富士（ふじ）登山（とざん）は<strong>なかなか</strong><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='474'>大変（たいへん）</span>です。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='5' data-vocab-id='95'>これ</span>は<strong>なかなか</strong><span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='24' data-vocab-id='1046'>難（むずか）しい</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='439'>問題（もんだい）</span>ですね。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='14' data-vocab-id='88'>ここ</span>の会員（かいいん）になるのは<strong>なかなか</strong><span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='24' data-vocab-id='1046'>難（むずか）しい</span>。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='30' data-vocab-id='91'>この</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='501'>子（こ）</span>が描（か）く<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='879'>絵（え）</span>は<strong>なかなか</strong>のものです。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='11' data-vocab-id='149'>それ</span>は<strong>なかなか</strong>厳（きび）しい注文（ちゅうもん）ですね。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='30' data-vocab-id='91'>この</span>作品（さくひん）は<strong>なかなか</strong>の出来栄（できば）えです<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='78'>よ</span>。

<strong>なかなか</strong>かっこ<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='7' data-vocab-id='16'>いい</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='987'>車（くるま）</span>だと<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='905'>自分（じぶん）</span>では思（おも）っている。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='564'>彼（かれ）</span>は<strong>なかなか</strong>頼（たよ）りになる奴（やつ）だ<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='78'>よ</span>。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='312'>今月（こんげつ）</span>の目標（もくひょう）を達成（たっせい）<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='138'>する</span>のは<strong>なかなか</strong><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='474'>大変（たいへん）</span>です。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='567'>彼女（かのじょ）</span>は<strong>なかなか</strong>素直（すなお）で<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='18'>いい子（こ）</span>じゃないか。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='30' data-vocab-id='91'>この</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='59'>お菓子（かし）</span>は<strong>なかなか</strong>おいしい。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='14' data-vocab-id='88'>ここ</span>からの<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='659'>景色（けしき）</span>は<strong>なかなか</strong><span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='7' data-vocab-id='16'>いい</span>ですね。

<div class='writeup-body'><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span> (or 中々（なかなか） in kanji) is an <span class='info-highlight' data-term='副詞・ふくし'>adverb</span> in Japanese that is frequently translated as 'very', or 'considerably'. It is regularly paired directly with other adjectives, or before nouns (with の coming between <span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span> and the noun).<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='14'>ここ</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='6'>の</span>ラーメンは<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>中々（なかなか）</span>美味（おい）しい<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='71'>ね。</span></div><div class='writeup-example--english'>This ramen shop is <strong>pretty</strong> good.</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>ミムラ<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='113'>さん</span>も<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span>可愛（かわい）い<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='78'>よ。</span></div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Mimura-san is <strong>very</strong> cute.</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='47'>あの</span>シェフ<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='10'>が</span>作（つく）るパスタは<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='6'>の</span>物（もの）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='1'>だ</span>。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>The pasta that the chef makes is <strong>very</strong> good.</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>元（もと）カノは<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='6'>の</span>美人（びじん）でした<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='44'>が</span>、性格（せいかく）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='10'>が</span>悪（わる）かった<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='62'>ので</span>別（わか）れました。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>My ex-girlfriend was <strong>considerably</strong> beautiful, but her personality was bad, so I broke up with her.</div></li></ul><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span> can also sometimes have the nuance of being something that is 軽視（けいし）し<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='257'>がたい</span>. This basically translates as 'difficult to dismiss', but is a bit closer to English expressions like 'nothing to scoff at', or 'not to be taken lightly'.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>なかなか<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='6'>の</span>事（こと）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>してくれた<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='66'>な</span>。こんな事（こと）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='21'>を</span>お客（きゃく）<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='113'>さん</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='32'>に</span>どう説明（せつめい）し<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='212'>たらいい</span>ん<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='1'>だ</span>。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>You have done something that is <strong>difficult to dismiss</strong>, haven't you? How am I supposed to explain this to our client? (What you did cannot be taken lightly. How am I supposed to explain what has happened to our client?)</div></li></ul><div class='writeup-funfact'><div class='funfact-header'>Fun Fact</div><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span> highlights that something is 'considerably/extremely (A)', or 'far more (A) than expected'. If we imagine a dartboard, where the whole board shows the intensity level of a specific word, and <span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span> represents the bullseye, this is basically the nuance. '(A) is the middle (bullseye) example of (B)'.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>先月（せんげつ）始（はじ）め<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='165'>たばかり</span><span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='17'>なの</span>？<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='437'>なかなか</span>上手（じょうず）<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='173'>じゃないか</span>。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>You just started last month? You are <strong>quite</strong> a lot better than I expected!</div></li></ul></div><div class='writeup-funfact'><div class='funfact-header'>Fun Fact</div>なかなか, coming from the kanji 中（なか） meaning 'within', can be thought to mean the 'middle' or 'most' (A).</div></div>

Grammar Info

中々(なかなか)

Very, Quite, Considerably