Video
Let’s watch this short video for a quick overview.
Source: gokigen japanese official YouTube Channel
Introduction
Want to say things like:
- “This coffee is too hot.”
- “I ate too much yesterday.”
- “That kanji is too difficult!”
In Japanese, there’s a simple and useful way to express excess using:
Verb or adjective (stem) + すぎる
= too much / overly ~
Let’s learn how to use this structure to describe when something goes beyond normal or acceptable levels — and practice with real examples!
1. Grammar Structure
Pattern: V/Adj (stem) + すぎる
| Type | Example | すぎる Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb | たべる | 食べすぎる | to eat too much |
| い-adjective | たかい | 高すぎる | too expensive |
| な-adjective | かんたん（な） | 簡単すぎる | too easy |
The conjugation of “sugiru” follows the ru-verb conjugation patterns.
long [polite] form
| Type | Conjugation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| affirmative | すぎます | たかすぎます It is too expensive |
| negative | すぎません | たかすぎません It is not too expensive |
| affirmative / past | すぎました | たかすぎました It was too expensive |
| negative / past | すぎませんでした | たかすぎませんでした It was not too expensive |
short [plain] form
| Type | Conjugation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| affirmative | すぎる | たかすぎる It is too expensive |
| negative | すぎない | たかすぎない It is not too expensive |
| affirmative / past | すぎた | たかすぎた It was too expensive |
| negative / past | すぎなかった | たかすぎなかった It was not too expensive |
| te-form | すぎて | たかすぎて（買えない） It is too expensive (to buy) |
2. How to Form It
To use V Adj- stem + すぎる, follow these steps:
- Get the stem of the verb or adjective.
- Attach すぎる to the stem with appropriate tense and form (e.g. すぎた in past tense, すぎます in long form)
Verbs:
Use the stem form (remove ます from ます-form)
| Verb (ます form) | Stem | +すぎる | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べます | 食べ | 食べすぎる | eat too much |
| 勉強します | 勉強し | 勉強しすぎる | study too much |
| 寝ます | 寝 | 寝すぎる | sleep too much |
い-Adjectives:
Drop the final い and add すぎる
| Adjective | Stem | +すぎる | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 高い | 高 | 高すぎる | too expensive |
| 寒い | 寒 | 寒すぎる | too cold |
| 難しい | 難し | 難しすぎる | too difficult |
Special Case: いい → よすぎる
The adjective いい（good） is irregular. This irregular rule also applies to compound adjectives that include いい, such as かっこいい (cool, good-looking).
| Adjective | +すぎる | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| いい | よすぎる | too good |
| かっこいい | かっこよすぎる | too cool |
However, be careful! The adjective かわいい (cute) looks similar but is actually a regular i-adjective.
かわいい → かわい [stem] → かわいすぎる
な-Adjectives:
Remove な and add すぎる
| Adjective | Stem | +すぎる | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| かんたんな | かんたん | かんたんすぎる | too easy |
| まじめな | まじめ | まじめすぎる | too serious |
| 下手な | 下手 | 下手すぎる | too unskilled/bad |
3. Example Sentences
このバッグは小さすぎます。
This bag is too small.
日本語は難しすぎます。
Japanese is too difficult.
きのう食べすぎたから、お腹が痛いです。
My stomach hurts because I ate too much yesterday.
この映画はおもしろすぎました。
This movie was too fun.
4. Practice Time!
Convert the following into “too much” forms:
| Base | + すぎる (long form) | English |
|---|---|---|
| 広い | 広すぎます | too spacious |
| 厳しい | 厳しすぎます | too strict |
| 運動する | 運動しすぎます | work out too much |
| 寝る | 寝すぎます | sleep too much |
| サボる | サボりすぎます | slack off too much |
5. Real-Life Scenarios
きのうカラオケで歌いすぎたから、のどが痛いです。
My throat hurts because I sang too much at karaoke yesterday.
きのう飲みすぎたから、二日酔いです。
I drank too much yesterday, so I have a hangover today.
ゲームをしすぎたから、テストの成績がわるかったです。
I played too many games, so my test scores were bad.
6. Common Mistakes to Avoid
| ❌ Wrong | ✅ Correct |
|---|---|
| 食べますすぎる | 食べすぎる |
| 高いすぎる | 高すぎる |
| 簡単なすぎる | 簡単すぎる |
💡 Always attach すぎる to the stem, not the full word!
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
- QCan I use すぎる in the past tense?
- A
Yes. Just say:
食べすぎました = I ate too much
飲みすぎた = I drank too much
- QCan I use it in polite speech?
- A
Yes. Use:
〜すぎます (polite present)
〜すぎました (polite past)
- QCan this grammar be used with a negative nuance?
- A
Yes, but be careful. For example:
タケシさんはいじわるすぎる。 = Takeshi is too mean.
エミさんはまじめすぎて、つまらない。 = Emi is too serious and boring.
- QHow do I find the “stem form” for different types of verbs (る-verbs, う-verbs, irregular verbs) to attach 「すぎる」?
- A
- る-verbs (Group 2): Remove る from the short form. (e.g., 食べる → 食べ, 見る → 見)
- う-verbs (Group 1): Use the い-ending form (like the ます-stem). This is often called the pre-ます form. (e.g., 飲みます → 飲み, 話します → 話し, 行きます → 行き)
- Irregular verbs: 来ます (きます) → 来 (き), します (します) → し
If you want to review the short form of verbs, read this article: How to Use Japanese Short Forms (Plain Forms) for Casual Conversations
- QWhat particles (like 「を」「が」「に」) are used in a sentence with 「〜すぎる」? Do they change?
- A
The particles used with the verb or adjective before 「すぎる」 generally remain the same as they would in a regular sentence without 「すぎる」. The particles indicate the relationship of other nouns to the verb/adjective.
- Example (Verb): ご飯を食べすぎました。(Gohan o tabesugimashita.) – 「ご飯を食べる」 uses 「を」.
- Example (Adjective): この部屋は広すぎますね。(Kono heya wa hirosugimasu ne.) – 「この部屋は広い」 uses 「は」.
- Example (Verb): 働きすぎて病気になりました。(Hatarakisugi te byouki ni narimashita.) – 「働く」 doesn’t take を/が/に with the subject, but the reason for becoming sick is “overworking,” using the particle て.
- QDoes 「〜すぎる」 always imply a negative meaning, or can it be used positively or neutrally?
- A
While 「〜すぎる」 most often implies that something is excessively so, leading to a negative outcome or feeling (“too much,” “overly”), its connotation can sometimes be neutral or even slightly positive depending on the adjective or verb it’s attached to and the context.
- Typically Negative: 食べすぎる (eat too much), 難しすぎる (too difficult), 働きすぎる (work too much)
- Can be Neutral/Situational: 大きすぎる (too big – might be bad or just a factual description), 静かすぎる (too quiet – might be good or bad depending on the desired atmosphere)
- Can be Slightly Positive/Nuanced: 親切すぎる (too kind – might imply they are excessively kind but not necessarily a bad thing, could even be admirable in some contexts).
When someone hears a new song by an artist they like, they may say “この曲、良すぎる…！ (kono kyoku yosugiru, This song is too good)”, which in this context is a completely positive nuance, and ‘すぎる’ emphasizes 良い=good.
Conclusion
Now you can:
✅ Say something is too much
✅ Attach すぎる to verbs and adjectives
✅ Express complaints, limits, and exaggerations naturally
🎯 Try this:
Make 3 sentences using すぎる to describe your day!
Want to improve your Japanese with real conversations?
Our native Japanese instructors at gokigen japanese can help you perfect your pronunciation and learn real-life usage.
Whether you’re completely new to Japanese or looking to refine your skills, book a one-on-one session.
