How to say 'Not at all' in Japanese | 全然

word

Meaning

Not at all

Reading

Kanji

全Whole, All 然Sort of thing, In that case

Explanation

The Japanese adverb '全然 (ぜんぜん)' is commonly used to express 'not at all' or 'entirely not'. It is often used in negative sentences to emphasize the complete absence or negation of something. For example: I don't understand at all「全然わからない」(ぜんぜんわからない). This is not interesting at all「これは全然面白くない」(これはぜんぜんおもしろくない). It can also be used in casual speech to mean 'completely' or 'totally' in positive contexts, though this usage is more informal. For example: I'm completely fine「全然平気だよ」(ぜんぜんへいきだよ).

Part Of Speech

adverb

Kanji JLPT

N3

Kanji Grade

4

Frequency

1817

Composition

kanji

Handwriting