Grammar › Cause & Reason
あまり — “so much that…”
Says an emotion or state was so intense that it caused an (often extreme) result
Noun + の + あまり, or a plain verb + あまり, links an intense feeling or state to a resulting, often surprising or extreme, consequence — “X was so much that Y happened.” It reads as more literary and dramatic than a plain から/ので.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + の + あまり | 驚きのあまり、声も出なかった — I was so surprised I couldn't even speak |
| Plain verb + あまり | 心配しすぎるあまり、眠れなかった — I worried so much that I couldn't sleep |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 嬉しさのあまり、涙が出た。 | うれしさのあまり、なみだがでた。 ureshisanoamari、namidagadeta。 | I was so happy that I cried. |
| 緊張のあまり、頭が真っ白になった。 | きんちょうのあまり、あたまがまっしろになった。 kinchounoamari、atamagamasshironinatta。 | I was so nervous my mind went blank. |
| 忙しさのあまり、食事をとる時間もなかった。 | いそがしさのあまり、しょくじをとるじかんもなかった。 isogashisanoamari、shokujiwotorujikanmonakatta。 | I was so busy I didn't even have time to eat. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
This あまり (intensity leading to a result) is a completely different word from あまり meaning “not very” (あまり好きじゃない) — context makes it obvious, but don't mix the two up when studying.