adverbial N4 common casualpolitewritten
全然〜ない — not at all ~
全然〜ない ・ ぜんぜん〜ない
Builds on 全然
Meaning
- not at all / not in the least — 全然 paired with a negative for total denial
Key sentence
全然分からない。
I don't understand at all.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Negative predicate | 全然 + …ない / …ません | 全然食べない |
Examples
薬を飲んだのに全然効かない。
I took the medicine, but it doesn't work at all.
昨日は全然寝られなかった。
I couldn't sleep at all last night.
彼女のことが全然気にならない。
I don't care about her in the least.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Textbook rule pairs 全然 only with negatives, but colloquial 全然 + positive (全然大丈夫) is now widespread in casual speech.
See 全然〜ない in real sentences
Jengo shows 全然〜ない 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.