全(まった)く～ないNot~at all

全く～ない is an expression that combines the adverb 全(まった)く, with a phrase that uses another word in its ない form. It is often translated as 'not at all (A)'. Literally, it is closer to 'completely not (A)', or 'entirely not (A)', coming from the kanji 全(ぜん)'s meaning of 'whole'.

Like many other adverbs, まったく may be used at the beginning of a sentence, or directly before the word that it is describing as being 'not at all' (A).

It is common to see this expression using both the kanji form, and plain hiragana form of 全(まった)く, so both should be learned early.

Caution

まったく is very similar to 全然(ぜんぜん), another grammar point that is used to highlight the complete lack of something. However, まったく tends to sound a little bit more serious, and is therefore more likely to be used in formal writing/situations. 全然(ぜんぜん) on the other hand is far more common in casual speech.