adverbial N3 uncommon casualpolitewritten
あまり(に)〜 / あまりの〜に — so much/so ~ that
あまり(に)〜 / あまりの〜に ・ あまり
Meaning
- so much / so ~ that ~ / excessively ~ (and as a result) — an extreme degree that brings about a consequence
Key sentence
あまりの寒さに、手が動かなくなった。
It was so cold that my hands stopped working.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adverbial before a verb / adjective | あまり(に)(も) + predicate（→ result） | あまりに驚いて / あまりにも高くて |
| あまりの + Noun (degree noun) + に | あまりの + N + に（→ result） | あまりの暑さに / あまりの忙しさに |
Examples
あまりに忙しくて、昼ご飯を食べる時間もなかった。
I was so busy I didn't even have time for lunch.
あまりのうれしさに、思わず涙が出た。
I was so overjoyed that tears came without my realizing it.
Easily confused with
あまり〜ない Same word, opposite direction. あまり〜ない is the reductive 'not very / not much.' あまり(に)〜 here is the intensifying 'excessively, to the point that ~' — and it leads to a result clause. 〜すぎる すぎる ('too ~') attaches to a stem and just labels the excess. あまりに / あまりの adverbially marks the excess and then states the consequence it caused.
See あまり(に)〜 / あまりの〜に in real sentences
Jengo shows あまり(に)〜 / あまりの〜に the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.