is there any difference between せめて and 少なくとも?


I know they both mean "at least", unless I'm wrong.




"At least" is merely the English translation of the phrases found in
**_bilingual_** dictionaries. It tells us nothing about how 「せめて」 and 「少なくとも」
are (and are not) used in the actual Japanese-speaking world.

In my Japanese ear, to tell the truth, 「せめて」 and 「少なくとも」 sound like two fairly
different types of phrases even though I must admit that they are sometimes
actually interchangeable.

「せめて」 often sounds **emotion-packed**. One uses it to appeal or complain for
the minimum number/amount/frequency, etc. of something that one desires to
have.

「少なくとも」 is more about **cold numbers** and such describing the minimum
requirements unless other words expressing emotions are attached to it.

If a mother said 「せめて[年]{ねん}に[一度]{いちど}でもスミ[子]{こ}から[便]{たよ}りがあればねぇ。」, she would
sound like she was in grief for her goofy daughter Sumiko who does not even
write/call her mother once a year.

If the mother used 「少なくとも」 instead of 「せめて」, it would not sound nearly as
sorrowful. She would sound as if it were okay with her if she did not hear
from Sumiko very often.

Finally, an example where the two phrases can **_never_** be interchangeable:

「[東京]{とうきょう}からニューヨークまでは行くには **少なくとも** １２[時間]{じかん}はかかる。」

The context here is all about math and science; there are no emotions involved
anywhere. You could never use 「せめて」 in that sentence even if you wanted to. If
you used it, the sentence would not make any sense at all to us Japanese-
speakers.




"At least" is merely the English translation of the phrases found in
**_bilingual_** dictionaries. It tells us nothing about how 「せめて」 and 「少なくとも」
are (and are not) used in the actual Japanese-speaking world.

In my Japanese ear, to tell the truth, 「せめて」 and 「少なくとも」 sound like two fairly
different types of phrases even though I must admit that they are sometimes
actually interchangeable.

「せめて」 often sounds **emotion-packed**. One uses it to appeal or complain for
the minimum number/amount/frequency, etc. of something that one desires to
have.

「少なくとも」 is more about **cold numbers** and such describing the minimum
requirements unless other words expressing emotions are attached to it.

If a mother said 「せめて[年]{ねん}に[一度]{いちど}でもスミ[子]{こ}から[便]{たよ}りがあればねぇ。」, she would
sound like she was in grief for her goofy daughter Sumiko who does not even
write/call her mother once a year.

If the mother used 「少なくとも」 instead of 「せめて」, it would not sound nearly as
sorrowful. She would sound as if it were okay with her if she did not hear
from Sumiko very often.

Finally, an example where the two phrases can **_never_** be interchangeable:

「[東京]{とうきょう}からニューヨークまでは行くには **少なくとも** １２[時間]{じかん}はかかる。」

The context here is all about math and science; there are no emotions involved
anywhere. You could never use 「せめて」 in that sentence even if you wanted to. If
you used it, the sentence would not make any sense at all to us Japanese-
speakers.

