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ほぼ Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ほぼ

ほ

ぼ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

1

adverb

almost; nearly; for the most part

usually written using kana alone

Indicates that something is close to a state or quantity, but not completely. Often used with quantities, percentages, or descriptive phrases.

仕し事ごとはほぼ終おわった。
The work is almost finished.
参さん加か者しゃのほぼ全ぜん員いんが賛さん成せいした。

Written forms

ほぼUsage100%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
略ほぼUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.
粗ほぼUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.

Almost all of the participants agreed.

2

adverb

roughly; approximately; about

usually written using kana alone

Used for approximate numbers, amounts, or times. Similar to 約 (やく) but slightly more casual.

ここから駅えきまでほぼ10分ぷんです。
It's about 10 minutes from here to the station.
費ひ用ようはほぼ1万まん円えんかかった。
The cost came to roughly 10,000 yen.

Kanji

略abbreviation, omission, outline
粗coarse, rough, rugged

Similar words

約やく
約 is more formal and often used in written or business contexts, while ほぼ is slightly more casual and conversational.
ほとんど
ほとんど can mean 'almost' or 'mostly', but it can also imply 'hardly any' in negative sentences, whereas ほぼ is only used in affirmative contexts.

Etymology

Derived from the kanji 略 (abbreviation, roughly), but now almost exclusively written in kana. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.