adverbial N1 uncommon casual
まるっきり — completely
まるっきり
Meaning
- completely / totally / not ~ at all — emphatic and casual, usually with a negative
Key sentence
英語はまるっきり分からない。
I don't understand English at all.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Before a negative predicate, or 違う／嘘 etc. | まるっきり + 否定／違い表現 |
Examples
二人の性格はまるっきり違う。
The two of them have completely different personalities.
そんな話はまるっきりの嘘だ。
That story is a complete and utter lie.
Easily confused with
まるで まるで means 'just like' in similes (まるで夢のようだ) and 'completely' with a negative. まるっきり is a casual, blunt 'completely / not at all' without the simile use. 全然〜ない 全然〜ない is the everyday 'not at all'. まるっきり is more emphatic and colloquial. まったく〜ない まったく〜ない is a neutral-to-formal 'not at all'. まるっきり is its casual, stronger cousin.
Notes
- Casual speech; まるきり is a variant.
See まるっきり in real sentences
Jengo shows まるっきり the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.