Japanese word

滅多

Pronunciation

Romajimetta

Meaning

  • na-adjectiverarely

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 (rarely)

More examples

彼は滅多に外食しません。kare wa met ta ni gai shoku shi ma se n

He rarely eats out.

Core concept

Describes an event as so infrequent that it is treated as almost not happening.

Common phrases

  • 滅多にないmet ta ni na i

    be rare

  • 滅多に見ないmet ta ni mi na i

    rarely see

Similar words

稀mare: Describes something that happens or appears only rarely.

Definition in Japanese

ある事柄が起こることが非常に少ないさま。a ru koto gara ga o ko ru ko to ga hi jō ni suku na i sa ma

Word origin

The Japanese word 滅多 (metta, "rarely") has an established kanji spelling, but the historical origin of めった (metta) is uncertain.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, 滅多に (mettani) usually appears before a negative verb, so the negative form belongs to the normal Japanese pattern rather than adding a second negative meaning.

Opposites

Word lists with this word