JLPT N4 Grammar: そんなに (Sonna ni) – So Much / That Much

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JLPT N4 Grammar: そんなに (Sonna ni) – So Much / That Much
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

‘So much’, ‘that much’, or ‘to that extent’.

🎯 Primary Function

Modifying adjectives or verbs to express the degree of a state or action, typically based on context provided by the situation or the conversation partner.

📋 Grammar Structure

そんなに + Verb
そんなに + I-adjective
そんなに + Na-adjective
そんなに + Negative form (Verb/Adjective)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Commonly used in polite speech (Desu/Masu) in workplaces or with acquaintances.

😊 Informal Situations

Extremely common in casual conversations with friends and family.

✍️ Written Language

Used in novels and essays to refer back to previously described conditions.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Used frequently to react to what someone else has said or done.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing lower degree than expected
Often used with a negative predicate to indicate that the degree of a state or action is not as high as the listener might think or as previously suggested.
Example: そんなに難しくないです。(It’s not that difficult.)
Questioning degree
Used in questions to confirm if a state is truly as extreme as it appears or as someone else claimed.
Example: そんなに高いんですか。(Is it that expensive?)
Expressing excessive amount/degree
Used to refer to an observable action or state that is occurring right now or was just mentioned.
Example: そんなに食べないで。(Don’t eat that much.)
📊
Frequency
High frequency in daily spoken and written Japanese.
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N4
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N4 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N4 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
そんなに食べないでください。
Furigana: そんなにたべないでください。
Romaji: Sonna ni tabenaide kudasai.
English: Please don’t eat that much.
Example #2
今日はそんなに寒くないです。
Furigana: きょうはそんなにさむくないです。
Romaji: Kyou wa sonna ni samukunai desu.
English: It is not that cold today.
Example #3
そんなに急いでどこへ行くの？
Furigana: そんなにいそいでどこへいくの？
Romaji: Sonna ni isoide doko e iku no?
English: Where are you going in such a hurry?
Example #4
テストはそんなに難しくなかった。
Furigana: テストはそんなにむずかしくなかった。
Romaji: Tesuto wa sonna ni muzukashiku nakatta.
English: The test wasn’t that difficult.
Example #5
そんなに怒らなくてもいいでしょう。
Furigana: そんなにおこらなくてもいいでしょう。
Romaji: Sonna ni okoranakutemo ii deshou.
English: You don’t have to get that angry, do you?
Example #6
この映画はそんなに面白くない。
Furigana: このえいがはそんなにおもしろくない。
Romaji: Kono eiga wa sonna ni omoshirokunai.
English: This movie is not so interesting.
Example #7
そんなに練習したんですか。
Furigana: そんなにれんしゅうしたんですか。
Romaji: Sonna ni renshuu shita n desu ka?
English: Did you really practice that much?
Example #8
昨日はそんなに忙しくなかった。
Furigana: きのうはそんなにいそがしくなかった。
Romaji: Kinou wa sonna ni isogashiku nakatta.
English: Yesterday was not that busy.
Example #9
そんなに心配しないで。
Furigana: そんなにしんぱいしないで。
Romaji: Sonna ni shinpai shinaide.
English: Don’t worry so much.
Example #10
彼女はそんなに有名なんですか。
Furigana: かのじょはそんなにゆうめいなんですか。
Romaji: Kanojo wa sonna ni yuumei nan desu ka?
English: Is she really that famous?
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Reference to context
‘Sonna ni’ usually refers to something the other person said or something visible to both speakers.
Example: A: この本、1万円ですよ。 B: そんなに高いんですか！ (A: This book is 10,000 yen. B: Is it that expensive?!)
Frequent Negative Pairing
The combination of ‘Sonna ni’ + Negative is one of the most common ways to express that something is ‘not particularly’ or ‘not as much as thought’.
Example: そんなに安くない。(It’s not that cheap.)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ そんなに寒いです。(Sonna ni samui desu.)
✅ とても寒いです。(Totemo samui desu.)
‘Sonna ni’ requires a negative verb/adjective or a specific context referring to ‘that much’. If you just want to say ‘very’ without context, use ‘totemo’.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral; its politeness depends on the verb/adjective ending used after it.
Social Situations: Often used to show empathy or to tone down a situation (e.g., ‘It’s not that bad’).
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

そんなに vs. あまり
‘Sonna ni’ refers to ‘that extent’ based on context; ‘Amari’ just means ‘not very/not much’ in a general sense.
When to use: Use ‘Sonna ni’ when responding to a specific situation or statement. Use ‘Amari’ for general statements.

📝 Conjugation Notes

Sonna ni is an adverbial phrase and does not conjugate. It is placed directly before the word it modifies.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Stress the ‘son’ slightly to emphasize the degree if you are surprised.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘Sonna ni’ as ‘So (much) like that’. ‘So’ = Sonna, ‘ni’ = adverb marker. It points at ‘that’ situation.

Other Grammar

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