🌸 Japanese Topic 48初級🌿 Elementary

とても・あまり

totemo / amari

Very / Not very

🌸 Adverbs of Degree 🌸

💬 Dialogue

🌸 Expressing Degree 🌸

ケン：このラーメンはおいしいですか。

Kono rāmen wa oishii desu ka.

Is this ramen delicious?

アンナ：はい、とてもおいしいです。

Hai, totemo oishii desu.

Yes, it is very delicious.

ケン：そのスープは辛いですか。

Sono sūpu wa karai desu ka.

Is that soup spicy?

アンナ：いいえ、あまり辛くないです。

Iie, amari karakunai desu.

No, it is not very spicy.

ケン：外は暑いですか。

Soto wa atsui desu ka.

Is it hot outside?

アンナ：いいえ、あまり暑くないですよ。

Iie, amari atsukunai desu yo.

No, it's not very hot.

📖 Vocabulary

5 words

KanaRomajiEnglish

とてもtotemovery

あまりamarinot very (used with negative)

おいしいoishiidelicious

からいkaraispicy

あついatsuihot

⭐ Key Sentence

とても Aです / あまり Aくないです

totemo A desu / amari A-kunai desu

Very A / Not very A.

Pattern: とても / あまり
Meaning: Expressing the degree of an adjective.

とても暑いです。

Totemo atsui desu.

It is very hot.

あまり寒くないです。

Amari samukunai desu.

It is not very cold.

🎓 Explanation

Adverbs like とても (totemo) and あまり (amari) are used to modify the intensity of adjectives.

とても means 'very' and is used in affirmative sentences to emphasize a high degree.

あまり means 'not very' or 'not much'. Crucially, it must be paired with a negative verb or adjective ending (like ~nai or ~kunai).

Kore wa totemo takai desu.
= 'This is very expensive.'

Kore wa amari takaku-nai desu.
= 'This is not very expensive.'

📝 Quiz