Translation guide
The English word 'hardly' is used to express that something is almost not the case, or that something happens very little. It often corresponds to Japanese expressions of negation, scarcity, or difficulty. This guide organizes the main uses of 'hardly' and provides natural Japanese equivalents.
I hardly know him.
There's hardly any milk left.
Expressing that something is almost not true or happens to a very small degree.
This is the most common and versatile way to express 'hardly' in the sense of 'almost not'. The pattern is ほとんど + negative verb/adjective.
He hardly eats.
There are hardly any people in this town.
Used specifically for frequency: 'hardly ever'. It emphasizes rarity of an action or event.
He hardly ever watches movies.
Implies 'hardly' with a nuance of 'not properly' or 'not enough'. Often used in negative contexts.
He failed the exam without hardly studying.
Expressing that there is very little or almost nothing of something.
Same pattern as above, but used with nouns and quantity expressions.
Expressing that one event happened immediately after another, with the first event barely completed.
Used to say 'hardly had ... when ...'. The verb before か is in dictionary form, and the verb after is in negative form.
Using 'hardly' to mean 'not at all' in a sarcastic or emphatic way, often with 'can/could hardly'.
Expresses that something is impossible or extremely difficult. Often used with potential verbs.
English 'hardly' is not directly equivalent to Japanese adverbs like 'かろうじて' (barely) in all contexts. The most natural translation often uses a negative structure with ほとんど〜ない or めったに〜ない. Using a positive adverb may sound unnatural.
He can hardly speak English.
There's hardly anything in the fridge.
He has hardly any money.
Literally 'only a little', used to emphasize a very small amount. Can be used in positive sentences.
It's a hardly noticeable difference.
Hardly had I arrived home when it started raining.
Similar meaning, but emphasizes the moment right after an action. Often translated as 'as soon as' or 'hardly ... when'.
Hardly had he gotten into bed when he fell asleep.
I can hardly solve this problem. (It's impossible)
Used to say that something is far from being the case; 'hardly the time/place for ...'.
This is hardly the time to be laughing.
ほとんど〜ない is used for both frequency and degree (hardly any, hardly at all). めったに〜ない is specifically for low frequency (hardly ever). Use めったに〜ない when emphasizing that something rarely happens.
He hardly ever gets angry.
He hardly gets angry. (could also mean he barely shows anger)