Master Japanese N5: Expressing Degree with とても and あまり

Welcome to your N5 grammar masterclass! Today, we are going to learn how to express how much or to what extent something is true. In Japanese, we do this using degree adverbs.

We will focus on two of the most essential degree words in the Japanese language: とても (totemo) and あまり (amari). Mastering these will instantly make your descriptions sound more natural and nuanced.

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1. とても (totemo) — "Very" / "Extremely"

とても is used to amplify the quality of an adjective or the intensity of an action.

• The Golden Rule: とても must always be paired with an affirmative (positive) ending.

Grammar Pattern

$$\text{とても} + \text{Affirmative Adjective / Verb}$$

Examples

• With $i$-Adjectives:

  • 日本の夏はとても暑いです。日本夏暑
  • Nihon no natsu wa totemo atsui desu.
  • Summer in Japan is very hot.
  日本夏暑

• With $na$-Adjectives:

  • この町はとても静かです。町静
  • Kono machi wa totemo shizuka desu.
  • This town is very quiet.
  町静

• With Verbs:

  • 日本語の勉強がとても好きです。日本語勉強好
  • Nihongo no benkyō ga totemo suki desu.
  • I like studying Japanese very much.
  日本語勉強好

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2. あまり (amari) — "Not very" / "Not much"

あまり is the opposite of とても, but it comes with a critical grammatical twist that is frequently tested on the JLPT N5 exam.

• The Golden Rule: あまり must always be paired with a negative ending. Even though "not" is included in the English translation, the Japanese sentence must physically end in a negative form (like 〜ない, 〜ません, or 〜じゃありません).

Grammar Pattern

$$\text{あまり} + \text{Negative Adjective / Verb}$$

Examples

• With $i$-Adjectives (Negative):

  • このスープはあまり熱くないです。熱
  • Kono sūpu wa amari atsukunai desu.
  • This soup is not very hot. (Note: 暑い/熱い becomes 熱くない in the negative).暑熱
  熱暑

• With $na$-Adjectives (Negative):

  • あの図書館はあまり静かじゃありません。図書館静
  • Ano toshokan wa amari shizuka ja arimasen.
  • That library is not very quiet.
  図書館静

• With Verbs (Negative):

  • 私はテレビをあまり見ません。私見
  • Watashi wa terebi o amari mimasen.
  • I do not watch TV very much.
  私見

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Quick Comparison Table

💡 Tutor Tip on Politeness: In Japanese culture, direct negative opinions can sound harsh. Instead of saying "This food is bad" (この食べ物はまずいです), Japanese speakers prefer to soften the blow by saying "This food is not very delicious" (この食べ物はあまり美味しくないです).食物美味

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Practice Exercises

Test your skills! Fill in the blanks with either とても or あまり.

1. この本は _______ 面白い（おもしろい）です。
   (This book is very interesting.)本面白
2. 英語（えいご）は _______ 難しくない（むずかしくない）です。
   (English is not very difficult.)英語難
3. 今日（きょう）は忙しい（いそがしい）ですから、お酒（さけ）を _______ 飲みません。
   (Because I am busy today, I won't drink much alcohol.)今日忙酒飲

Answers

1. とても (Matches the affirmative ending omoshiroi desu)
2. あまり (Matches the negative adjective ending muzukashikunai desu)
3. あまり (Matches the negative verb ending nomimasen)