Japanese word

ずいぶん

Pronunciation

Romajizuibun

Meaning

  • adverbquite

Example

今日はずいぶん暑いです。kyō wa zu i bu n atsu i de su

It is quite hot today.

Illustration for ずいぶん (quite)

More examples

駅までずいぶん歩きました。eki ma de zu i bu n aru ki ma shi ta

I walked quite a long way to the station.

Core concept

Marks a degree that is noticeably greater than usual, often carrying a sense of surprise.

Common phrases

  • ずいぶん違うzu i bu n chiga u

    quite different

  • ずいぶん長いzu i bu n naga i

    quite long

Similar words

かなりkanari: Expresses a fairly high degree in a neutral, widely used way.
とてもtotemo: Expresses a high degree without necessarily suggesting surprise.
だいぶdaibu: Shows that a condition has changed or progressed by a noticeable amount.
相当sōtō: Indicates a considerable degree and often sounds somewhat formal.

Definition in Japanese

程度が普通よりかなり大きいことを表すさま。tei do ga fu tsū yo ri ka na ri ō ki i ko to o arawa su sa ma

Word origin

The adverb ずいぶん (zuibun) is written 随分 (zuibun), a Sino-Japanese word combining 随 (zui, "follow") and 分 (bun, "part or degree"); it came to express a considerable extent.

Usage tips

  • English quite can mean either fairly or completely, but ずいぶん (zuibun) usually marks a noticeably high degree and can suggest surprise.

Other meanings

  • veryadverb
  • surprisinglyadverb

Word lists with this word