LEARN + JAPANESE / Note 83 JLPT N5
Not Very (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. It almost never appears without a negative ending nearby.
Suzuki doesn't drink much.
You'd better not exercise too much.
In Real Life
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.
In Real Life
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 |