Posted inN4 Grammar

あまり～ない: Expressing “Not Very” or “Not Much”

Posted inN4 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

To express that something is “not very” or “not much” in degree, frequency, or quantity.

🎯 Primary Function

Modifying a negative predicate (verb, i-adjective, na-adjective, or noun) to indicate a low degree or frequency of that negation.

📋 Grammar Structure

あまり + Negative form of Verb / い-adjective / な-adjective / Noun + です/だ Verb: あまり + Verbない form (plain) / Verbません form (polite) い-adjective: あまり + い-adjective stem + くない (plain) / くありません (polite) な-adjective: あまり + な-adjective stem + じゃない (plain) / ではありません (polite) Noun: あまり + Noun + じゃない (plain) / ではありません (polite)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Commonly used in polite forms (～ません, ～くありません, ～ではありません) in formal speech.

😊 Informal Situations

Commonly used in plain forms (～ない, ～くない, ～じゃない) in informal speech.

✍️ Written Language

Appears in written materials, though more formal expressions might be preferred in very academic or official contexts.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Extremely common in everyday conversation.

💡 Common Applications

Describing frequency of actions
Used with negative verb forms to say something doesn’t happen very often.
Example: 週末はあまり外出（がいしゅつ）しません。 (Shūmatsu wa amari gaishutsu shimasen.) – I don’t go out much on weekends.
Describing degree of qualities
Used with negative adjective forms to say something isn’t very [adjective].
Example: この本（ほん）はあまり面白（おもしろ）くないです。 (Kono hon wa amari omoshirokunai desu.) – This book isn’t very interesting.
Describing quantity
Used with negative forms often implying a small quantity or lack of abundance.
Example: 最近（さいきん）、あまり時間（じかん）がありません。 (Saikin, amari jikan ga arimasen.) – Recently, I don’t have much time.
📊
Frequency
Very common.
🎚️
Difficulty
Relatively easy (N4). Understanding different negative forms is key.
Example Sentences
今日（きょう）はあまり寒（さむ）くないですね。
It’s not very cold today, is it?
最近（さいきん）、あまり日本語（にほんご）を勉強（べんきょう）していません。
Recently, I haven’t been studying Japanese very much.
あの映画（えいが）はあまり面白（おもしろ）くなかったです。
That movie wasn’t very interesting.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Always Used with Negation
あまり cannot be used with affirmative forms. It must always be followed by a negative verb or adjective.
Example: Incorrect: あまり寒いです。(Amari samui desu.) Correct: あまり寒くないです。(Amari samukunai desu.)
Indicates Low Degree/Frequency
It modifies the negation to mean “not much” or “not very”, implying that something *does* happen or *is* true to *some* extent, but not to a high degree or often.
Example: あまり食べません。(I don’t eat *much*.) vs. 全然食べません。(Zenzen tabemasen.) (I don’t eat *at all*.)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using あまり with affirmative predicates.
✅ Always follow あまり with a negative form (〜ない, 〜ません, 〜くない, 〜じゃない, etc.).
あまり functions specifically to modify the degree of negation.
❌ Confusing あまり～ない with absolute negation.
✅ Remember あまり～ない means “not much/very,” not “not at all.”
Use 全然（ぜんぜん）〜ない for absolute negation.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: The politeness depends on the negative form used after あまり (e.g., 〜ません is polite, 〜ない is plain).
Social Situations: Widely used in various social situations.
Regional Variations: No significant regional variations in the use of あまり～ない itself, though the specific negative forms might have regional nuances.

🔍 Subtle Differences

あまり～ない vs. 全然（ぜんぜん）～ない
あまり～ない indicates “not very” or “not much” (partial negation), while 全然～ない indicates “not at all” (absolute negation).
When to use: Use あまり～ない when something happens/is true to a small extent. Use 全然～ない when something does not happen/is not true in any way.
あまり～ない vs. ほとんど～ない
Both mean “hardly” or “scarcely”, but ほとんど～ない often implies something is almost zero or happens rarely, sometimes feeling stronger than あまり～ない for frequency.
When to use: あまり～ない is more general for degree, quantity, and frequency. ほとんど～ない is often used for frequency (“hardly ever”) or quantity (“almost none”). The nuance can be subtle and context-dependent.
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📝 Conjugation Notes

Ensure the correct negative form is used depending on the word type (verb, i-adjective, na-adjective, noun) and politeness level.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

あまり (amari) is pronounced with a slightly higher pitch on the second syllable (ma). The nuance comes from combining it smoothly with the following negative form.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of あまり like “too much” (when used positively, though rare and often negative implication) but when followed by ない, it inverts to mean “not too much” or “not very much”. Link “Amari” to “nAI” to remember it needs negation.

Practice Exercises
Fill in the blank: 週末は（　　　）疲（つか）れません。
とても
あまり
いつも
たぶん
Which sentence is correct?
このりんごはあまり甘（あま）いです。
このりんごはあまり甘（あま）くないです。
このりんごはあまり甘（あま）かった。
このりんごはあまり甘（あま）くないかった。
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