Japanese grammar
What does ～すぎる mean? Japanese grammar N4
～すぎる means too much ~ (to an undesirable degree).
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | V masu stem + すぎます A い (drop い) + すぎます A な (drop な) + すぎます |
| Romaji | ~ sugiru |
| Meaning | too much ~ (to an undesirable degree) |
Forming it
| Verb | Drop ます and add すぎる: 食べます → 食べすぎる、飲みます → 飲みすぎる |
|---|---|
| Exception | いい → よすぎる、ない → なさすぎる |
| i-adjective | Drop い and add すぎる: 高い → 高すぎる、大きい → 大きすぎる |
| na-adjective | Drop な and add すぎる: 静か → 静かすぎる、便利 → 便利すぎる |
| Further conjugation | すぎる is a GROUP 2 verb: すぎます、すぎた、すぎて、すぎない |
How to use it
Stating that a degree exceeds a reasonable limit — almost always carrying a negative meaning.
- すぎる (from 過ぎる — to exceed) states that a degree has crossed an acceptable threshold. This is what distinguishes it from 「とても」: 「この料理はとても辛いです」 = very spicy (could be a compliment); 「この料理は辛すぎます」 = too spicy, can't eat it (a complaint).
- Because it means "excessive, hence not good", すぎる is almost always negative. That's why 「きれいすぎます」 sounds very odd unless you genuinely mean "so pretty it's concerning".
- すぎる is a group 2 verb, so the resulting combination is still a VERB (quite different from やすい／にくい, which produce adjectives). That's why 「食べすぎました」「食べすぎて、お腹が痛いです」.
- Two exceptions to remember: いい → よすぎる (not いすぎる) and ない → なさすぎる (adding さ). Adjectives ending in ない like 「少ない」 follow the same pattern: 少なすぎる.
- A common everyday structure: 「食べすぎて、太りました」「働きすぎて、病気になりました」 — stating a cause that leads to a bad result.
Examples
昨日、お酒を飲みすぎました。
I drank too much alcohol yesterday.
このかばんは高すぎて、買えません。
This bag is too expensive, so I cannot buy it.
毎日働きすぎると、体に悪いですよ。
If you work too much every day, it is bad for your health.
Keep in mind
- Be careful with nouns: don't say 「学生すぎる」 — すぎる doesn't attach directly to nouns at the N4 level.
- The form 「～すぎ」 used as a noun is also common: 「食べすぎ」「飲みすぎ」「働きすぎ」.
Common mistakes
-
Wrongこの料理はとてもおいしすぎます。
This dish is very delicious.
Correctこの料理はとてもおいしいです。
すぎる means "excessive, hence not okay" — combining it with a compliment creates a contradiction, and とても is also redundant. Vietnamese speakers often use すぎる in place of "very" because Vietnamese also uses a "too much" structure as an enthusiastic compliment (literally "too delicious!").
-
Wrongこの本はいすぎます。
This book is so good.
Correctこの本はよすぎます。
いい conjugates irregularly through よ in every form (よくない、よかった、よければ、よすぎる). This is an exception that must be memorized.
Exam tips
- Remember the exceptions いい → よすぎる and ない → なさすぎる — they often appear in the correct-form selection section.
- すぎる can combine with both verbs and adjectives; やすい／にくい only combine with verbs.