Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "急ぎます" vs "ぜんぜん"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
急ぎます
いそぎます (isogimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
ぜんぜん
ぜんぜん (zenzen)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 急ぎます and ぜんぜん are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
急ぎます (いそぎます (isogimasu)) represents "to hurry" (Level: N5) and typically represents Intransitive verb. Used to express the act of doing something quickly because of limited time or urgency..
On the other hand, ぜんぜん (ぜんぜん (zenzen)) translates to "not at all (used with negative)" (Level: N4) and is used for Adverb always used with a negative verb or adjective to express 'not at all' or 'not in the least'. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "急ぎます"
時間がないので、急ぎましょう。
There's no time, so let's hurry.
Bilingual Sentence for "ぜんぜん"
私は韓国語がぜんぜん分かりません。
I don't understand Korean at all.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "時間がないので、急ぎましょう。" (Meaning: "There's no time, so let's hurry.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "急ぎます" fits here because it represents "to hurry" in the context: "There's no time, so let's hurry.".