How to say "almost" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- adverbThe default word for the plain 'almost' of quantity or degree — almost all, almost finished, almost everyone. It presents something as nearly complete or total without claiming that it fully is.
- adverbCovers 'almost' as 'for the most part' — presenting something as nearly exact or nearly whole. It often appears with figures, amounts, or proportions, where the count or degree falls just short.
- adverbReally the word for 'generally', 'on the whole', or 'roughly'; its 'almost' side is secondary. Reach for it when you mean 'in most cases' or 'more or less', not when something is nearly complete.
- adverbIts core meaning is 'before long' or 'eventually'; the 'almost; nearly' sense is marginal. Seldom the word you want for 'almost' — choose it when saying that something will happen in time.
- adverbCovers 'almost' in the sense of 'just about to' or 'very nearly' — something came very close to happening but stopped short. Typical when you nearly did or said something.
「ほとんど」 is the all-purpose 'almost' of quantity and degree; 「ほぼ」 presents near-exact proportions; 「よほど」 fits things that very nearly happened; 「だいたい」 really means 'roughly, on the whole'; 「やがて」 is rarely the right choice.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- ほとんどalmost
- ほぼalmost
- だいたいgenerally
- すんでにalmost
- すんでのことalmost
- すんでのところでalmost
- もう少しでもうすこしでalmost
- もう少しのところでもうすこしのところでalmost
- そうになったalmost (did)
- ほぼほぼalmost
- あらかたmostly
- あわやnearly
- 危なくあぶなくnearly
- 九分通りくぶどおり(about) ninety percent (finished, complete, etc.)
- もうすぐsoon
- もうじきsoon
- と言っていいほどといっていいほどso much that one could even say
- やがてalmost
- よほどjust about to
- 大方おおかたmostly
- 危うくあやうくalmost
- よっぽどjust about to
- あれこれaround
- いくらでもalmost (none)
- どれほど(not) many
- いくらも(not) much
- あらましroughly
- 惜しいおしいalmost (but not quite)
- 半ばなかばmostly
See also
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