Translation guide
Ways to express that something is becoming stronger, more extreme, or more intense in Japanese.
Expressing that a state or action is becoming more intense or extreme.
Adverb meaning 'more and more' or 'increasingly'. Used with adjectives and verbs to show a gradual increase in intensity.
雨がますます強くなってきた。
The rain has been getting stronger and stronger.
彼の話はますます面白くなった。
His story became more and more interesting.
Adverb indicating a rapid, steady progression. Often used for things increasing quickly or continuously.
気温がどんどん上がっている。
The temperature is rising rapidly.
彼女の日本語がどんどん上手になっている。
Her Japanese is getting better and better quickly.
Adverb meaning 'even more' or 'a notch above'. Emphasizes a noticeable increase in degree.
今日は一段と寒い。
It's even colder today.
彼の演奏は一段と上手になった。
His performance has become even better.
Adverb meaning 'still more' or 'further'. Similar to 一段と but slightly more formal.
風がいっそう強くなった。
The wind became even stronger.
Making adjectives stronger, like 'very', 'extremely', or 'incredibly'.
Standard word for 'very'. Safe for most situations.
このケーキはとてもおいしい。
This cake is very delicious.
Casual intensifier meaning 'really' or 'extremely'. Very common in spoken Japanese.
すごく疲れた。
I'm really tired.
Formal word for 'very' or 'extremely'. Used in writing and formal speech.
Slang intensifier meaning 'insanely' or 'super'. Very casual, used among friends.
Emphasizing the degree or force of an action.
Verb suffix meaning 'to do intensely' or 'to do like crazy'. Attach to verb stem.
昨日はゲームをやりまくった。
Yesterday I played games like crazy.
彼は食べまくっている。
He's eating like crazy.
Reduplication pattern for emphasis, e.g., 泣きに泣く (cry and cry). Often used in literary or dramatic contexts.
彼女は泣きに泣いた。
She cried and cried.
Emphasizing the extremity of a noun, like 'a real...', 'a total...'.
Adverb meaning 'exactly', 'truly', or 'just'. Used to emphasize that something is the very thing.
これはまさに奇跡だ。
This is truly a miracle.
Adverb meaning 'completely' or 'totally'. Often used with negative or extreme situations.
Both mean 'more and more', but ますます implies a gradual, often subjective increase, while どんどん suggests a rapid, often objective progression. どんどん can also imply a sense of momentum or lack of hesitation.
日本語がますます難しくなる。
Japanese is getting more and more difficult (gradually).
仕事がどんどん増える。
Work is piling up rapidly.
Japanese often relies on context and verb forms rather than explicit intensifiers. Overusing words like とても or すごく can sound unnatural or overly emphatic. Sometimes a simple adjective is enough.
非常に重要な問題です。
This is an extremely important issue.
めちゃくちゃ楽しかった！
It was insanely fun!
It's a complete lie.