中々(なかなか)Very, Quite, Considerably

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)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 中(なか) meaning 'within', can be thought to mean the 'middle' or 'most' (A).