なかなか (naka naka) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Quite
Anna Baffa Volpe
Get in touch with me6 min reading time
Anna Baffa Volpe
6 min reading time
The adverb なかなか (naka naka) means quite, rather but also considerably, very, pretty, fairly, reasonably depending on which form is used.
In this post, we learn and review the adverb なかなか and its nuances, used in the affirmative form with adjectives, the copula だ, with nouns and when it is followed by the negative form of the verbs.
How なかなか is formed
なかなか is an adverb, it precedes adjectives, the copula だ and nouns in general in the affirmative form.
The verbs combined with なかなか are in the negative form.
The Kanji transcription of なかなか is: 中々.
なかなか美味しい！
It's pretty tasty!
彼が作るラーメンはなかなかの物だ。
The ramen that he makes is very good.
なかなか with the Affirmative Form
In the affirmative form, なかなか refers to something that is good, pleasant, or that we appreciate.
なかなかいいね！
It's pretty good!
We use なかなか and the affirmative form when the degree, the quality of a thing, the situation described exceeds our expectation and often surprises us.
色もいいがデザインもなかなかだ。
The colours are good, but the design is also very good.
このアプリはなかなか便利ですよ。
This app is very useful!
なかなか難しい問題だ。
It's quite a difficult problem.
⇨ The problem is more difficult than I could have imagined.
なかなか～ない: use with the Negative Form
In the negative form なかなか refers to something that is not easy, that requires effort; describes something that is more difficult than expected or that does not go as expected.
彼はなかなか笑わない。
He does not smile easily.
Let's consider the Kanji forming the adverb: 中 which indicates something in the middle, still in progress, something half-finished, therefore not defined.
We can summarize the negative function of なかなか in 3 points:
1 I think the thing is 不可能 impossible
2 I think this won't be easy to accomplish
3 I think it's more difficult than I expect
何度も書いて練習しているんですが、なかなか覚えられません。
I've been practicing by writing it down many times, but I can't remember it.
なかなか followed by a verb in the negative form emphasises the improbability and impossibility of the action being performed or the fact occurring.
電車がなかなか来ない。
The train is not coming soon.
⇨ I consider the delay, the situation and deduce that the train is unlikely to arrive.
具体化まではまだなかなかだ。
It's still not easy to make it concrete.
In the following two sentences, the degree of the difficulty is well expressed.
なかなか会えないね。
It's not easy to see you, is it?
彼はなかなか仕事を終わらせない。
He is having trouble finishing his work.
From a Video on Sport and Health:
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「体を大きくしたいけど、なかなか体重が増えない」、「たくさん食べているのに増えない」そんなアスリートも多いのではないでしょうか。
There are probably many athletes who say ``I want to get bigger, but I can't gain weight,'' or ``I can't gain weight even though I'm eating a lot.''
The noun アスリート from English athlete was used in the sentence and its Japanese version is 選手.
彼女はなかなか返事をしなかった。
She did not reply immediately.
Other examples of なかなか
Cover of the book by writer and screenwriter Yumie Hirai 平岩弓枝:
なかなかいい生き方
Quite a nice way of life
仕事は忙しくて、旅行に行くのは中々難しいです。
I'm so busy with work that it's difficult for me to travel.
新しい掃除機は、なかなかいいです。買ってよかったと思います。
The new hoover is quite good. I am glad I bought it.
- From a YouTube Tutorial on how to use an application
Googleフォト自動作成動画がなかなか面白かったのでまとめてアップしてみる。
The automatic creation of videos on Google Photos is very interesting, so I will upload the video with a summary of its use.
Similar grammar points in Japanese 📚