also: あんまり
冷蔵庫に昨日のあまりがある。
There are leftovers from yesterday in the fridge.
お金のあまりを貯金する。
I save the surplus money.
Used with a negative predicate to mean 'not very' or 'not much'. The negative form is required.
この映画はあまり面白くなかった。
This movie wasn't very interesting.
あまり食べたくない。
I don't want to eat much.
Indicates an excessive degree, often in the pattern あまりに(も). Can be used with both positive and negative outcomes.
あまりに暑くて外に出られない。
It's too hot to go outside.
あまりにも突然の知らせに驚いた。
I was surprised by the excessively sudden news.
na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
Describes something as being of an extreme degree, often with a negative connotation. Used as a na-adjective or no-adjective.
あまりの寒さに震えた。
I shivered from the extreme cold.
あまりな仕打ちに怒りを感じた。
I felt anger at the terrible treatment.
not very good; mediocre; so-so
Colloquial use, often as a standalone response or in the pattern あまり…, to express that something is not very good or just average.
「味はどう？」「うーん、あまり。」
"How's the taste?" "Hmm, not very good."
彼の歌はあまりだった。
His singing was mediocre.
Only with reading あまり
Suffix attached to a number or quantity to mean 'more than' or 'over'. Used with the reading あまり.
この仕事は10年あまり続けている。
I've been doing this job for over ten years.
千あまりの人が集まった。
More than a thousand people gathered.
This company has a history of a little over fifty years.
I haven't been exercising much lately.
I shivered from the extreme cold.
That movie was pretty mediocre.
I made too much food, so there were leftovers.
過度 is a na-adjective meaning 'excessive' used to describe degree or amount, close to 余り's sense of 'too much', but 過度 is more formal and always negative in connotation.
あまり is the modern adverb used with negatives to mean 'not very', the same role いと fills in classical negative constructions.
あまり with a negative verb means 'not very much' in a general sense, while ろくに specifically implies something was not done adequately or carefully.
あまり can also mean 'too much' in affirmative sentences, whereas 大して is used only with negatives to downplay something.
あまり with a negative verb softly means 'not very often', whereas 滅多に is stronger and means 'hardly ever at all'.
あまり is used almost exclusively with a following negative to mean 'not very/much,' while それ程 can also appear in conditional or question forms.
あまり is the more common, everyday way to say 'not very' with a negative, while さほど sounds slightly more formal or literary.
余り is a broader term for a surplus or remainder (including mathematical remainders), whereas 残った分 specifically refers to the leftover portion after something has been used or consumed.
あまり is the most common, casual word for 'not very' and can also appear in a few positive idioms, whereas さして sounds more formal and is used only with negatives.
不足 means a shortage or insufficiency, the opposite of 余り's sense of a surplus or leftover amount.
よく with an affirmative verb means 'often', while あまり with a negative verb means 'not very often', making them opposite in frequency expressions.
too (much); overly; excessively
hypermeter; excess syllables
leftovers; remains; surplus
interloper; third wheel; hanger-on
too much; excessively; too
Kana spelling is strongly preferred for all senses.
Colloquial variant of あまり, common in casual speech.
Outdated kanji form; not used in modern writing.