How to say 'Not much' in Japanese | 余り

Wondering how to say 'Not much' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Not much is 'Amari', written as 余り in Japanese.'Not much' in hiragana is あまり.

word

余り

Meaning

Not much

Reading

あまり

amari

Kanji

余Excess

Explanation

The Japanese adverb '余り (あまり)' is used to indicate that something is 'not much' or 'not very' in terms of degree or frequency. It is often used in negative sentences to express that something does not happen often or to a great extent. For example: I don't eat sushi much「私は寿司をあまり食べません」(わたしはすしをあまりたべません). He is not very tall「彼はあまり背が高くない」(かれはあまりせがたかくない). It can also be used in positive sentences to mean 'too much' or 'excessively', but this usage is less common and typically requires additional context to clarify the meaning.

Part Of Speech

adverb

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

217

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 余り

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

余

Meaning

Excess

Hiragana in the Word 余り

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

り

Reading

Words Related to 余り Through the Kanji 余

These 8 Words contain the Kanji 余 as well.

word

余る

Meaning

Remain

word

余裕

Meaning

Leeway

word

余程

Meaning

Considerably, Very

word

余計

Meaning

Extra, Unnecessary

word

余

Meaning

Extra

word

余地

Meaning

Room, Margin

word

余所

Meaning

Elsewhere

word

余分

Meaning

Extra

Learn the Word 余り

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Amari' (余り) mean?

'Amari' means 'Not much' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.