そこそこ

そ

こ

そ

こ

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

adverb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

reasonably; fairly; moderately

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Describes a moderate, acceptable degree; often used when something is not outstanding but good enough. Can modify verbs, adjectives, or nouns with の.

試し験けんはそこそこできた。

I did reasonably well on the exam.

この店みせの料りょう理りはそこそこの味あじだ。

The food at this restaurant is fairly good.

2

adverb

hurriedly; in a rush; barely finishing

onomatopoeic or mimetic word

Used in the pattern 〜もそこそこに, meaning doing something hastily or just after barely finishing another action. Often implies a sense of urgency or incompleteness.

朝ちょう食しょくもそこそこに家いえを出でた。
I left home in a rush, barely finishing breakfast.

3

suffix

approximately; about; or so

Attached to numbers or quantities as a suffix to indicate approximation. Casual and somewhat colloquial.

駅えきまで十じゅっ分ぷんそこそこ歩あるく。
It takes about ten minutes to walk to the station.

Usage patterns

そこそこの〈物もの〉a reasonably decent ~ (not outstanding but good enough)
この会かい社しゃならそこそこの給きゅう料りょうがもらえる。
At this company you can get a decent enough salary.
〈事こと〉もそこそこにhurriedly, barely finishing ~ before doing the next thing
朝ちょう食しょくもそこそこに家いえを出でた。
I rushed out of the house, barely finishing breakfast.
〈数かず〉そこそこonly about ~ (implying a modest or somewhat low number)
会かい場じょうには30人にんそこそこしか集あつまらなかった。
Only about 30 people or so gathered at the venue.

Grammar

もそこそこにCutting something short and moving onN1

Related words· 6

まあまあN3sense 1
そこそこ and まあまあ both mean 'so-so' or 'passable', but まあまあ is more colloquial and can also stand alone as an interjection to calm someone down.
ほどほどN1sense 1
そこそこ describes a passable degree of something, while ほどほど is used to advise moderation or not overdoing an action.
約やくN3sense 3
As a numeric approximator そこそこ is casual and often implies 'a bit less than', whereas 約 is neutral and used in formal or written contexts.
早そう々そう sense 2
In the 〜もそこそこに construction そこそこ implies leaving a task half-finished out of urgency, while 早々に simply emphasizes doing something promptly without that nuance of incompleteness.

Show 2 more

まあN3
そこそこ describes a middling degree more objectively (e.g. quantity or quality), while まあ softens an evaluation with a hedging, subjective tone.
比ひ較かく的てきN2
そこそこ suggests a moderate, so-so degree ('not bad, not great'), while 比較的 focuses on being higher or lower than an implicit norm.

Written forms

そこそこUsage96%
Kana-only mimetic adverb; no kanji spelling is used.
ソコソコUsage4%

Etymology

A mimetic word (擬態語) of uncertain origin. The reduplicated form suggests a moderate, non-extreme state.