あまり — Not Very (+ Negative)

Meaning & Usage

あまり (amari) is an adverb that pairs with negative endings to mean "not very," "not much," or "not often." You'll hear it constantly in everyday Japanese — it's one of the first patterns worth getting comfortable with at the N5 level.

The key point: あまり + negative means something is true to a lesser degree, not that it's completely false. あまり好すきじゃない doesn't mean you hate something. It means you don't particularly like it. That's a real difference, and missing it leads to sounding either too blunt or too vague.

Compare it with 全然ぜんぜん (zenzen), which also requires a negative form but means "not at all" — a far stronger statement:

• あまり好すきじゃない — I don't like it very much (mild dislike or indifference)
• 全然ぜんぜん好すきじゃない — I don't like it at all (complete, strong dislike)

Choosing between these two shapes how direct you sound. Native speakers reach for あまり when they want to be measured or polite about a negative opinion — which is often. Japanese conversation leans toward softened negatives rather than blunt ones, and あまり slots right into that habit.

In formal speech, あまり pairs with polite endings like ません or ませんでした. Casual conversation uses the plain negative ない instead. Both are natural — the choice depends on who you're talking to and the setting.

One firm rule: あまり must always be followed by a negative expression in this usage. Pair it with an affirmative verb and the meaning shifts entirely — it becomes "too much" (e.g., あまり食たべると太ふとりますよ, "If you eat too much, you'll gain weight"). That's a separate, more advanced pattern. At N5, the rule is simple: あまり = negative ending.

あまり works across action verbs, い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and noun predicates — so one pattern covers a lot of ground. That range makes it one of the more practical early grammar points to drill.

Structure & Formation

Place あまり directly before the verb, adjective, or noun predicate. The negative marking always goes at the end of the predicate — never on あまり itself. Here are the main formation patterns:

あまり itself never changes form. In casual spoken Japanese, you'll often hear the contracted あんまり (anmari) instead. It sounds warmer and more colloquial — fine among friends, but stick to あまり in formal or written contexts.

Example Sentences

With Action Verbs

With い-Adjectives

With な-Adjectives

Likes and Dislikes

Everyday Situations

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using あまり with a Positive Verb

❌ わたしはあまり食たべます。

✅ わたしはあまり食たべません。

Pair あまり with an affirmative verb and the meaning shifts to "too much" — not "not much." For example, あまり食たべると太ふとりますよ means "If you eat too much, you'll gain weight." That's an entirely different sentence. At N5, always follow あまり with a negative ending to express "not very" or "not much."

Mistake 2: Confusing あまり with 全然

❌ Using 全然ぜんぜん when you only mean "not very" (too strong a negation)

✅ あまり好すきじゃない (mild dislike) vs. 全然ぜんぜん好すきじゃない (complete dislike)

全然ぜんぜん (zenzen) means "not at all" — total negation. あまり is gentler: "not particularly" or "not to a great degree." Swapping them makes your Japanese sound harsher or more absolute than you intend. When you want to soften a negative, あまり is the right choice.

Mistake 3: Placing あまり After the Verb

❌ 食たべませんあまり。

✅ あまり食たべません。

あまり is an adverb and must come before the verb or adjective it modifies. Placing it after the verb is ungrammatical. This rule holds whether the predicate is a verb, an adjective, or a noun with a copula.

Mistake 4: Forgetting the Negative Ending on the Adjective

❌ この映画えいがはあまり面白おもしろい。

✅ この映画えいがはあまり面白おもしろくない。

Without the negative ending, the sentence means the opposite of what you intend. For い-adjectives, change the final い to くない. For な-adjectives and nouns, add じゃない (casual) or ではありません (formal). あまり cannot stand alone — the negative form at the end is what completes the meaning.

Mistake 5: Using あんまり in Formal Settings

❌ Using あんまり in business Japanese or formal written documents ✅ Use あまり in formal situations; reserve あんまり for casual speech only

あんまり is natural among friends and family but out of place in business emails, polite speeches, or formal writing. When the formality level is unclear, default to あまり — it works in every register, formal or casual.

Cultural Notes

Japanese tends toward indirect expression, especially when the message is negative. Rather than stating outright criticism or dislike, speakers often reach for あまり to lower the intensity — keeping the conversation comfortable and avoiding bluntness.

This habit of restraint connects to a concept called 遠慮えんりょ (enryo) — showing considerate reserve. When someone uses あまり, they leave emotional space for the other person. The negative assessment is there, but it isn't absolute. If a friend asks whether you liked the meal they made, あまり好すきじゃない lands much more gracefully than 嫌きらい (I hate it) or 全然ぜんぜん好すきじゃない.

あまり (and its casual form あんまり) appears across all ages and contexts — children, elderly people, office workers. It's not a formal or textbook pattern; it's just how people talk.

あまり also shows up frequently in modest self-descriptions, reflecting the Japanese value of humility (謙遜けんそん / kenson). Complimented on your Japanese? Responding with 日本語にほんごはあまり上手じょうずじゃないです is both natural and socially appropriate — deflecting praise with gentle understatement rather than accepting it directly.

Related Grammar Points

• もう — Already, Not Anymore, One More (Grammar N5)
• まだ — Still, Not Yet (Grammar N5)
• Na-Adjective (な形容詞) — Complete Usage Guide (Grammar N5)
• どう — How (Grammar N5)
• いつ — When: Complete Guide to Asking About Time in Japanese (Grammar N5)
• か — Question Marker (Grammar N5)

JLPT Tips

On the JLPT N5 exam, あまり appears mainly in grammar selection and reading comprehension. You need to identify the correct negative form to pair with it, and recognize that あまり signals partial negation — "not very" — not complete negation.

Expect fill-in-the-blank questions where you choose the correct ending to follow あまり. The answer is always negative — never an affirmative verb or adjective form. Watch for distractor answer choices with positive endings; they're designed to catch learners who haven't internalized this rule.

In the listening sections, catch the final ending of predicates in sentences containing あまり. Even in fast speech, ない, ません, or ではありません at the end confirms the negative meaning.

The contrast between あまり (partial negation) and 全然ぜんぜん (complete negation) is a frequent exam target. If a reading passage says あまり面白おもしろくない, the speaker found it somewhat interesting — just not particularly. 全然ぜんぜん面白おもしろくない means they found it completely uninteresting. That distinction in degree is testable.

For grammar production practice, drill all three core patterns: verb + ません, い-adjective stem + くない, and な-adjective / noun + じゃない. Writing each one with 5–10 different words covers both the grammar and writing sections efficiently.