Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Rarely, seldom, hardly ever
🎯 Primary Function
To express that an action or event happens very infrequently.
📋 Grammar Structure
めったに + Verb (ない form)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Can be used in both formal and informal contexts, though slightly more common in less rigid situations.
Informal Situations
Commonly used in everyday conversation.
Written Language
Used in written language, but perhaps slightly less frequently than in casual speech.
Spoken Language
Very common in spoken Japanese.
💡 Common Applications
Describing personal habits or routines
Use 「めったに〜ない」 to talk about things you rarely do.
Example: 私はめったにファストフードを食べません。 (Watashi wa mettani fasuto fūdo o tabemasen.) – I rarely eat fast food.
Describing the frequency of events
Use it to state that a specific event happens very infrequently.
Example: この辺りでは、めったに雪が降りません。 (Kono atari de wa, mettani yuki ga furimasen.) – Snow rarely falls around here.
Expressing states or conditions that are rare
While primarily for actions, it can describe a state or condition that is rarely true.
Example: 彼はめったに病気になりません。 (Kare wa mettani byōki ni narimasen.) – He rarely gets sick.
Frequency
Commonly used in everyday Japanese to express low frequency.
Difficulty
Moderate (Typical for JLPT N3). The main point is remembering to use the negative form.
Example Sentences
日曜日は家にいることがめったにありません。
It’s rare for me to be at home on Sundays.
彼はめったに人を褒めません。
He rarely praises people.
こんなに美味しい料理はめったに食べられません。
You rarely get to eat such delicious food.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Always used with the negative form
「めったに」 *must* be followed by a verb in the negative form (ない form, ません form, etc.). Using a positive form after 「めったに」 is incorrect.
Example: Incorrect: めったに食べます (Mettani tabemasu) – Correct: めったに食べません (Mettani tabemasen)
Expresses a very low frequency
It indicates something happens much less often than 「あまり～ない」 (not very often) or 「たまに」 (occasionally). It suggests it happens so infrequently that it’s almost never.
Example: 「めったに雪が降らない」 means snow falls very rarely, perhaps only once every few years or even less.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using the positive form
✅ Always use the negative form (ない/ません) after 「めったに」.
「めったに」 inherently carries a meaning of infrequency close to “not happening,” so it requires the negative verb to complete the idea.
❌ Using it like 「たまに」
✅ Understand that 「めったに」 indicates a much lower frequency than 「たまに」.
「たまに」 means “occasionally” (a few times), while 「めったに」 means “rarely” (hardly ever).
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral. It’s an adverb of frequency and doesn’t inherently change the politeness level of the sentence. Politeness is determined by the verb ending (e.g., ない vs. ません).
Social Situations: Appropriate for a wide range of social situations when describing infrequent events or habits.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese.
🔍 Subtle Differences
めったに〜ない vs. たまに
「たまに」 means “occasionally” (happens a few times, but not often), while 「めったに〜ない」 means “rarely/seldom” (happens very infrequently, close to never).
When to use: Use 「たまに」 for events that happen sometimes, albeit not frequently. Use 「めったに〜ない」 for events that hardly ever happen.
めったに〜ない vs. ほとんど〜ない
「ほとんど〜ない」 means “almost never” or “hardly any/hardly any,” often implying a slightly stronger negation or focus on quantity/degree than 「めったに〜ない」.
When to use: Both are very similar in meaning (“rarely/almost never”) and often interchangeable for expressing very low frequency. 「ほとんど」 can also be used with nouns (e.g., ほとんど水がない – there’s hardly any water), whereas 「めったに」 is primarily for verbs.
めったに〜ない vs. あまり〜ない
「あまり〜ない」 means “not very often” or “not much.” This indicates a lower frequency than doing something often, but it happens more frequently than 「めったに〜ない」.
When to use: Use 「あまり〜ない」 for things you don’t do frequently but still do sometimes. Use 「めったに〜ない」 for things you rarely do.
📝 Conjugation Notes
「めったに」 is an adverb and does not conjugate itself. It precedes the verb, which must be in its negative form (e.g., 五段動詞: 読む → 読まない, 一段動詞: 食べる → 食べない, する → しない, 来る → 来ない).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
「めったに」 is pronounced mettani. The double consonant 「っ」 indicates a slight pause or stop before the 「た」 sound.
🧠 Memory Tips
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Practice Exercises
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