Structure
あまり(1) + Verb[ない]
あまり(1) + [い]Adjective[ない]
あまり(1) + Noun + ではない(2)
あまり + [な]Adjective + ではない(2)
(1) あんまり
(2) じゃない
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一般
About あまり~ない
あまり is a very flexible word in Japanese, that is used in several different grammar points. When paired with the ない form of a word, it translates to 'not very (A)', or 'hardly (A)'. To pair あまり (or the casual form, あんまり) with another word, we just need to place it at the beginning of a phrase, or directly before the ない statement.
あまり has this meaning of 'excessive' in all of its grammar points, and the nuance will only change based on whether the sentence itself is positive (does not use ない), or negative (uses ない).
- 今の時間だったらあまり並ばないと思うよ。At this time, I think we would not have to stand in line for very long.
- 私には犬がいるからあまり寂しくない。I have a dog, so I don't feel lonely very much.
- 最近はどこもあまり平和ではない。Recently, nowhere has been very peaceful.
- そこの肉屋の肉はあまりいい肉ではない。Meat from that butcher over there is hardly good.
Fun Fact
Although あまり~ない is regularly translated as 'not very' the literal translation is closer to 'not excessively (A)'. This is due to 余り (the kanji which this word comes from), meaning 'excessive', or 'to be in excess'.あまり has this meaning of 'excessive' in all of its grammar points, and the nuance will only change based on whether the sentence itself is positive (does not use ない), or negative (uses ない).
Synonyms
あまり
So much...that
Not studied yet
そんなに
So (much), That much, Like that
Not studied yet
すこしも~ない
Not even a little, Not at all, Not in the least, Never
Not studied yet
全く~ない
Not~at all
Not studied yet
なかなか~ない
Not really, Hardly, Not easily or readily, By no means, Far from
Not studied yet
別に〜ない
Not really, Not particularly, It's not like...
Not studied yet
めったに〜ない
Hardly, Rarely, Seldom
Not studied yet
Antonyms
Examples
このケーキはあまり美味しくない。
This cake isn't very delicious.
あまり肉を食べない。
I don't eat very much meat.
あまりいい車ではないけど、走れるからいいんじゃない?
This car isn't that great, but it runs so that's good enough, right?
This sentence uses the potential form 走れる which we'll learn about later here.
あまり大変なことではないから、心配いらないよ。
It isn't that big of a deal, so you don't have to worry.
寿司をあまり食べたいと思わない。
I don't really think I want to eat sushi.
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あまり~ない – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (14 in total)
mrnoone
@Pep95
HeyYes, it is exactly the same あまり!
Cheers!
driscoll
I’m a bit confused as to where the あまりgoes + the negative good. The one with “This car isn’t that great”
is あまり いい車くるまではないBut why isn’t it この車はあまりよくない like the example for “This cake isn’t very delicious.”
Fuga
Hey there @driscoll !
あまり comes right before adjectives, verbs, and nouns. あまりいい車くるまではない, and この車はあまりよくない may seem similar, but it has a slight (very slight) difference in nuance, but it is just mostly a difference in how the sentence was ordered. It similar to saying ‘this car isn’t that great’ and ‘this isn’t a great car’. The nuance of those sentences change a little depending on the context, but other than word order, the meaning is basically the same.
We hope that help!
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