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N5 · G42 Adjectives

〜すぎる

Too ~ / Excessively ~

すぎる means "too ~" or "do too much". Add it to a verb stem or an adjective stem when something goes past a good level.

How to make it

RuleExample
Verb ます-stem + すぎる
い-adjective (drop い) + すぎる
な-adjective (no な) + すぎる
Exception: いい → よすぎる

Meaning and examples

  1. 1. Doing something too much

    With a verb, すぎる means you did more than you should, such as eating, drinking or spending too much.

    • kinou wa tabesugimashita.

      I ate too much yesterday.

    • okane o tsukaisugimashita.

      I spent too much money.

    • chichi wa osake o nomisugimasu.

      My father drinks too much.

  2. 2. Too + adjective

    With an adjective, すぎる means the quality goes beyond what is good or wanted: too expensive, too big, too easy.

    • kono kaban wa takasugimasu.

      This bag is too expensive.

    • kono shatsu wa ookisugimasu.

      This shirt is too big.

    • kono tesuto wa kantansugimashita.

      This test was too easy.

  3. 3. Giving a reason with すぎて

    The て-form すぎて explains a result: "It's too spicy, so I can't eat it."

    • kono karee wa karasugite, taberu koto ga dekimasen.

      This curry is too spicy, so I can't eat it.

    • soto wa samusugite, dekaketakunai desu.

      It's too cold outside, so I don't want to go out.

Nuance

すぎる usually sounds negative: it means "more than is good". If you just want to say "very", use とても instead. すぎる conjugates like a る-verb: すぎます, すぎました, すぎて, すぎない. Watch the exception いい → よすぎる.

Compared with

とても means "very" and is neutral or positive. すぎる means "too" and suggests a problem.

い-adjectives drop the final い before すぎる (高い → 高すぎる), the same stem used for many other forms.

Common mistakes

Wrong

Right

Drop the い of an い-adjective before すぎる.

Wrong

Right

すぎる attaches to the ます-stem, not the dictionary form.

Wrong

Right

な-adjectives drop な before すぎる.

Practice

JLPT style: choose the best answer for ( ).

FAQ

Is すぎる always negative?

Usually, yes. It means more than is good or wanted. To praise something, use とても or ほんとうに instead.

How do I say "I ate too much"?

Use the past form: 食べすぎました. すぎる conjugates like a る-verb, so the past is すぎました and the casual past is すぎた.

What is the すぎる form of いい?

いい becomes よすぎる, because いい uses よ for its other forms too (よくない, よかった).

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