Japanese words that mean “not at all” (zenzen [全然], etc.)

I’ve noticed that Japanese seems to have a large number of words that are used to describe the complete absence of something, or complete negation of something like an action. These words would generally be used in a sentence or phrase that ends in a verb in the negative tense. In English, this would correspond to something like “not at all”.

I’ll give example sentences for some of the more common words.

• 全然 (zenzen) [common in conversation, handy for many types of situations]
  • 全然勉強したくない [zen zen benkyou shitakunai]
  • I don’t want to study at all.
• 全く(mattaku)
  • やる気全くないよ [yaruki mattaku nai yo]
  • I have absolutely no motivation.
• 一切 (issai) [sounds a little formal]
  • そういう事を一切しないようにしてください [sou iu koto wo issai shinai you ni shite kudasai]
  • Please try to not do that sort of thing at all.
• 一向 (ikkou) [sounds formal, sometimes followed by “ni”]
• 何も (nanimo) [somewhat general purpose, has the nuance of “nothing”]
• まるで (marude) [sounds a little stuff to me, also can have the nuance of “just like”]
• ちっとも (chittomo)
• 少しも (sukoshimo)
• これっぽちも (koreppochimo) [sounds casual/slangy, meaning is similar to the previous two words]
• さっぱり (sappari) [limited use, often used with “wakaranai”]
• まるっきり (marukkiri) [also “marukiri”)
• 満更 (manzara) [has a nuance of ‘not altogether’]

You can also use the form “一 + [counter] + も”, as long as the counter fits the object being discussed. For example:

• 人は一人もいない (hito wa hitori mo inai)
• There wasn’t even a single person.

Another word that is similar is 何一つも (nani hitotsu mo).

There are also a few words that mean “not very much”. These too should be used with a negative verb when you want to express that meaning.

• あまり (amari) [good conversational use with wide applicability]
  • あまりお腹空いてない (amari onaka suite nai)
  • I’m not very hungry.
• ほとんど (hotondo) [another one word for general use, can optionally be followed by 全て [subete] ]
  • ほとんど終わってるよ [hotondo owatteru yo]
  • Things are mostly done.
• ほぼ (hobo) [sounds a little stiff to me, can optionally be followed by 全て [subete] ]
• まず (mazu) [sounds a bit more formal, also has the unrelated meaning of “first”]