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QUANTITY IN JAPANESE
Don’t know the exact amount of something but want to express its relative quantity in Japanese?
You need to know about different adverbs of degree!
Until now, we have learned about adverbs and how to use them in sentences.
Today, we are going to show you different degrees of these adverbs.
HIGH DEGREE ADVERBS
We have made this in descending order and put English translations wherever similar ones are available.
But you should know that translation between languages cannot be perfect!
There are always nuances and connotations that you need to be careful about. Also, there are some adverbs that can only be used with negative verb forms.
But, without worrying too much, let’s get started with the highest degrees of adverbs!
| Japanese | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 極めて | kiwamete | extremely |
| 非常に | hijyouni | very much |
| 実に | jitsuni | really |
| 本当に | hontouni | really *本当に is colloquial |
| とても | totemo | very |
| 大変 | taihen | extremely, very |
View Examples:
| EXAMPLE | HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| この人形はとても可愛いですね。 | このにんぎょうはとてもかわいいですね。 | Kono ningyou wa totemo kawaii desune. | That doll is very cute, right? |
| あなた達は本当に素敵なお客だ。 | あなたちはほんとうにすてきなおきゃくだ。 | Anata-tachi wa hontōni sutekina okyakuda. | You’re such a lovely audience. |
MEDIUM DEGREE ADVERBS
Here are some of the most common medium degree adverbs in Japanese:
| HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| かなり | kanari | fairly |
| 相当 | soutou | considerably |
| だいぶ | daibu | quite |
View Examples:
| EXAMPLE | HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私は大分元気になりました。 | わたしはだいぶげんきになりました。 | Watashi wa daibu genki ni narimashita. | I’m feeling a lot better. |
| ここからかなり遠とおかったよ | ここからかなりとおとおかったよ | Koko kara kanari tō tōkatta yo | It’s fairly far from here. |
LOW DEGREE ADVERBS
Now let’s see the most common low degree adverbs in Japanese:
| HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| なかなか | nakanaka | quite |
| まあまあ | maamaa | passably |
| そこそこ | sokosoko | reasonably |
| たいして* | taishite | not very |
| あまり* | amari | not very |
| 全然* | zenzen | not at all |
Notes:
- The words with * must be used with negative forms.
- You might hear the pronunciation of あまり as aanmari rather than amari.
View Examples:
| EXAMPLE | HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日は雨が全然降りませんでした。 | きょうはあめがぜんぜんふりませんでした。 | Kyou wa ame ga zenzen furimasen deshita. | It didn’t rain at all today. |
| 僕、なかなかイケメンでしょ！ | ぼく、なかなかイケメンでしょ | Boku, nakanaka ikemendesho! | I’m quite handsome! |
ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY
Adverbs of degree can be further subdivided.
We have listed them here for your reference. No matter what the category, usage of adverbs remains the same.
| HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| いつも | itsumo | always |
| 普通 普段 | futsuu・fudan | usually |
| よく しょっちゅう たびたび | yoku・shoucchuu・tabitabi | often |
| 時々 | tokidoki | sometimes |
| たまに | tamani | occasionally, rarely |
| あまり* | amari | rarely |
| めったに* | mettani | hardly, seldom |
*They have to be used with negative forms.
View Examples:
| XAMPLE | HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 山田さんはいつも漢字の勉強しています。 | やまださんはいつもかんじのべんきょうしています。 | Yamada san wa itsumo kanji no benkyou shite imasu. | Mr. Yamada is always studying Kanji. |
| ときどきアニメを見ます。 | ときどきアニメをみます。 | Tokidoki anime o mimasu. | I sometimes watch anime. |
ADVERBS OF CERTAINTY
| HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| ぜったい | zettai | definitely |
| かならず | kanarazu | without exception |
| たしかに | tashikani | certainly |
| きっと | kitto | surely |
| おそらく | osoraku | probably |
| たぶん | tabun | maybe |
You can also use these words as stand-alone words as you get fluent in Japanese.
For example, たしかに is also used as あいづち.
あいづち (aidzuchi) are words that are used in between conversations according to context.
ADVERBS OF QUANTITY
| HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 全て 全部 | subete zenbu | entirely, completely, wholly |
| すっかり | sukkari | completely, thoroughly |
| たくさん | takusan | a lot, many |
| じゅうぶん | jyuubun | enough, sufficiently |
| あまり* | amari | not very |
| すこし | sukoshi | a little |
| ちょっと | choutto | just a little |
| ほとんど* | hotondo | mostly, nearly, almost (zero) |
| 全然* | zenzen | not at all |
*They have to be used with negative forms.
View Examples:
| EXAMPLE | HIRAGANA | ROMAJI | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|---|
| りんごはあまり好きではないです。 | りんごはあまりすきではないです。 | Ringo wa amari suki dewa nai desu. | I don’t like apples very much. |
| ちょっと食べる。 | ちょっとたべる。 | Chotto taberu. | I eat a little |
Be sure to use these adverbs according to context to get fluent in Japanese. Also, always pay special attention to adverbs that can only be used with the negative form of verbs!
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MORE RESOURCES
Want to learn more? Check out these other free resources:
- Learn about measurements in Mandarin
- Learn about relative quantities in Korean
- Learn about relative quantities in Vietnamese
FAQs
What is an adverb of relative quantity?
It is an adverb that expresses an uncertain or approximate quantity of something.
What does たくさん mean?
たくさん (takusan) means a lot or many.
How do I use adverbs in Japanese?
Please see LTL’s lesson on adverbs!
What is a low frequency adverb?
An example is あまり (amari) which means “not very.”
What does ちょっと mean?
ちょっと (choutto) means just a little and is commonly used i spoken Japanese.
What does たしかに mean?
たしかに (tashikani) means certainly in Japanese.
What is a high frequency adverb in Japanese?
An example is とても (totemo) which means “very.”
What is an adverb for certainty in Japanese?
An example is ぜったい (zettai) which means “definitely.”