～すぎる (too much)

Japanese Grammar Basic Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral すぎるsugiru
Reading すぎる
Romaji sugiru
Formation Verb ます-stem + すぎる / い-Adj stem + すぎる / な-Adj + すぎる
Kanji breakdown 過 (か/す.ぎる) — overdo, exceed, pass

Meaning

An auxiliary verb attached to verb stems and adjective stems to express that something is done excessively or a state is excessive. It conveys the meaning of 'too much' or 'overly.'

すぎる attaches to the ます stem of verbs (食べ → 食べすぎる), the stem of い-adjectives (高い → 高すぎる), and な-adjectives directly (静か → 静かすぎる). The resulting compound behaves as a regular る-verb and can be conjugated further: すぎた (past), すぎない (negative), すぎて (て form). It almost always carries a negative connotation — the excess is undesirable or problematic. Common everyday uses include eating too much, working too much, or something being too expensive. Learners should be careful not to attach すぎる to the full adjective form — it attaches to the stem only. For verbs, it attaches to the ます stem, not the dictionary form or て form.

Examples

  1. 昨日食べすぎてお腹が痛い。 I ate too much yesterday and my stomach hurts.
  2. このかばんは重すぎて持てない。 This bag is too heavy to carry.
  3. 彼は優しすぎて断れない性格だ。 He is too kind to refuse anyone.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: critical

Do Say

  • コーヒーを飲みすぎると眠れなくなる。
  • この部屋は暗すぎます。
  • 心配しすぎないでください。
  • あの映画は長すぎた。

Don't Say

  • 食べるすぎた。(Attaching すぎる to dictionary form — use ます stem: 食べすぎた) → 食べすぎた。
  • 高いすぎる。(Keeping the い of い-adjective before すぎる — drop the い: 高すぎる) → 高すぎる。
  • 静かなすぎる。(Keeping な before すぎる — attach directly to な-adjective stem: 静かすぎる) → 静かすぎる。

Origin & History

すぎる comes from the verb 過ぎる meaning 'to pass' or 'to exceed.' When used as a suffix, it retains the sense of going beyond a normal or acceptable limit, expressing that something has 'passed' the appropriate amount.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Related Phrases

～て (て form) The て form is one of the most versatile verb and adjective conjugations in Japanese. It connects clauses, forms compound verbs, makes requests, and serves as the base for many auxiliary constructions such as ている, てしまう, and ておく. ～てくる (1) (directional) An auxiliary verb construction where くる follows the て form to express that someone or something moves toward the speaker. It indicates physical movement in the direction of the speaker's location. ～てみる (try doing) An auxiliary verb construction where みる follows the て form to express trying or attempting an action to see what happens or what it is like. It conveys the nuance of doing something experimentally or for the first time. ～ことができる (able to) A construction expressing ability or possibility. It states that doing a particular action is possible, either because of personal skill, circumstances, or permission. It is the formal equivalent of the potential form of verbs. ～ていく (1) (moving away) An auxiliary verb construction where いく follows the て form of a verb to indicate that an action or movement proceeds in a direction away from the speaker or a reference point. It describes going somewhere while doing something, or doing something and then going. ～ていく (2) (ongoing change) An auxiliary verb construction where いく follows the て form of a verb to express that an action or state continues to change or progress from the present into the future. It describes a gradual, ongoing shift moving forward in time. ～ておく (in advance) An auxiliary verb attached to the て form indicating that an action is done in advance, in preparation for a future need or situation. It conveys the idea of doing something ahead of time and leaving the result in place. ～てくる (2) (emerging change) An auxiliary verb construction where くる follows the て form to express that a process or change has begun and progressed up to the present moment. It describes an emerging or continuing change observed from the speaker's current perspective.
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