全然〜ない
N5ぜんぜん〜ない zenzen ... nai
not at all; not in the least
Formation
全然 + Verb-nai / 全然 + i-Adj-ku + ない / 全然 + na-Adj + じゃない
Chinese meanings
完全不;一点也不
Chinese formation
全然+动词或形容词否定形
Chinese usage
强调完全没有某种状态或行为。
Chinese notes
口语中全然也可与肯定表达搭配,但此处介绍否定用法。
Examples
- この問題は全然わかりません。I don't understand this question at all.这道题我完全不懂。
- 今日は全然寒くないです。It's not cold at all today.今天一点也不冷。
- 弟は全然勉強しません。My younger brother doesn't study at all.弟弟完全不学习。
Notes
Stronger than あまり〜ない. In casual speech 全然 is sometimes used with positive words (全然大丈夫), but with a negative is the standard use.
#negation#degree
Related N5 grammar
Use this entry in code
import { getGrammarById } from 'kotowa';
getGrammarById('zenzen-nai');
{
"id": "zenzen-nai",
"pattern": "全然〜ない",
"reading": "ぜんぜん〜ない",
"romaji": "zenzen ... nai",
"level": "N5",
"meaning": "not at all; not in the least",
"formation": "全然 + Verb-nai / 全然 + i-Adj-ku + ない / 全然 + na-Adj + じゃない",
"examples": [
{
"ja": "この問題は全然わかりません。",
"furigana": "この{問題|もんだい}は{全然|ぜんぜん}わかりません。",
"en": "I don't understand this question at all."
},
{
"ja": "今日は全然寒くないです。",
"furigana": "{今日|きょう}は{全然|ぜんぜん}{寒|さむ}くないです。",
"en": "It's not cold at all today."
},
{
"ja": "弟は全然勉強しません。",
"furigana": "{弟|おとうと}は{全然|ぜんぜん}{勉強|べんきょう}しません。",
"en": "My younger brother doesn't study at all."
}
],
"tags": [
"negation",
"degree"
],
"notes": "Stronger than あまり〜ない. In casual speech 全然 is sometimes used with positive words (全然大丈夫), but with a negative is the standard use.",
"zh": {
"status": "reviewed",
"source_hash": "e788ec20f5ed955c7556a1aebadad29c529df4a75cc5acabfeba91ea815bbc0d",
"meanings": [
"完全不",
"一点也不"
],
"formation": "全然+动词或形容词否定形",
"explanation": "强调完全没有某种状态或行为。",
"notes": "口语中全然也可与肯定表达搭配,但此处介绍否定用法。",
"examples": [
{
"ja": "この問題は全然わかりません。",
"zh": "这道题我完全不懂。"
},
{
"ja": "今日は全然寒くないです。",
"zh": "今天一点也不冷。"
},
{
"ja": "弟は全然勉強しません。",
"zh": "弟弟完全不学习。"
}
],
"references": [
"sources/grammar/n5.json#zenzen-nai",
"Original Chinese authored and reviewed by Codex; no independent human review"
],
"reviewer": "Codex",
"review_method": "ai",
"reviewed_at": "2026-10-28",
"review_hash": "f51654f54976e3afe282e5f9e581065b0c2600d3b38bb214139230e1b3dd7a20"
}
}