adverbial N3 common casualpolitewritten
たった — only / just (emphasising how small)
たった
Meaning
- only / just / a mere ~ — stresses that a quantity is surprisingly small
Key sentence
たった五分で終わった。
It was over in just five minutes.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A number / quantity expression | たった + (number + counter) | たった一人 / たった千円 / たった一度 |
Examples
この街には店がたった一軒しかない。
There's only a single shop in this whole town.
たった一日で日本語が話せるようになるはずがない。
There's no way you can learn to speak Japanese in just one day.
When you can't use it
- たった modifies a number or amount only; it can't attach to a plain noun. Say たった三人 ('only three people'), not たった人. For limiting a non-numeric noun, use だけ or しか.
Easily confused with
〜だけ だけ neutrally marks a limit on almost anything. たった emotionally emphasises how small a number is, and the two often combine: たった一つだけ ('just one single thing'). 僅か わずか also means 'only a little,' but is more formal/written and works with amounts and degrees broadly. たった is conversational and attaches specifically to a counted number.
See たった in real sentences
Jengo shows たった 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 Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.