Japanese word

滅多に

Pronunciation

Romajimettani

Meaning

  • adverbrarely

Example

私は滅多に映画を見ません。watashi wa met ta ni ei ga o mi ma se n

I rarely watch movies.

Illustration for 滅多に (rarely)

More examples

彼は滅多に遅刻しません。kare wa met ta ni chi koku shi ma se n

He is rarely late.

Core concept

It marks an action or event as something that happens only on uncommon occasions.

Common phrases

  • 滅多にないmet ta ni na i

    rarely occur

  • 滅多に見ないmet ta ni mi na i

    rarely watch

  • 滅多に使わないmet ta ni tsuka wa na i

    rarely use

  • 滅多に話さないmet ta ni hana sa na i

    rarely talk

Similar words

時々tokidoki: It marks an action or event as happening occasionally.
あまりamari: It describes an action or event as not happening often, usually with a negative predicate.
ほとんどhotondo: It marks an action or event as almost never happening when used with a negative predicate.
たまにtamani: It marks an action or event as happening from time to time.

Definition in Japanese

ある事柄が起こることや、ある行動をすることがほとんどないさま。a ru koto gara ga o ko ru ko to ya a ru kō dō o su ru ko to ga ho to n do na i sa ma

Word origin

The adverb 滅多に (mettani) combines the native Japanese word めった (metta, "reckless or excessive") with に (ni), and it commonly occurs with a negative predicate to mean rarely.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, 滅多に (mettani) often appears before a negative predicate, as in 滅多に見ません (mettani mimasen), although English uses rarely without an extra negative.

Opposites

Word lists with this word