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Study Resource: Japanese adverbs reference sheet

By: Mayumi Ito

Japanese adverbs for degrees of a condition

These are adverbs that answer the question “to what extent?” or “to what degree?”

Positive / affirmative sentences

Adverb or degree	Example
とても totemo very	とても寒い。 Totemo samui. It’s very cold.
かなり kanari quite	かなり寒い。 Kanari samui. It’s quite cold.
まあまあ māmā so-so, rather	まあまあ寒い。 Māmā samui. It’s rather cold.
すこし sukoshi a little	すこし寒い。 Sukoshi samui. It’s a little cold.

Negative sentences

Adverb or degree	Example
あまり amari (not) very	あまり寒くない。 Amari samukunai. It’s not very cold.
ぜんぜん zenzen (not) at all	ぜんぜん寒くない。 Zenzen samukunai. It’s not cold at all.

Japanese adverbs for degree of understanding or ability

These adverbs answer the question “how well?”

Positive / affirmative sentences

Adverb or degree	Example
よく yoku well	よくわかります。 Yoku wakarimasu. I understand it well.
だいたい daitai mostly	だいたいわかります。 Daitai wakarimasu. I mostly understand it.
すこし sukoshi a little	すこしわかります。 Sukoshi wakarimasu. I understand it a little.

Negative sentences

Adverb or degree	Example
あまり amari (not) very well	あまりわかりません。 Amari wakarimasen. I don’t understand it very well.
ぜんぜん zenzen (not) at all	ぜんぜんわかりません。 Zenzen wakarimasen. I don’t understand it at all.

Japanese adverbs of quantity

These are adverbs that answer the question “how much?”

Positive / affirmative sentences

* ほんの[hon’no] is an **adnominal adjective** (rentaishi) that means “just.”
Adverb or degree	Example
たくさん takusan a lot	たくさんある。 Takusan aru. There are a lot.
かなり kanari quite a lot	かなりある。 Kanari aru. There are quite a lot.
すこし sukoshi a little, a few, some	すこしある。 Sukoshi aru. There are a few/a little/some.
ほんのすこし* hon’no sukoshi just a little/few	ほんのすこしある。 Hon’no sukoshi aru. There are a tiny bit.

Negative sentences

Adverb or degree	Example
あまり amari (not) many, (not) much	あまりない。 Amari nai. There aren’t many/much.
ほとんど hotondo almost none	ほとんどない。 Hotondo nai. There is almost none.
ぜんぜん zenzen none	ぜんぜんない。 Zenzen nai. There is none.

Japanese adverbs of frequency

These are adverbs that answer the question “how often?”

Positive / affirmative sentences

* ごく[goku] is one of the adverbs of degree that describe the **degree of conditions/state**. It means “extremely.”
Adverb or degree	Example
いつも itsumo always	いつも行く。 Itsumo iku. I always go.
たいてい taitei usually	たいてい行く。 Taitei iku. I usually go.
よく yoku often	よく行く。 Yoku iku. I often go.
ときどき tokidoki sometimes	ときどき行く。 Tokidoki iku. I sometimes go.
たまに tamani occasionally	たまに行く。 Tamani iku. I occasionally go.
ごくたまに* goku tamani once in a while	ごくたまに行く。 Goku tamani iku. I go once in a while.

Negative sentences

Adverb or degree	Example
あまり amari (not) very often	あまり行かない。 Amari ikanai. I don’t go very often.
めったに mettani seldom	めったに行かない。 Mettani ikanai. I seldom go.
ぜんぜん zenzen (not) at all, never	ぜんぜん行かない。 Zenzen ikanai. I never go.

Japanese adverbs of correspondence

These are adverbs that “correspond” to a certain verb form. They warn a listener that the verb form they correspond to is coming, but do not perform the same function.

Corresponds to...	Adverb	Example
Total negation 〜ない[nai](not)	全然 zenzen not at all	全然わかりません。 Zenzen wakarimasen. I don’t understand it at all.
	決して keshite never	決してうそをつかない。 Keshite uso o tsukanai. He never lies.
	少しも sukoshimo not at all	少しも怖くない。 Sukoshimo kowakunai. I'm not afraid at all.
	ちっとも chittomo not a bit	ちっとも変わらない。 Chittomo kawaranai. She hasn't changed a bit.
Partial negation 〜ない[nai](not)	めったに mettani seldom	めったに笑わない。 Mettani warawanai. They seldom laugh.
Partial negation 〜ない[nai](not)	あまり amari not very, not much	あまり食べない。 Amari tabenai. They don't eat much.
Negative conjecture 〜ないだろう[naidarō](probably not)	まさか masaka surely not	まさか逃げはしないだろう。 Masaka nige wa shinaidarō. Surely they wouldn’t run away.
Assertion 〜だ [da](is, am, are) 〜する[suru](do, does)	必ず kanarazu certainly, without fail	必ず行きます。 Kanarazu ikimasu. I will go without fail.
	もちろん mochiron of course	もちろん手伝います。 Mochiron tetsudaimasu. Of course I will help.
	確かに tashikani certainly	確かに受け取った。 Tashikani uketotta. I certainly received it.
Wish/request/invitation 〜ください [kudasai](please) 〜ましょう[mashō](let's)	どうぞ dōzo please	どうぞ使ってください。 Dōzo tsukatte kudasai. Please use them.
	どうか dōka please	どうかお願いします。 Dōka onegai shimasu. Please do.
	ぜひ zehi by all means	ぜひ一緒に行きましょう。 Zehi isshoni ikimashō. By all means, let’s go together.
Question 〜か[...ka](...?)	なぜ naze why	なぜだめなんですか。 Naze dame nandesu ka. Why am I not allowed?
Question 〜か[...ka](...?)	どうして dōshite why, how come	どうして食べないの？ Dōshite tabenai no? Why don’t you eat it?
Possibility 〜かもしれない[kamoshirenai](may, might)	もしかすると moshikasuruto maybe	もしかすると来てくれるかもしれない。 Moshikasuruto kite kureru kamoshirenai. Maybe he would come for me.
Possibility 〜かもしれない[kamoshirenai](may, might)	ひょっとすると hyotto suru to for all I know, perchance	ひょっとすると合格しているかもしれない。 Hyottosuruto gōkaku shiteiru kamoshirenai. For all I know, I might have passed the exam.
Deduction 〜ようだ[yōda](it seems) 〜らしい[rashii](it seems) 〜みたいだ[mitai da](looks like)	どうやら dōyara evidently	どうやら終わったようだ。 Dōyara owatta yōda. Evidently it’s over.
Simile 〜(の)ようだ[(no) yōda](it seems)	まるで marude as if, like	まるで夢のようだ。 Marude yume no yōda It seems as if I’m in a dream.
Conditional 〜たら[tara](if) 〜れば[reba](if) 〜なら[nara](if)	もし moshi if	もし宝くじが当たったら、どうしますか。 Moshi takarakuji ga atattara dō shimasu ka. If you won the lottery, what would you do?
Conviction 〜にちがいない[ni chigainai](must) 〜はずだ[hazuda](should) 〜だろう[darō](I think) 〜と思う[to omou](I think)	きっと kitto surely → can be used without a corresponding expression	きっと来るにちがいない。 Kitto kite kureru ni chigainai. He will surely come (I believe). きっと来る。 Kitto kuru. He will surely come.
Conjecture 〜だろう[darō](I think) 〜と思う[to omou](I think)	たぶん tabun probably → can be used without a corresponding expression	たぶん雨になるだろう。 Tabun ame ni naru darō. It’s probably going to rain (I think). たぶん雨だ。 Tabun ame da. It will probably rain.

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