What are the various uses of あまり?


I'm a beginner and I would like to know how あまり is used.




This won't be all the uses of あまり but it should give you some idea how it is
used :)

**As a noun:**  
It can be used simply as a noun meaning "the rest"; "the remainder".

> 給料の余りで本を買った  
>  He bought books with _what was left_ of his pay.  
>  食事の余りは捨てた  
>  The _remains_ of the meal were thrown away.

It can also be used as a grammar point `～（の）あまり（に）～` showing the result of
having too strong an emotion. It connects to nouns with `の` or just comes
straight after verbs.

> あの時はショックのあまり何もできなかったんです。  
>  I was _too_ shocked to do anything at that time.  
>  うれしさのあまり彼女は踊りだした  
>  She was _so_ happy that she danced for joy.  
>  将来を心配するあまり現在のことがおろそかになる  
>  worry _so much_ about the future that you neglect the present  
>

**As a na-adjective:**  
Expresses that something is extreme; too much; beyond expectations

> あまりに多くの間違いをする  
>  make _too_ many mistakes  
>  あまりにきれいで食べるのがもったいないように見える  
>  look _too_ good to eat

**As an adverb:**  
Comes before the verb as an adverb expressing that somebody is doing something
too much, more than they should.

> あまり勉強するとからだを壊すよ  
>  If you study _too much_ you'll ruin your health  
>

With a negative, expresses "not very much". This usage in particular is very
common and often becomes `あんまり` or `あんま` in casual speech.

> あまりよくない  
>  _Not very_ good  
>  あまり可愛くない  
>  _Not so_ cute  
>  あまり食べない  
>  Don't eat _very much_

**As a suffix:**  
Comes after a counter to express that something is more than the amount

> 百名余りの従業員  
>  _More than_ 100 employees  
>  5年余り前に  
>  _More than_ five years ago  
>

Example sentences and information from:  

  * [goo辞書 (goo Dictionary)](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/)
  * [英辞郎 (Eijirou)](https://eow.alc.co.jp/)




This won't be all the uses of あまり but it should give you some idea how it is
used :)

**As a noun:**  
It can be used simply as a noun meaning "the rest"; "the remainder".

> 給料の余りで本を買った  
>  He bought books with _what was left_ of his pay.  
>  食事の余りは捨てた  
>  The _remains_ of the meal were thrown away.

It can also be used as a grammar point `～（の）あまり（に）～` showing the result of
having too strong an emotion. It connects to nouns with `の` or just comes
straight after verbs.

> あの時はショックのあまり何もできなかったんです。  
>  I was _too_ shocked to do anything at that time.  
>  うれしさのあまり彼女は踊りだした  
>  She was _so_ happy that she danced for joy.  
>  将来を心配するあまり現在のことがおろそかになる  
>  worry _so much_ about the future that you neglect the present  
>

**As a na-adjective:**  
Expresses that something is extreme; too much; beyond expectations

> あまりに多くの間違いをする  
>  make _too_ many mistakes  
>  あまりにきれいで食べるのがもったいないように見える  
>  look _too_ good to eat

**As an adverb:**  
Comes before the verb as an adverb expressing that somebody is doing something
too much, more than they should.

> あまり勉強するとからだを壊すよ  
>  If you study _too much_ you'll ruin your health  
>

With a negative, expresses "not very much". This usage in particular is very
common and often becomes `あんまり` or `あんま` in casual speech.

> あまりよくない  
>  _Not very_ good  
>  あまり可愛くない  
>  _Not so_ cute  
>  あまり食べない  
>  Don't eat _very much_

**As a suffix:**  
Comes after a counter to express that something is more than the amount

> 百名余りの従業員  
>  _More than_ 100 employees  
>  5年余り前に  
>  _More than_ five years ago  
>

Example sentences and information from:  

  * [goo辞書 (goo Dictionary)](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/)
  * [英辞郎 (Eijirou)](https://eow.alc.co.jp/)

