Comments on: Vocab power: stop saying “totemo”

By: Armand

Armand — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:01:40 +0000

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: ダビデ

ダビデ — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:10:48 +0000

This article has been really helpful to me, thanks a bunch. I’ve referred to this page a lot!

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:33:50 +0000

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: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:42:23 +0000

any tips on kono, sono, asoko, kore,sore,etc?

By: toki

toki — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:35:28 +0000

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: Lloyd Vincent

Lloyd Vincent — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:45:24 +0000

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: Ryan Taylor

Ryan Taylor — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:04:46 +0000

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: Gail Meadows

Gail Meadows — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:10:47 +0000

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: robaato

robaato — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:38:56 +0000

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