多すぎる
oosugiru
The English phrase "too many" is expressed in Japanese as 多すぎる (oosugiru).
多すぎる is used to describe an excessive amount of something. Unlike English, which distinguishes between "too many" for countable nouns and "too much" for uncountable nouns, the Japanese 多すぎる is used for both.
Meaning: excessive (det)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a combination of the adjective 多い (ooi), meaning "many/much" and the verb すぎる (sugiru), meaning "to exceed" or "to do excessively".
Which one should you use?
While 多すぎる is the standard way to say "too many/much", other forms exist for different contexts. For informal situations, you might use たくさんありすぎる to mean "there are too many", めちゃくちゃ多い to mean "ridiculously many" or "absurdly numerous" or ありえないくらい to convey the sense of "unbelievably many".
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that there "were" too many of something in the past, use the past tense form 多すぎた.
How do you pronounce it?
oosugiru
Did you know?
- The verb すぎる can be attached to almost any adjective or verb to create a 'too much' version, such as おいしすぎる for 'too delicious'.
- The word めちゃくちゃ used in めちゃくちゃ多い originally meant 'in a mess' or 'recklessly' before becoming a common intensifier for 'very' or 'too'.
- The verb すぎる is derived from the verb 過ぎる, which also means 'to pass by' a physical location or 'to pass' a certain time.
Examples in context
- 授業数が多すぎるよ。We have too many classes.This sentence is useful for expressing that there are too many classes using 多すぎる.Tatoeba #9399227 by bunbuku, translation #247872 by adjusting
- やることが多すぎる。There are too many things to do.This sentence is useful for expressing that there are too many things to do using 多すぎる.Tatoeba #12132544 by small_snow, translation #11026194 by CK
- ここは人が多すぎるよ。There are too many people here.This sentence is useful for expressing that there are too many people using 多すぎる.Tatoeba #10324265 by small_snow, translation #10324259 by CK
- 「経済における過剰な補助金の配布は問題です」The distribution of excessive subsidies in the economy is a problem.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are looking at a menu in a busy restaurant.
- 結衣 Yuiメニューの料理が多すぎるね。Menyuu no ryouri ga oosugiru ne.There are too many dishes on the menu.
- 陽太 Yota迷っちゃうね。Mayocchau ne.It's hard to decide.
- 結衣 Yui陽太君のオススメは何？Youta-kun no osusume wa nani?What is your recommendation, Yota?
- 陽太 Yotaこれがおいしいと思うよ。Kore ga oishii to omou yo.I think this one is delicious.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
