すぎる means too or too much. Attach it to a verb or an adjective and you say that something has gone past the right amount: 高すぎる, “too expensive”; 食べすぎる, “to eat too much.” It is a JLPT N5 pattern, and one of the easiest ways to complain, warn, or apologize in Japanese.
すぎる is a real verb meaning "to pass, to go beyond." 高すぎる is literally "expensive to the point of passing the limit."
What does すぎる mean?
On its own, 過ぎる means “to pass by” or “to go past” (time passes, a train passes a station). As a grammar ending, it keeps that image: the action or quality has passed the line of what is good, normal, or acceptable.
- 高すぎる — too expensive
- 食べすぎる — to overeat
- 難しすぎる — too difficult
- 飲みすぎる — to drink too much
The important word in English is too, not “very.” すぎる always implies that the amount causes a problem, or at least is more than the speaker wants. If the bag is 高すぎる, the speaker probably won’t buy it.
How to form すぎる
Remove the ending and attach すぎる directly. There is no particle in between.
- Verbs (ます-stem): 食べます → 食べすぎる, 飲みます → 飲みすぎる, 働きます → 働きすぎる
- i-adjectives (drop い): 高い → 高すぎる, 難しい → 難しすぎる, 大きい → 大きすぎる
- na-adjectives (stem only): 静か → 静かすぎる, 派手 → 派手すぎる
Two irregular cases worth memorizing:
- いい → よすぎる (いい changes to よ, as in よくない)
- ない → なさすぎる: 時間がなさすぎる, “there’s way too little time.” (少ない is a normal adjective, so it is 少なすぎる.)
すぎる itself is a る-verb (ichidan), so it conjugates like 食べる: すぎます, すぎました, すぎて, すぎない. Its stem すぎ also works as a noun: 飲みすぎですよ, “you’re drinking too much.”
When is すぎる used?
- Shopping: rejecting something politely by pointing to a problem: ちょっと大きすぎます
- Complaints: about weather, food, work, prices: 暑すぎる!
- Apologies and excuses: 昨日は飲みすぎました, “I drank too much yesterday”
- Health warnings: a doctor saying 甘いものを食べすぎないでください
- Explaining a reason with the て-form: 高すぎて買えません, “it’s too expensive, so I can’t buy it”
The pattern is neutral in register. Use すぎます politely and すぎる with friends. Because it signals a problem, it is also a soft way to say no in a shop. Instead of “I don’t want it,” you say what is wrong with it.
すぎる example sentences
このかばんは高すぎます。
This bag is too expensive.
昨日、食べすぎました。
I ate too much yesterday.
この問題は難しすぎます。
This question is too hard.
このシャツは私には大きすぎます。
This shirt is too big for me.
この部屋は静かすぎて、ちょっとこわいです。
This room is so quiet it's a bit scary.
寒すぎて、外に出たくないです。
It's too cold. I don't want to go outside.
お酒を飲みすぎないでください。
Please don't drink too much.
Nuance of すぎる
すぎる carries a judgement. When you say 高すぎる, you are not just describing a price; you are saying it is a problem for you. That is the whole difference between “too” and “very,” and it is why すぎる is so useful for polite refusals: このくつはちょっと小さすぎます explains why you won’t buy the shoes without saying “no.”
With verbs, すぎる often admits a mistake: 食べすぎた, 寝すぎた, 言いすぎた (“I said too much, I went too far”). It sounds like mild regret.
In very casual speech, especially among young people and online, すぎる is also used for over-the-top praise: かわいすぎる! “so cute I can’t stand it,” おいしすぎる! “ridiculously good.” This is fine with friends, but in polite speech to a host or a teacher, stick with とてもおいしいです. Saying おいしすぎます to a host can sound odd, as if the food were a problem.
Soften it with ちょっと: ちょっと高すぎます ("it's a little too expensive") is the natural polite way to turn something down in a shop. It sounds much gentler than a bare 高すぎます.
すぎる vs とても
Ask yourself: is there a problem? If the sentence is followed by “so I can’t / so I won’t,” use すぎる. If you are just saying the degree is high, use とても. That is also why とてもおいしい is praise, while おいしすぎる in careful speech sounds strange.
Common mistakes with すぎる
Drop the final い of an i-adjective before すぎる.
いい becomes よ before すぎる. Careful: いいすぎる exists, but it is 言いすぎる, "to say too much."
Verbs take the ます-stem (食べ, 飲み, 働き), never the dictionary form.
In polite speech, すぎる suggests a problem. Use とても for compliments.
Is すぎる on the JLPT?
Yes. すぎる appears in N5 textbooks and shows up in both grammar and listening questions. Some lists place it at N4, so expect it on either test.
You should be able to:
- Pick the correct stem: 高すぎる, 飲みすぎる, 静かすぎる, よすぎる
- Understand すぎて as a reason: 高すぎて買いませんでした
- Hear that すぎる means the speaker is rejecting or complaining, not praising
In listening, a shop dialogue often ends with ちょっと大きすぎますね. The question then asks whether the customer bought the item. The answer is almost always no.
Practice questions for すぎる
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このくつはちょっと小さすぎます。 — These shoes are a little too small.
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昨日の夜、飲みすぎました。 — I drank too much last night.
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カメラは高すぎて、買いませんでした。 — The camera was too expensive, so I didn't buy it.
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この町はにぎやかすぎます。 — This town is too lively.
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とてもおいしいです。 — It's very delicious. (A polite compliment uses とても.)
Learning path for すぎる
Related grammar to review next
- とても — “very” without a problem, the main word to keep apart from すぎる.
- ほうがいい — gives the advice that often follows a すぎる complaint: 休んだほうがいい.
- ないでください — combines with すぎる to warn someone: 食べすぎないでください.
- やすい — another ending that sticks to the ます-stem, meaning “easy to do.”
- あまり～ない — the other direction: “not very much.”
Learn すぎる with Hane
Hane drills the stem changes behind すぎる, from 高すぎる to よすぎる to 飲みすぎる, until you form them without thinking. Practice with Hane.
FAQ about すぎる
What does すぎる (sugiru) mean in Japanese?
すぎる (sugiru) means “too much”. It is JLPT N5 grammar. On its own, 過ぎる means "to pass by" or "to go past" (time passes, a train passes a station). As a grammar ending, it keeps that image: the action or quality has passed the line of what is good, normal, or acceptable.
How do you form すぎる (sugiru)?
Remove the ending and attach すぎる directly. There is no particle in between.
What is the difference between すぎる and とても?
すぎる: too — a problem. とても: very — just strong.
What is an example sentence with すぎる (sugiru)?
このかばんは高すぎます。 — This bag is too expensive.