あまり～ないamari nai“not very; not particularly”

あまり～ない means “not very,” “not much,” or “not often.” あまり is an adverb of degree, and at this level it only works together with a negative predicate: あまり高くない (not very expensive), あまり食べない (don’t eat much), あまり行かない (don’t go often). It is a JLPT N4 pattern, and it is also the most common way Japanese speakers soften a “no.”

The trap for English speakers is that “not very” sounds like it should be とても + negative. It isn’t. とても高くない does not mean “not very expensive.” The word you want is あまり.

あまり～ない turns a flat “no” into “not really” — a partial negative that leaves some room.

What does あまり～ない mean?

あまり lowers the strength of a negative sentence. Instead of denying something completely, you say it is true only to a small degree. What “small degree” means depends on the word it modifies:

• With adjectives, it is degree: あまり寒くない — it isn’t very cold.
• With action verbs, it is usually frequency or amount: あまりテレビを見ない — I don’t watch TV much. 肉はあまり食べない — I don’t eat much meat.
• With ある, it is quantity: 時間があまりない — there isn’t much time.
• With 好き, 得意, and similar words, it is a polite dislike: あまり好きじゃない — I’m not really a fan.

The last one is important socially. Japanese speakers rarely say 嫌いです (I hate it) about food, hobbies, or people in front of others. あまり好きじゃないです is the normal, polite way to say “I don’t like it.” When you hear it, understand it as a real “no,” not a mild “maybe.”

In casual speech, あまり often becomes あんまり. The meaning is identical; あんまり just sounds more relaxed and a little more emphatic.

How to form あまり～ない

Put あまり before the predicate and make that predicate negative. The negative forms themselves are N5 grammar; if they feel shaky, review じゃない / ではない first.

Two practical points:

• Word order is flexible. 野菜はあまり食べない and あまり野菜を食べない are both fine. With は on the object (野菜は), the sentence gains a contrast: vegetables, specifically, I don’t eat much.
• いい becomes よくない. あまりいいくない is a common slip; the negative of いい is always よくない, so “not very good” is あまりよくない.

When is あまり～ない used?

Describing things moderately. When something is only slightly true, あまり gives the honest middle: この店はあまり高くない says “prices here are reasonable,” not “this place is cheap.”

Talking about habits. あまり + a verb in the present tense describes how often you do something: あまり料理しません (I don’t cook much). This pairs naturally with frequency words you already know like よく and いつも.

Refusing or disagreeing politely. Answering 辛い物は好きですか with あまり… (trailing off) is a complete, polite answer. The listener fills in 好きじゃないです. This half-sentence refusal comes up constantly in everyday Japanese and in listening sections.

Evaluating experiences. あまり面白くなかった or あまりおいしくなかった is the standard way to give a mild negative review. Saying つまらなかった or まずかった is much more direct.

Register: あまり～ない itself is neutral. The politeness comes from the ending: あまり～ません／～くないです for polite speech, あまり～ない or あんまり～ない with friends.

あまり～ない example sentences

Compare examples 2 and 3. Both use a verb, but 食べません is about amount (small portions) while 行きません is about frequency (not often). The verb decides which reading you get. Example 5 shows that あまり alone, with the negative left unsaid, is already a full answer.

Nuance of あまり～ない

あまり～ない is a partial negative. It admits that something is true a little, or sometimes. あまり行かない means “I go, but rarely,” not “I never go.” That built-in “some” is what makes it soft.

At the same time, Japanese conversation uses that softness strategically. When someone says あまり好きじゃない about a dish you cooked or a plan you suggested, they are being kind, not neutral. Read it as a clear preference against.

Because あまり is a softener, it often appears with other hedges: ちょっと, あまり…, or sentence-final けど. あまり好きじゃないんですけど… is an extremely gentle way to object.

💡 Positive あまり is a different word at N3. あまりに and あまりの～に mean “so much that…” and go with positive sentences: あまりに暑(あつ)くて眠(ねむ)れなかった (it was so hot I couldn’t sleep). At N4, treat あまり as needing a negative.

あまり～ない vs 全然～ない

Both come before a negative, and both answer “how much?” The difference is how far down the scale you go.

Think of it as a scale: とても面白い → 面白い → あまり面白くない → 全然面白くない. On a test item with a hint like 少しは (a little) or ときどき (sometimes) in the context, pick あまり. If the context says ゼロ, 一度も, or 何も, pick 全然～ない.

A useful habit: when you give your own opinion about something another person made or chose, default to あまり. 全然 is fine for your own abilities (全然できない) or for facts, but it sounds harsh as a verdict on someone else’s cooking.

Common mistakes with あまり～ない

Is あまり～ない on the JLPT?

A typical grammar question gives a sentence like 今日は（　）寒くないです and offers あまり, とても, もっと, and よく. Only あまり fits, because it is the only option that pairs with a negative adjective to mean “not very.” In listening, when one speaker asks どうでしたか and the other answers あまり…, the correct answer is the negative choice.

Practice questions for あまり～ない

Learning path for あまり～ない

Related grammar to review next

• 全然～ない — the “not at all” end of the same scale; the most common test distractor for あまり.
• とても — the positive intensifier that learners wrongly pair with ない to say “not very.”
• めったに～ない — a stronger frequency negative: “hardly ever,” one step below あまり行かない.
• あまり (so much that) — the N3 positive use of the same word, meaning excess rather than weakness.
• 別に～ない — another soft negative, used for “not especially” when you don’t care much either way.

Learn あまり～ない with Hane

Hane drills あまり together with とても and 全然, so you learn to pick the right one from context instead of from the English. Practise あまり～ない in Hane.