adverbial N2 uncommon politewritten

およそ — roughly

およそ

Meaning

① roughly / approximately: roughly / approximately / about — a rough overall figure
② utterly / generally speaking: utterly / wholly — intensifies a (often negative-leaning) statement; およそ〜ない = 'not ~ in the slightest'

Key sentence

① roughly / approximately
Roughly a thousand people gathered at the venue.
② utterly / generally speaking
Such a plan is utterly unrealistic.

Formation

Attaches toFormExample
Before a quantity (approximately) or a clause (utterly) およそ + 数量 ／ およそ + clause

Examples

① roughly / approximately
It takes about ten minutes to the station.
② utterly / generally speaking
His explanation is utterly beside the point.

Easily confused with

だいたい だいたい is the everyday 'about / roughly'. およそ is slightly more formal for estimates, and uniquely also means 'utterly' before a negative-leaning statement. 概ね 概ね assesses that something is broadly true with minor exceptions. およそ estimates a rough figure, or intensifies a statement to 'utterly'.

Notes

See およそ in real sentences

Jengo shows およそ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Study it in Jengo

Sources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.

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