What is the difference between "一生懸命", "なかなか", "いとも", "いたって"?

"一生懸命" means "very hard, with all one's might, diligently", "なかなか" means "very; considerably; easily (with negative); more than expected", "いとも" means "very, extremely (archaic/literary, often used with adjectives like 簡単, 容易, たやすい)", "いたって" means "Very, extremely, to the utmost".

Quadruple VS

Synonym Boundary: "一生懸命", "なかなか", "いとも", "いたって"

All represent the core concept "very", but require precise selection.

Japanese Option A

一生懸命

いっしょうけんめい (isshoukenmei)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

なかなか

なかなか (nakanaka)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

いとも

いとも (itomo)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

いたって

いたって (itatte)

N2 / CEFR

Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "very" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "一生懸命", "なかなか", "いとも", "いたって" based on context.

一生懸命 (いっしょうけんめい (isshoukenmei) - Level: N4): Maps to "very hard, with all one's might, diligently" and is used when An adverb used to express putting maximum effort into something. Often used with verbs like 勉強する.
なかなか (なかなか (nakanaka) - Level: N3): Maps to "very; considerably; easily (with negative); more than expected" and is used when Refers to a situation being highly considerably, more than expected, or with negative verbs, expresses that something does not happen easily.
いとも (いとも (itomo) - Level: N2): Maps to "very, extremely (archaic/literary, often used with adjectives like 簡単, 容易, たやすい)" and is used when An old-fashioned or literary adverb emphasizing 'very' or 'exceedingly.' It often adds a sense of ease or simplicity and usually precedes an adjective..
いたって (いたって (itatte) - Level: N2): Maps to "Very, extremely, to the utmost" and is used when An adverb emphasizing the degree of something, meaning 'extremely' or 'very.' Often used to describe something surprisingly or unexpectedly simple, normal, or good, contrasting with potential expectations..

Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!

Context for "一生懸命"

彼は一生懸命日本語を勉強しています。

He is studying Japanese very hard.

Context for "なかなか"

システムの初期ローディング遅延のバグ原因は複雑であり、シニアエンジニアであっても_______解決策が見出せませんでした。

Because the cause of the initial loading delay bug of the system was complex, even the senior engineer could not easily find a solution.

Context for "いとも"

その問題はいとも簡単に解決した。

That problem was solved with extreme ease.

Context for "いたって"

彼の病状はいたって安定している。

His condition is extremely stable.

Synonym Mastery Challenge

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: "彼は＿＿＿日本語を勉強しています。" (Meaning: "He is studying Japanese very hard.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "一生懸命" is correct here because it represents "very hard, with all one's might, diligently" in the context: "He is studying Japanese very hard.".