adverbial N4 common casual
あんまり — colloquial あまり: '(not) very'
あんまり
Builds on あまり〜ない
Meaning
- casual form of あまり — '(not) very / (not) much', paired with a negative
Key sentence
あんまり好きじゃない。
I don't really like it.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| あんまり + ...negative | あんまり + [negative] | あんまり分からない (don't really get it) |
Examples
あんまり時間がない。
I don't really have much time.
昨日はあんまり寝ていない。
I didn't sleep much last night.
When you can't use it
- Casual speech only — in writing or formal speech use あまり. Like あまり, the 'not very' meaning needs a negative.
Easily confused with
Notes
- The inserted ん makes あんまり feel a touch stronger and more casual than あまり.
See あんまり in real sentences
Jengo shows あんまり 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.