Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 5: 19/20

(すこ)しも~ない

Not even a little, Not at all, Not in the least, Never

Structure

すこし + Verb[ない]
すこし + [い]Adjective[ない]
すこし + [な]Adjective + ではない(1)

(1) じゃない

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About すこしも~ない

Coming from the word (すこ) (a little bit), すこしも~ない is an expression which translates almost exactly to 'not even a little bit (A)' in English. Due to this, it indicates that there is 'no (A)', '(A) never happens', or 'not (A) at all', depending on whether a verb or an adjective is the word that is being negated. すこしも can come at the beginning of the sentence, or directly before the word/statement it is referring to.
  • 今日(きょう)(ひと)(おお)からすこしも(はな)ない
    There are a lot of people today, so don't stray off. Not even a little bit.
  • (なに)このケーキ、すこしもおいしくない
    What is this cake, it's not even a little good!
  • 彼女(かのじょ)彼氏(かれし)すこしもイケメンではない
    Her boyfriend is not even a little handsome.
Fun Fact
This construction is another example of how the particle expresses that the word before it is surprising in some way, or unexpected. This was briefly discussed in the Number + も grammar point.
  • 今月(こんげつ)(かね)すこしもない
    I don't have any money this month either.
Here we can see that is highlighting (すこ)し as being 'surprising'. This is where the 'not even!' meaning comes from.

Examples

  • あなた子供(こども)(はなし)すこしも()いてあげてない

    You never listen to what your kid has to say. (Not in the least)

  • この景色(けしき)すこしも綺麗(きれい)ではない

    This scenery is not pretty at all.

  • あの(みせ)ケーキすこしも美味(おい)くない

    That store's cake is not delicious in the least.

  • (すこ)しも(あつ)ないのに(あせ)かいている

    It is not in the least bit hot, but I am sweating.

  • ガソリン値段(ねだん)(すこ)しも()がらない

    The price of gasoline has not dropped in the least.

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

  • Online


  • Offline

    There are no Offline resources listed for 「すこしも~ない」.

    You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

  • Track Resources!

    Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

すこしも~ない – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (2 in total)

  • hergimerc

    hergimerc

    About 2 years ago

    Is this grammar point has the same meaning like 全く…ない ?

  • Daru

    Daru

    About 1 year ago

    They resemble each other a lot as they both express a severe lack of something to make a point.

    Going literal, すこしも~ない means ‘not even a bit of x’ whereas まったく~ない means ‘completely NOT x’. It’s more a matter of degree and expression mostly!

Got questions about すこしも~ない? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion