auxiliary N4 common casualpolitewritten
真っ〜 — completely / deep ~
真っ〜 ・ まっ
Meaning
- completely / deep / pure ~ — an intensifying prefix on certain colour and state words
Key sentence
空が真っ青だ。
The sky is deep blue.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 真っ + a fixed set of adjectives/nouns | 真っ + 赤・青・白・黒・暗… | 真っ暗 (pitch dark) |
Examples
恥ずかしくて顔が真っ赤になった。
I was so embarrassed my face turned bright red.
雪で辺り一面真っ白だ。
Everything around is pure white with snow.
トンネルの中は真っ暗だった。
It was pitch dark inside the tunnel.
When you can't use it
- Not productive — 真っ attaches only to a fixed set of words (真っ赤, 真っ白, 真っ黒, 真っ暗, 真っ直ぐ…), not to any adjective you like. Before some sounds it becomes 真ん (真ん中, 真ん丸).
Notes
- 真っ直ぐ ('straight'), 真ん中 ('dead centre'), and 真ん丸 ('perfectly round') show the 真ん form the prefix takes before certain sounds.
See 真っ〜 in real sentences
Jengo shows 真っ〜 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.