あまり〜ない
Not very / not much / not so (negative evaluation)
Used to express that something does not reach a high degree. It is always used with negative form.
N3
Meaning
Not very / not much / not so (negative evaluation)
Used to express that something does not reach a high degree. It is always used with negative form.
Formation
あまり + Verb（ない形）
あまり + い-adjective（ない形） ※ いい → よくない
あまり + な-adjective + ではない
あまり + Noun + ではない
Explanation
あまり〜ない is used to say that something does not happen often, is not strong, or does not reach an expected level.
Key nuance:
It expresses low degree
It is softer than ぜんぜん〜ない
It suggests “less than expected” rather than “zero”
Important rule:
🔹 It is normally used only with negative form in JLPT grammar.
🔹 あまり + positive form is grammatically possible in casual speech, but not standard JLPT usage.
This grammar is common in:
General statements
Habit descriptions
Evaluations
JLPT N5–N4 grammar questions