Japanese Grammar | Relative Quantities in Japanese
Don’t know the exact amount of something but want to express its relative quantity in Japanese?
You need to know about different degrees of adverbs!
Until now, we have learned about adverbs and how to use them in sentences.
Today, we are going to show you different degrees of these adverbs.
We have made this in descending order and put English translations wherever similar ones are available.
But you should know that translation between languages cannot be perfect!
There are always nuances and connotations that you need to be careful about. Also, there are some adverbs that can only be used with negative verb forms.
But, without worrying too much, let’s get started with different degrees of adverbs!
NOTE | We have differentiated the adverbs according to the levels high, medium, and low.
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Basic Adverbs: High
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Basic Adverbs: Middle
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Basic Adverbs: Low
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Basic Adverbs: High
| Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| きわめて | kiwamete | extremely |
| ひじょうに | hijyouni | very much |
| じつに・ほんとうに | jitsuni・hontouni | really *本当に is colloquial |
| とても | totemo | very |
| たいへん | taihen | extremely, very |
Here is an example:
| Example | Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| この人形はとても可愛いですね。 | このにんぎょうはとてもかわいいですね。 | Kono ningyou wa totemo kawaii desune. | That doll is very cute, right? |
| あなた達は本当に素敵なお客だ。 | あなたちはほんとうにすてきなおきゃくだ。 | Anata-tachi wa hontōni sutekina okyakuda. | You’re such a lovely audience. |
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Basic Adverbs: Medium
| Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| かなり | kanari | fairly |
| そうとう | soutou | considerably |
| だいぶ | daibu | quite |
Take a look at an example:
| Example | Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私は大分元気になりました。 | わたしはだいぶげんきになりました。 | Watashi wa daibu genki ni narimashita. | I’m feeling a lot better. |
| ここからかなり遠とおかったよ | ここからかなりとおとおかったよ | Koko kara kanari tō tōkatta yo | It’s fairly far from here. |
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Basic Adverbs: Low
| Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| なかなか | nakanaka | quite |
| まあまあ | maamaa | passably |
| そこそこ | sokosoko | reasonably |
| たいして* | taishite | not very |
| あまり* | amari | not very |
| ぜんぜん* | zenzen | not at all |
Notes:
- The words with * must be used with negative forms.
- You might hear the pronunciation of あまり as aanmari rather than amari.
Here is an example using an adverb from the above table:
| Example | Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日は雨が全然降りませんでした。 | きょうはあめがぜんぜんふりませんでした。 | Kyou wa ame ga zenzen furimasen deshita. | It didn’t rain at all today. |
| 僕、なかなかイケメンでしょ！ | ぼく、なかなかイケメンでしょ | Boku, nakanaka ikemendesho! | I’m quite handsome! |
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Adverbs of Degree: Frequency
Adverbs of degree can be further subdivided.
We have listed them here for your reference. No matter what the category, usage of adverbs remains the same.
| Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| いつも | itsumo | always |
| ふつう・ふだん | futsuu・fudan | usually |
| よく しょっちゅう たびたび | yoku・shoucchuu・tabitabi | often |
| ときどき | tokidoki | sometimes |
| たまに | tamani | occasionally, rarely |
| あまり* | amari | rarely |
| めったに* | mettani | hardly, seldom |
*They have to be used with negative forms.
Here is an example:
| Example | Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 山田さんはいつも漢字の勉強しています。 | やまださんはいつもかんじのべんきょうしています。 | Yamada san wa itsumo kanji no benkyou shite imasu. | Mr. Yamada is always studying Kanji. |
| ときどきアニメを見ます。 | ときどきアニメをみます。 | Tokidoki anime o mimasu. | I sometimes watch anime. |
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Adverbs of Degree: Certainty
| Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| ぜったい | zettai | definitely |
| かならず | kanarazu | without exception |
| たしかに | tashikani | certainly |
| きっと | kitto | surely |
| おそらく | osoraku | probably |
| たぶん | tabun | maybe |
You can also use these words as stand-alone words as you get fluent in Japanese.
For example, たしかに is also used as あいづち.
あいづち (aidzuchi) are words that are used in between conversations according to context.
Relative Quantities in Japanese | Adverbs of Degree: Amount
| Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| すべて ぜんぶ | subete zenbu | entirely, completely, wholly |
| すっかり | sukkari | completely, thoroughly |
| たくさん | takusan | a lot, many |
| じゅうぶん | jyuubun | enough, sufficiently |
| あまり* | amari | not very |
| すこし | sukoshi | a little |
| ちょっと | choutto | just a little |
| ほとんど* | hotondo | mostly, nearly, almost (zero) |
| ぜんぜん* | zenzen | not at all |
*They have to be used with negative forms.
Take a look at an example:
| Example | Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| りんごはあまり好きではないです。 | りんごはあまりすきではないです。 | Ringo wa amari suki dewa nai desu. | I don’t like apples very much. |
| ちょっと食べる。 | ちょっとたべる。 | Chotto taberu. | I eat a little |
Be sure to use these adverbs according to context to get fluent in Japanese. Also, always pay special attention to adverbs that can only be used with negative form of verbs!
Now you know how to talk about relative quantities in Japanese!
If you are just starting on your Japanese learning journey, make sure to check out the following lessons:
- Japanese numbers
- Japanese particles
- Japanese counters
- Dates in Japanese
- Japanese sentence structure
- Japanese negative form
- Telling time in Japanese
- Japanese adverbs
Don’t forget that we also offer a Free Trial for 3 hours of Japanese classes on our online platform Flexi Classes!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is an adverb of relative quantity?
It is an adverb that expresses an uncertain or approximate quantity of something.
What does たくさん mean?
たくさん (takusan) means a lot or many.
How do I use adverbs in Japanese?
Please see LTL’s lesson on adverbs!
What is a low frequency adverb?
An example is あまり (amari) which means “not very.”
What does ちょっと mean?
ちょっと (choutto) means just a little and is commonly used i spoken Japanese.
What does たしかに mean?
たしかに (tashikani) means certainly in Japanese.
What is a high frequency adverb in Japanese?
An example is とても (totemo) which means “very.”
What is an adverb that expresses certainty in Japanese?
An example is ぜったい (zettai) which means “definitely.”