink much.
You'd better not exercise too much.
I'm not particularly troubled.
Hint · 힌트
あまり高くない reads as “not very expensive,” gentler than a flat “cheap.” It’s the negative-leaning cousin of とても (very): とても高い is “very expensive,” あまり高くない is “not very expensive,” and the two rarely swap roles.
No, it's not empty at all.
No, it wasn't close at all.
Hint · 힌트
ぜんぜん is あまり’s stronger sibling, pushing the same negative all the way to “not at all” instead of just “not very.” Both need a negative verb to make sense; ぜんぜん alone, without the negative, only survives in very casual speech meaning something closer to “totally,” a newer, looser usage separate from this pairing.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| unpleasant thing | |
| spacious, wide | |
| quiet | |
| kind | |
| worry | |
| to wash one's hands | |
| cold (to the touch) | |
| to recycle | |
| to sell | |
| to become empty, uncrowded | |
| very | |
| not at all (with negative) | |
| a little | |
| almost, mostly | |
| entirely, completely | |
| occasionally | |
| rarely (with negative) | |
| degree, extent | |
| relatively | |
| to that extent, not that much |
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