たかが

た

か

が

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

adverb

only; merely; just; at most; no more than

usually written using kana alone

Expresses that something is insignificant or not worth worrying about; often used dismissively. Placed before a noun or noun phrase.

たかが風邪かぜだから、心しん配ぱいしなくていいよ。

It's just a cold, so you don't need to worry.

たかが一いち度どの失しっ敗ぱいで諦あきらめるな。

Don't give up over just one failure.

Usage patterns

高たかが〈数かず〉a mere (small) amount of ~
高たかが千せん円えんのことで喧けん嘩かするな。
Don't fight over a mere thousand yen.
高たかが〈事こと〉に過すぎないis nothing more than a mere ~
それは高たかが噂うわさに過すぎない。
That's nothing more than a mere rumor.
高たかが〈事こと〉くらいでover such a trivial thing as ~
高たかが遅ち刻こくくらいで怒おこらないでよ。
Don't get angry over something as trivial as being a bit late.

Kanji

高tall, high, expensive

Related words

せいぜいN3
せいぜい means 'at most/at best' in a neutral, resigned tone, while 高が adds a dismissive, belittling attitude toward the amount or thing mentioned.
だけN5
だけ simply marks a limit or extent with no attitude attached, whereas 高が implies the speaker thinks the thing is trivial or not worth worrying about.
たったN3
たった stresses how small a quantity is without judging its importance, while 高が explicitly belittles it as insignificant.

Don't confuse with

高たか々だかN1
高々 (たかだか) looks and sounds similar to 高が but is used mainly before numbers to mean 'at most, no more than' with less of the dismissive attitude that 高が carries.

Etymology

Derived from the stem of the adjective 高い (takai, 'high') with the particle が, but the exact historical development is uncertain. The modern usage is fixed as a dismissive adverb.