Degree Adverbs in Japanese

Overview

Degree adverbs tell you how much or to what extent something is true. Instead of just saying "it's interesting," you can say "it's very interesting" or "it's a little interesting." These small words make a big difference in how precisely you can express yourself, and they are among the first adverbs Japanese learners encounter at CEFR A1.

Japanese degree adverbs come with an important twist: some of them require negative verb forms. Words like あまり (not very) and 全然 (not at all) must be paired with negative sentences. This positive/negative pairing is a distinctive feature of Japanese that does not have a direct parallel in English.

Mastering even a handful of degree adverbs -- とても, 少し, あまり, 全然, and ちょっと -- will immediately make your Japanese sound more natural and nuanced. Native speakers use these words constantly, and they are essential for describing your experiences, opinions, and feelings.

How It Works

Positive Degree Adverbs

These are used with affirmative sentences:

Adverb	Reading	Meaning	Strength
とても	totemo	very	strong
すごく	sugoku	extremely / really	strong (casual)
本当に	hontou ni	really / truly	strong
かなり	kanari	fairly / quite	moderate-strong
少し	sukoshi	a little	weak
ちょっと	chotto	a bit	weak (casual)

Pattern: Adverb + Adjective/Verb

Japanese	English
とても面白いです。(totemo omoshiroi desu)	It's very interesting.
少し疲れました。(sukoshi tsukaremashita)	I'm a little tired.
ちょっと高いです。(chotto takai desu)	It's a bit expensive.

Negative Degree Adverbs

These must be paired with negative forms:

Adverb	Reading	Meaning	Requires
あまり	amari	not very / not much	negative form
全然	zenzen	not at all	negative form

Pattern: Adverb + Negative sentence

Japanese	English
あまり好きじゃないです。(amari suki ja nai desu)	I don't like it much.
全然分かりません。(zenzen wakarimasen)	I don't understand at all.

Word Order

Degree adverbs typically come before the adjective or verb they modify:

• とても + adjective: とても暑いです (very hot)
• あまり + negative: あまり食べません (don't eat much)
• 少し + adjective/verb: 少し寒いです (a little cold)

Degree Scale

From strongest to weakest (positive to negative):

Level	Japanese	English
+++	とても / すごく	very / extremely
++	かなり	quite / fairly
+	少し / ちょっと	a little / a bit
-	あまり + negative	not very / not much
--	全然 + negative	not at all

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
とても面白いです。(totemo omoshiroi desu)	It's very interesting.	とても + い-adj
少し疲れました。(sukoshi tsukaremashita)	I'm a little tired.	少し + verb
あまり好きじゃないです。(amari suki ja nai desu)	I don't like it much.	あまり + negative
全然分かりません。(zenzen wakarimasen)	I don't understand at all.	全然 + negative
ちょっと難しいです。(chotto muzukashii desu)	It's a bit difficult.	ちょっと + い-adj
とても静かです。(totemo shizuka desu)	It's very quiet.	とても + な-adj
すごくおいしいです。(sugoku oishii desu)	It's really delicious.	すごく (casual)
あまり食べません。(amari tabemasen)	I don't eat much.	あまり + negative verb
全然大丈夫です。(zenzen daijoubu desu)	It's totally fine.	Casual affirmative use
少し日本語が分かります。(sukoshi nihongo ga wakarimasu)	I understand a little Japanese.	少し + verb
この映画はあまり面白くないです。(kono eiga wa amari omoshirokunai desu)	This movie is not very interesting.	あまり + negative adj
本当にきれいです。(hontou ni kirei desu)	It's really beautiful.	本当に + な-adj

Common Mistakes

Using あまり with affirmative sentences

• Wrong: あまり好きです。
• Right: あまり好きじゃないです。
• Why: あまり means "not very/not much" and requires a negative form. It cannot modify an affirmative sentence.

Using 全然 with affirmative sentences (in formal contexts)

• Wrong: 全然おいしいです。 (in formal writing)
• Right: とてもおいしいです。 or 全然おいしくないです。
• Why: Traditionally, 全然 requires a negative. In modern casual speech, 全然大丈夫 (totally fine) and 全然いい (totally good) are common and accepted, but in formal or written Japanese, pair 全然 with negatives.

Overusing とても

• Wrong: Using とても in every sentence.
• Right: Mix in 少し, ちょっと, かなり, and すごく for variety.
• Why: Native speakers use a range of degree adverbs. Overusing とても sounds unnatural and limits your expressiveness.

Placing the adverb after the adjective

• Wrong: 面白いとてもです。
• Right: とても面白いです。
• Why: Degree adverbs come before the word they modify, not after. The order is always adverb + adjective/verb.

Practice Tips

• Rate everything on the degree scale. When you encounter something new -- food, weather, a movie -- rate it using the degree adverbs: とてもおいしい, ちょっと寒い, あまり面白くない. This builds the habit of thinking in degrees.

• Pair あまり and 全然 with negatives in drills. Write five sentences each for あまり...ない and 全然...ない. This trains your brain to automatically reach for the negative form when using these adverbs.

• Listen for degree adverbs in conversation. Japanese speakers pepper their speech with とても, ちょっと, and すごく. Noticing them in real speech helps you internalize natural usage patterns.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: い-Adjectives -- degree adverbs frequently modify い-adjectives, so knowing this class is essential