Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 7: 15/21

滅多(めった)に〜ないHardly, Rarely, Seldom

Structure

めったに + Verb［ない］
Noun + は + めったにない

Details

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About めったに〜ない

めったに～ない is an expression that may be translated as 'hardly', 'seldom', or 'rarely'. Originally, 滅多(めった) is a な-Adjective that means 'thoughtless', or 'reckless'. Due to this, as an adverb, 滅多(めった)に literally means 'thoughtlessly' or 'recklessly'.

めったに～ない will usually be paired with a verb in the negative form, or following a noun, and the adverbial particle は.

Caution

It is far more common to see めったに written without kanji, than with. However, both are used.

Fun Fact

As めったに originally means 'thoughtlessly', when appearing in a negative statement, the nuance becomes 'to not (A) thoughtlessly' (mindlessly, or aimlessly). This simply expresses that the speaker will not do (A) unintentionally, or (A) will not happen unless there is some special reason for it.

  • 私(わたし)は何(なに)か大事(おおごと)なことが起(お)きない限(かぎ)り、電話(でんわ)はめったに掛(か)けない。
    Unless something big happens, I don't mindlessly make phone calls.
  • 家(いえ)の誰(だれ)かがテレビを見(み)ていない限(かぎ)り、自分(じぶん)からはテレビをめったに見(み)ない。
    Unless someone in my house is watching TV, I don't aimlessly watch TV on my own.

Examples

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    父(ちち)は滅多(めった)にテレビを見(み)ない。

    My father rarely watches TV.

    こんなにいい話(はな)しは滅多(めった)にない。

    Such a nice story is rarely (heard).

    滅多(めった)に泣(な)かない彼(かれ)が泣(な)いていた。

    He, who hardly cries, was crying. (seldom・rarely)

    僕(ぼく)のおじいちゃんは滅多(めった)に笑(わら)わない。

    My grandpa seldom smiles.

    彼(かれ)は滅多(めった)に忘(わす)れないのに、今日(きょう)はどうしたんだろう？

    He rarely forgets, I wonder what happened today?

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      めったに〜ない – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (3 in total)

      • matt_in_mito

        matt_in_mito

        めったに vs あまり
        Has anyone ever noticed a nuance between these two or are they basically the same?

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        Hey

        あまり is more general. It means (with negative) not much, not many. Used when you speak of degree or quantity of something.

        While めったに means rarely, seldom. So it is limited to the frequency of something.

        本をあまり読んでいない。
        I don’t read books much.

        本はめったに読まない。
        I rarely read books.

      • matt_in_mito

        matt_in_mito

        That’s great, thank you. I’ll try to start using it.

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