Expressing Excessiveness in Japanese || How to Use すぎる

Q: How to express hope in Japanese?

といい is added after the casual form of a verb (e.g., 行く iku 、行った itta 、行きたい ikitai 、行かない ikanai , etc.). This means “I hope that” in English and is used to express the speaker’s desire for something to happen. Iis used in everyday conversation, rather than more conceptual or deep things. 今度の試験は合格するといいです。 Kondo no shiken wa goukaku suru to ii desu. I hope I pass the upcoming exam. — Add たらいい to the casual past tense of a verb (e.g., 行った itta went, 飲んだ nonda drunk, 食べた tabeta ate, した shita did, etc.) to mean exactly the same thing as above. 雨が降らないといいね。 Ame ga furanai to ii ne. I hope it doesn’t rain. — ように (you ni) is used for humble requests, prayers, and wishes. You just add ように to the verb, often found in the polite ます masu form. 早くよくなるように祈っています。 Hayaku yoku naru you ni inotteimasu. I’m praying for a speedy recovery. — Check out the full lesson on hope in Japanese here.

Q: Can I book Japanese classes with LTL?

Yes! You can book online Japanese lessons on our platform Flexi Classes . If you’d prefer to study Japanese abroad, check out our immersion programs in Tokyo .

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EXCESSIVENESS IN JAPANESE

In Japanese, expressing excessiveness is commonly done using the verb suffix すぎる to indicate that something is “too much” or “overly” done.

This lesson will cover how to use すぎる with its conjugation and common usage scenarios.

USING すぎる WITH VERBS

すぎる sugiru

When すぎる is attached to the stem of a verb, it indicates that the action is done excessively.

PATTERN

Verb stem + すぎる

食べる taberu	→	食べすぎる tabesugiru	To eat too much
飲む nomu	→	飲みすぎる nomisugiru	To drink to much
勉強する benkyō suru	→	勉強しすぎる benkyō shisugiru	To study too much

View More Examples:

彼女は毎朝走りすぎます。	Kanojo wa maiasa hashirisugimasu.	She runs too much every morning.
週末に寝すぎました。	Shūmatsu ni nesugimashita.	I slept too much on the weekend.
彼は働きすぎて疲れています。	Kare wa hatarakisugite tsukareteimasu.	He is tired because he works too much.
彼はいつも勉強しすぎる。	Kare wa itsumo benkyō shisugiru.	He always studies too much.
ビールを飲みすぎてしまいました。	Bīru o nomisugite shimaimashita.	I drank too much beer.
昨日、私は食べすぎました。	Kinō, watashi wa tabesugimashita.	I ate too much yesterday.

USING すぎる WITH ADJECTIVES

When すぎる is attached to the stem of an adjective, it indicates that the quality is present to an excessive degree.

For い-adjectives, drop the final い and add すぎる.
For な-adjectives, simply add すぎる after the adjective without the な.

PATTERN

い-adjective (remove い) + すぎる

な-adjective + すぎる

charset="utf-8"> takai	→	高すぎる akasugiru	Too expensive
charset="utf-8"> hayai	→	charset="utf-8"> hayasugiru	Too early
charset="utf-8"> atsui)	→	charset="utf-8"> atsusugiru	Too hot

View More Examples:

この問題は難しすぎます。	Kono mondai wa muzukashisugimasu.	This problem is too difficult.
この試験は簡単すぎました。	Kono shiken wa kantansugimashita.	This exam was too easy.
この図書館は静かすぎます。	Kono toshokan wa shizukasugimasu.	This library is too quiet.
この部屋は暑すぎます。	Kono heya wa atsusugimasu.	This room is too hot.
彼は早すぎる時間に来ました。	Kare wa hayasugiru jikan ni kimashita.	He came at too early a time.
この靴は高すぎます。	Kono kutsu wa takasugimasu.	These shoes are too expensive.

USING すぎる WITH NOUNS

Although less common, すぎる can be used with some nouns to indicate excessiveness.

This usage is more idiomatic and often found in set phrases or colloquial speech.

PATTERN

Noun + すぎる

お金 okane	→	charset="utf-8"> okane sugiru	Too much money (used more idiomatically)
charset="utf-8"> tabemono	→	charset="utf-8"> tabemono sugiru	Too much food (used more idiomatically)
charset="utf-8"> mondai	→	charset="utf-8"> mondai sugiru	Too many problems

View More Examples:

彼には時間すぎます。	Kare ni wa jikan sugimasu.	He has too much time.
この場所には人すぎます。	Kono basho ni wa hito sugimasu.	There are too many people at this place.
彼女には仕事すぎます。	Kanojo ni wa shigoto sugimasu.	She has too much work.
このプロジェクトには問題すぎます。	Kono purojekuto ni wa mondai sugimasu.	There are too many problems with this project.
このパーティーには食べ物すぎます。	Kono pātī ni wa tabemono sugimasu.	There is too much food at this party.
彼はお金すぎて、使い道に困っています。	Kare wa okane sugite, tsukaimichi ni komatteimasu.	He has too much money and doesn’t know how to use it.

CONJUGATING すぎる

すぎる follows regular verb conjugation patterns. It can be conjugated into various forms to express different tenses and politeness levels.

PATTERN

Present Affirmative: すぎる
Present Negative: すぎない
Past Affirmative: すぎた
Past Negative: すぎなかった

食べすぎる	tabesugiru	To eat too much	Present
食べすぎない	tabesuginai	Not to eat too much	Present negative
食べすぎた	tabesugita	Ate too much	Past
食べすぎなかった	tabesuginakatta	Did not eat too much	Past negative

View More Examples:

私は食べすぎます。	Watashi wa tabesugimasu.	I eat too much.	Present affirmative
私は食べすぎないようにしています。	Watashi wa tabesuginai yō ni shiteimasu.	I am trying not to eat too much.	Present negative
昨日、私は食べすぎました。	Kinō, watashi wa tabesugimashita.	I ate too much yesterday.	Past
昨日、私は食べすぎなかったです。	Kinō, watashi wa tabesuginakatta desu.	I did not eat too much yesterday.	Past negative

BONUS || Learn more about the past, present and future tense in Japanese in our Grammar Bank.

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FAQs

How to use すぎる?

To express excessiveness in Japanese, you can use the structure: verb stem + すぎる (sugiru).

This structure is used to indicate that an action is done too much or to an excessive degree.

The same pattern applies to adjectives, where you remove the final い for い-adjectives or add すぎる directly to な-adjectives.

Examples:

食べすぎる (tabe sugiru) – “to eat too much”

飲みすぎる (nomi sugiru) – “to drink too much”

暑すぎる (atsu sugiru) – “too hot”

Can すぎる be used with verbs and adjectives?

Yes, すぎる can be used with most verbs and adjectives to indicate excessiveness.

However, it is important to follow the correct form adjustments:

For verbs, use the verb stem.

For い-adjectives, remove the final い before adding すぎる.

For な-adjectives, simply add すぎる after the adjective.

How to express hope in Japanese?

といい is added after the casual form of a verb (e.g., 行くiku、行った itta、行きたい ikitai、行かない ikanai, etc.).

This means “I hope that” in English and is used to express the speaker’s desire for something to happen.

Iis used in everyday conversation, rather than more conceptual or deep things.

今度の試験は合格するといいです。

Kondo no shiken wa goukaku suru to ii desu.

I hope I pass the upcoming exam.

—

Add たらいい to the casual past tense of a verb (e.g., 行った itta went, 飲んだ nonda drunk, 食べた tabeta ate, した shita did, etc.) to mean exactly the same thing as above.

雨が降らないといいね。

Ame ga furanai to ii ne.

I hope it doesn’t rain.

—

ように (you ni) is used for humble requests, prayers, and wishes.

You just add ように to the verb, often found in the polite ます masu form.

早くよくなるように祈っています。

Hayaku yoku naru you ni inotteimasu.

I’m praying for a speedy recovery.

—

Check out the full lesson on hope in Japanese here.

How to express desire in Japanese?

When expressing desire for a thing, or a noun in other words, we can use the word 欲しい（ほしい).

欲しい is an ii adjective. Even though “want” is a verb in English, it is an adjective in Japanese, so we have to adjust our thinking about “wanting” appropriately.

Examples:

あの本が欲しい, ano hon ga hoshii | I want that book

らーメンが欲しい, ramen ga hoshii | I want ramen

Check out our free lesson about Desire in Japanese here.

Where to find more free Japanese lessons?

We regularly publish free Japanese lessons on our Japanese Grammar Bank.

Can I book Japanese classes with LTL?

Yes!

You can book online Japanese lessons on our platform Flexi Classes.

If you’d prefer to study Japanese abroad, check out our immersion programs in Tokyo.