とても

• 読み: とても
• ローマ字: totemo
• 発音: /to.te.mo/

意味

Very; awfully; exceedingly. Used to intensify adjectives and adverbs.

One of the most frequently used intensifiers in Japanese, placed directly before the word it modifies. Unlike 大変 (taihen), とても is neutral and appropriate in all registers. Can also be used with negative forms to mean 'not at all possible.'

例文

1. 今日はとても暑いですね。
2. この映画はとてもおもしろかった。
3. 日本語の勉強はとても楽しいです。

使い方ガイド

場面: daily life, conversation, writing

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Originally written as 迚も, derived from the classical Japanese word とてもかくても meaning 'no matter what.' Over time, the meaning shifted from expressing impossibility to simply intensifying.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal