Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 1: 10/22

中々(なかなか)Very, Quite, Considerably

Structure

なかなか + Adjective
なかなか + + Noun

Details

  • Standard

About なかなか

なかなか (or 中々(なかなか) in kanji) is an adverb 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 なかなか and the noun).

なかなか can also sometimes have the nuance of being something that is 軽視(けいし)がたい. 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'.

Fun Fact

なかなか 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 なかなか represents the bullseye, this is basically the nuance. '(A) is the middle (bullseye) example of (B)'.

Fun Fact

なかなか, coming from the kanji (なか) meaning 'within', can be thought to mean the 'middle' or 'most' (A).

Synonyms


Antonyms



Misc.

Vocab Coverage

All Bunpro Vocab that appears on this item.

Examples

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  • このお菓子(かし)中々(なかなか)おいしい。

    This snack is quite good.

  • ここからの景色(けしき)中々(なかなか)いいですね。

    The view from here is quite decent.

  • ここの会員(かいいん)になるのは中々(なかなか)(むずか)しい。

    Becoming a member here is considerably difficult.

  • 富士(ふじ)登山(とざん)中々(なかなか)大変(たいへん)です。

    Reaching the top of Mt. Fuji is quite grueling.

  • この()()()中々(なかなか)のものです。

    The paintings that this child paints are quite (extraordinary).

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        • [AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese

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      なかなか – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (10 in total)

      • darzington

        darzington

        Amazing, thank you! I had a feeling it was something like that, but your explanation made things much clearer. ありがとうございます!

      • GreattFriend

        GreattFriend

        What does it mean by “extent”?

      • JamesBunpro

        JamesBunpro

        It is hinting that the missing word has something to do with expressing “extent”. The grey hints (tense hints) are there to help with conjugation/part of speech, since if you have the English translation or the nuance hint turned off it may not be obvious what is wanted. Let me know if it still doesn’t make sense!

        For future reference, you can find a list of our most common tense hints here.

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