EXAMPLES:
(2) amai oya
甘い親
indulgent parents
(3) amai ten
甘い点
lenient grades (or marks)
(4) amai kangae
甘い考え
an overly optimistic view
Unlike English “sweet,” amai 甘い cannot mean “amiable” or “kind.” In English, calling someone a sweet person would be complimentary. In Japanese, on the other hand, amai hito 甘い人, if it means anything at all, can only be interpreted as either “an indulgent person” or “an overly optimistic person.”
Amari あまり too, excessively
Amari あまり means “too” in the sense of “excessively.” The word mainly appears in negative sentences.
EXAMPLES:
(1) Kyō wa amari samuku nai.
きょうはあまり寒くない。
It is not too cold today.
(2) Koko wa amari shizuka ja nai.
ここはあまり静かじゃない。
It is not too quiet here.
(3) Watashi wa amari nomimasen.
私はあまり飲みません
I don’t drink too much.
Amari あまり may be used in the affirmative if it appears in a dependent clause.
EXAMPLES:
(4) Amari nomu to byōki ni narimasu yo.
あまり飲むと病気になりますよ。
If you drink too much, you’ll get sick.
(5) Kami[noke] ga amari nagai kara, katte-moratta hō ga ii yo.
髪（の毛）があまり長いから、刈ってもらった方がいいよ。
Your hair is too long; you should get a haircut.
(6) Koko wa amari shizuka de sabishii-gurai desu.
ここはあまり静かでさびしいぐらいですよ。
It’s so quiet here that it almost makes one feel lonely.
The following sentences, which are independent affirmative sentences, are ungrammatical.
EXAMPLES:
(7) *Anata wa amari nomimasu.
*あなたはあまり飲みます。
You drink too much.
(8) *Kaminoke ga amari nagai.
*髪の毛があまり長い。
Your hair is too long.
(9) *Koko wa amari shizuka desu.
*ここはあまり静かです。
It’s too quiet here.
To express the ideas of the English translations of sentences (7) through (9) above, use -sugiru すぎる.
EXAMPLES:
(10) Anata wa nomi-sugimasu.
あなたは飲みすぎます。
You drink too much.
(11) Kaminoke ga naga-sugiru.
髪の毛が長すぎる。
Your hair is too long.
(12) Koko wa shizuka-sugimasu.
ここは静かすぎる。
It’s too quiet here.
Amari あまり may be used in combination with -sugiru すぎる words also, without changing the meaning.
EXAMPLES:
(13) Anata wa amari nomi-sugimasu.
あなたはあまり飲みすぎます。
You drink too much. (same as 10 above)
(14) Kaminoke ga amari naga-sugiru.
髪の毛があまり長すぎる。
Your hair is too long. (same as 11)
(15) Koko wa amari shizuka-sugimasu.
ここはあまり静かすぎます。
It’s too quiet here. (same as 12)
Anmari あんまり is a more colloquial version of amari あまり. There is no difference in meaning between the two.
A
Anata あなた “you (singular)” has a very limited use. In fact, long conversations between two people may be carried on without anata being used even once. In contexts where it is clear that the speaker is talking about the hearer, no verbal reference to the latter is usually made.
EXAMPLE:
(1) Ogenki desu ka.
お元気ですか。
Are you well?
Even when reference to the hearer is verbalized, anata あなた is usually avoided. The speaker is much more likely to use the hearer’s name with -san attached.
EXAMPLE:
(2) Tanaka-san wa mō ano eiga o mimashita ka. (speaking to Tanaka)
田中さんはもうあの映画を見ましたか。
Have you (lit., Mr./Mrs./Miss Tanaka) seen that movie yet?
If the speaker is lower in status than the hearer, he uses the
