What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of とても (very) and 面白い (interesting/funny/amusing).
Which one should you use?
Depending on the level of intensity and social setting, you may use different variations. You can use すごく面白い to mean "really funny" or "hilarious," and the slang term 超面白い to mean "super funny" or "crazy funny."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
非常に面白い is a polite way to express amusement or interest in formal situations. すごく面白い is more colloquial and conversational. For very casual speech, especially among young people, the slang 超面白い is common.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that something "was" very funny, the adjective omoshiroi changes to its past tense form 面白かった, making the full phrase とても面白かった.
How do you pronounce it?
totemo omoshiroi
When do people say it?
For a highly informal way to express that you were personally amused, you can say マジで笑った！, which translates to "I laughed so hard!"
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific word 腹筋崩壊 meaning 'abdominal muscles collapse' to describe something so funny that it causes physical pain from laughing.
- In Japanese pop culture, when someone is incredibly funny, fans might use the word 草 (kusa), which literally means 'grass'. This is because the letter 'w' used for laughing looks like blades of grass on a screen.
- When someone says マジで笑った, the word マジ is derived from 真面目, which means 'serious' or 'earnest'.
Examples in context
- トムはとても面白い男だった。Tom was a very funny man.This sentence demonstrates the use of とても面白い to describe a person.Tatoeba #2129961 by bunbuku, translation #1867780 by CK
- 私は、その冗談が非常に面白かったです。I found that joke very funny.
- あのドラマ、すごく面白かったよ！That drama was really funny!
- 昨日のライブ、マジで笑った！I laughed so hard at yesterday's live show!
- この映画はとても面白いです。Kono eiga wa totemo omoshiroi desu.This movie is very funny.
- 彼の話はとても面白い。Kare no hanashi wa totemo omoshiroi.His stories are very funny.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are watching a comedy show on TV.
- 健太 Kentaこの芸人はとても面白いね。Kono geinin wa totemo omoshiroi ne.This comedian is very funny, isn't he?
- 結衣 Yui本当に、笑いが止まらないよ。Hontou ni, warai ga tomaranai yo.Really, I can't stop laughing.
- 健太 Kenta結衣もそう思う？Yui mo sou omou?Do you think so too, Yui?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、最高に面白いよ！Un, saikou ni omoshiroi yo!Yes, it's extremely funny!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
