Which one should you use?
すごい is an informal word used to express admiration. For a more emphasized and enthusiastic tone, you can use すんごい. In very casual settings, particularly among men to express high excitement, the slang form すげー is common. For a formal context specifically conveying someone's extraordinary or uncommon abilities, use 非凡な.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
すごい is an informal expression. To make it polite and suitable for use with strangers or superiors, use the form すごいです. For high-excitement slang, すげー is used in very casual settings. The formal term 非凡な is used to convey extraordinary abilities.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone was amazing in the past, use the past tense form すごかった. You can also create an intensifier meaning 'is too amazing' or 'is excessively amazing' by adding the verb すぎる (to exceed) to the stem of the word, resulting in すごすぎる.
How do you pronounce it?
sugoi
Did you know?
- In its original form, すごい was not a compliment but a word used to describe something terrifying or overwhelming, like a fierce storm or a frightening spirit.
- Despite being an adjective, すごい is frequently used as an adverb to mean 'very' or 'really' without changing its form to すごく.
- In casual conversation, Japanese speakers often use すごい as a filler word or a reaction to show they are listening, regardless of whether the person is actually impressive.
Examples in context
- 彼の仕事ぶりはすばらしいです。His work is amazing.
- 彼女は優れた才能を持っています。She has amazing talent.
- 彼のピアノの技術は非凡です。His piano skills are amazing.
- 彼の演技、すごい！His performance is amazing!
- あのアーティストの歌声、すんごいよね！That artist's singing voice is amazing!
- 彼は本当にすごいです。Kare wa hontō ni sugoi desu.He is truly amazing.
- あの歌手はすごいです。Ano kashu wa sugoi desu.That singer is amazing.
- 山田さんはすごいです。Yamada-san wa sugoi desu.Mr. Yamada is amazing.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about a talented friend.
- 蓮 Renあいつの英語は本当にすごいね。Aitsu no eigo wa hontō ni sugoi ne.His English is really amazing, isn't it?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、あんなに話せるなんてすごいよ。Un, anna ni hanaseru nante sugoi yo.Yeah, it's amazing that he can speak that much.
- 蓮 Ren毎日どれくらい勉強しているんだろう。Mainichi dore kurai benkyō shite iru ndarō.I wonder how much he studies every day.
- 結衣 Yuiきっと努力しているんだと思う。Kitto doryoku shite iru nda to omou.I think he's definitely putting in the effort.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry すごい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
