Nov

2009

Vocab power: stop saying “totemo”

Totemo means “very” in Japanese, also sometimes pronounced とっても/tottemo with a kicked “t” for added emphasis. Because it is so easy to pronounce, so broad in meaning and so simple in grammar, it is one of the most useful words in the Japanese language. “Power-words” like totemo great for speed-learning, and non-Japanese pick up on these words with unparalleled ease… However, all too often those learners end up clinging to these words to a far greater degree than they should and for a much longer time than they should.

While heavy reliance on a select few power-words may be sufficient for travelers, for anyone who wants to understand everyday Japanese as it is spoken by native speakers, or perhaps someday even sound intelligent speaking Japanese, these words can be almost like an invisible barrier to more advanced vocabulary. Of these words, totemo is easily one of the most overused. So to help Japanese learners cure their addiction to this intoxicatingly easy word, I’ve collected 7 alternatives to help you lay off the totemo juice and expand your linguistic horizons.

1. Say かなり (kanari) instead

Kanari is a fabulous word, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s meaning and usage is exactly the same as totemo so you can start using it like a pro right away, there are no hidden nuance traps waiting to bite your leg off and your Japanese will instantly sound much more confident and natural. The only catch is you have to make the Japanese “r” sound to say it, which can be a little tricky for beginners.

And actually this word is a little more flexible than totemo. Kanari can also be used with nouns if you glue them together with the ‘no‘ particle, although you should note that using it that way comes off as kanari casual.

昨日の試験はとても難しかったです。
Kinou no shiken wa totemo muzukashikatta desu.
Yesterday’s test was very difficult.

昨日の試験はかなり難しかったです。
Kinou no shiken wa kanari muzukashikatta desu.
Yesterday’s test was quite difficult.

彼はかなりの勉強家です。
kare wa kanari no benkyouka desu.
He’s quite the studier. (meaning: he studies a lot)

2. Say 特に (toku ni) when you mean 特に

toku ni has a different meaning from totemo: it means “especially” or “particularly.” Many people are in the habit of saying totemo all the time for everything because it’s just so easy: stop. Totemo is overworked and tired. Let it rest and use toku ni when you mean “especially.”

この本はとても面白かった。
kono hon wa totemo omoshirokatta.
This book was very interesting.

この本は特に面白かった。
kono hon wa toku ni omoshirokatta.
This book was particularly interesting.

3. Use 非常に (hijou ni) for stronger emphasis

Totemo is a good worker but struggles to adequately convey the stronger meanings, so if you really want to emphasize something, hijou ni is your go-to word. For example…

東大に入ることがとても難しい。
toudai ni hairu koto ga totemo muzukashii.
It’s very difficult to get into Tokyo University. (= but you can if you work at it)

東大に入ることが非常に難しい。
toudai ni hairu koto ga hijou ni muzukashii.
It’s VERY difficult to get into Tokyo University. (= nearly impossible)

Hijou ni‘s kanji literally mean not (非) and everyday (常), so you could translate it as “unusually” or “abnormally.” But in reality the meaning has been blurred quite a bit; so suffice it to say that this word is just a stronger way to say “very.”

4. Say 本当に (hontou ni) when you mean 本当に

Hontou ni means “really”, as in… “in reality.” This is yet another word whose job all too often gets pushed onto poor old totemo. Balance out your vocabulary a little by using this word to show surprise or exceeded expectations, the same way we would do with “really” in English.

あの子ネコはとても小さい。
Ano koneko wa totemo chiisai.
That kitten is very small.

あの子ネコは本当に小さい。
Ano koneko wa hontou ni chiisai.
That kitten is really small.

5. Try casual Japanese equivalents

I almost decided against listing these words because foreigners often overuse these just as much as totemo, and I can almost guarantee that your Japanese professors/bosses would prefer you don’t use them. But hey, it’s the internet!

すごく (sugoku) : “Extremely” (kanji: 凄く)
チョー (cho-) : “Super-” (kanji: 超)
めっちゃ (meccha) : “ridiculously” (this word comes from from 滅茶苦茶/mechakucha)

6. Try more advanced words

I wrote this article primarily with beginner to intermediate Japanese learners in mind, but if you’re looking for even more options or if you’re just an ambitious learner, here are some more words that you can jot down and try using instead of totemo. I’m not going to get into detailed explanations for them though as this simple blog post has gone on long enough already.

結構 (kekkou)
相当 (soutou)
随分 (zuibun)
極めて (kiwamete)
とんでもない (tondemonai)
余計に (yokei ni)
余程 (yohodo/yoppodo)
前代未聞 (zendaimimon)

7. And if you’re in Nagoya…

…try out saying totemo in the local dialect, it’s “でら” (dera). Your Nagoyan friends will love love you for it.

Just for the kanji lovers out there…

Totemo and kanari are always written using just plain old hiragana so if you’ve got kanji-phobia like many learners do, you don’t have to be afraid of these words.

But if you’ve got a kanji fetish (like me), or if you’re poring over some Edo-period literature, or if you’re going to be appearing on a Japanese kanji quiz show, you might be interested to know that totemo can be written as “迚も” and kanari as “可也.”

9 Responses

great article. thank you for pointing that out about my japanese! korekara, im gonna give totemo a break.

by: robaato, Nov 23rd at 6:38 am
I never thought about how often I use “totemo” until I read this, but you’re right! I do use it a lot. Thanks for the pointers on how to mix it up.

by: Gail Meadows, Nov 25th at 9:10 am
Great article, and one that highlights a really good point. When I was new to learning Japanese, I also overused とても practically to the point of no return. I think because it is sooooo overused, people believe it to be all-encompassing and extremely versatile, when in fact, it actually isn’t that descriptive.

For me, 本当に is one of those phrases that demands affirmation from the recipient, so I nearly always place ね at the end of a sentence in which 本当に has been employed, as its meaning is more about surprise than anything else.

by: Ryan Taylor, Nov 28th at 3:04 am
Glad everyone seems to be enjoying this article. I may do more with the same theme if I can think of some more over-used words.

@Ryan : good point on 本当に. And I actually just realized it would probably have been useful to include “truly” as a translation for it…

by: Lloyd Vincent, Nov 29th at 2:45 am
I almost never say とても, come to think of it, probably because it doesn’t roll off the tongue very well and is one of those words that tends to get in the way of the rest of what I’m saying. I started saying ほんま instead of 本当 after living in western Japan, as well.

by: toki, Dec 9th at 4:35 pm
any tips on kono, sono, asoko, kore,sore,etc?

by: Anonymous, Apr 21st at 10:42 pm
Kono, sono, ano – Kono is used to describe something that’s close to you, the speaker. Sono is physically close to the person you’re talking to, but not close you. Ano is far away from both you, and your partner. Koko, soko and asoko is the same but regarding places instead of objects.

by: Adam, Jul 14th at 11:33 pm
This article has been really helpful to me, thanks a bunch. I’ve referred to this page a lot!

by: ダビデ, Sep 4th at 4:10 pm
Learned a lot in there again ! Until today I was the exact type that use とても every now and then, and すごく when wanting a bit more of an emphasis… that’s past now, thanks a lot
Nevertheless, I think I can add another handy word that I just learned also : in some cases you might want to use まことに, which I believe you can use as often as you use ‘sincerely’ in English…
But not being a native English speaker either, I may be mistaken on how to use ‘sincerely’ in English also… Darn it

by: Armand, Nov 29th at 6:01 pm