ほとんど

• Reading: ほとんど
• Romaji: hotondo
• Pronunciation: /ho.toɴ.do/

Meaning

Almost; nearly; mostly; practically; virtually. Indicates that something is very close to being complete or total.

An adverb used to express near-totality. With affirmative verbs: ほとんど終わった (nearly finished). With negative verbs: ほとんど食べなかった (hardly ate). Can also function as a noun meaning most or the majority: ほとんどの人 (most people). Very high-frequency word in daily Japanese.

Examples

1. 宿題はほとんど終わりました。 I've almost finished my homework.
2. 昨日はほとんど眠れなかった。 I could hardly sleep last night.
3. ほとんどの学生がこの授業を取っています。 Most of the students are taking this class.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, study, reports

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Originally written 殆ど, from the kanji 殆 (tai, almost/dangerous). The kanji form is now rare in everyday writing — modern Japanese strongly prefers the hiragana spelling.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal