What is the difference between "大変", "一生懸命", "なかなか", "非常に", "いたって"?

"大変" means "very, terribly; difficult, tough; serious, awful", "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", "非常に" means "very, extremely, exceedingly", "いたって" means "Very, extremely, to the utmost".

Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "大変", "一生懸命", "なかなか", "非常に", "いたって"

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

Japanese Option A

大変

たいへん (taihen)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

一生懸命

いっしょうけんめい (isshoukenmei)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

なかなか

なかなか (nakanaka)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

非常に

ひじょうに (hijō ni)

N3 / CEFR

Japanese Option E

いたって

いたって (itatte)

N2 / CEFR

Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

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

大変 (たいへん (taihen) - Level: N4): Maps to "very, terribly; difficult, tough; serious, awful" and is used when Can function as an adverb.
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.
非常に (ひじょうに (hijō ni) - Level: N3): Maps to "very, extremely, exceedingly" and is used when An adverb used to express a high degree of something. More formal and stronger than 'とても.
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 "大変"

日本語の勉強は大変ですが、楽しいです。

Studying Japanese is difficult, but fun.

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 "非常に"

この問題は非常に難しいです。

This problem is extremely difficult.

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: "日本語の勉強は＿＿＿ですが、楽しいです。" (Meaning: "Studying Japanese is difficult, but fun.")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "大変" is correct here because it represents "very, terribly; difficult, tough; serious, awful" in the context: "Studying Japanese is difficult, but fun.".