This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word sugoku, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, discussion of usage vs. sugoi and more!
What does sugoku mean?
Sugoku means very or really in Japanese. It can also mean so when emphasizing something (e.g., so cold). In kanji, sugoku is written as 凄く, but it is more common to write this word in hiragana as すごく. Sugoku is the adverb form of sugoi (すごい), which means amazing or great.
In Japanese conversations, you will use sugoku to emphasize something. For example:
ご飯はすごく美味しかった。
Gohan wa sugoku oishikatta.
ごはんはすごくおいしかった。
The dinner was very nice.
Below, we take a look at some examples of how to use sugoku in Japanese. I will also include some notes on young people’s casual usage of sugoi instead of sugoku.
To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji on the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last.
Example sentences using sugoku
今、すごく疲れている。
Ima, sugoku tsukareteiru.
いま、すごくつかれている。
I am really tired right now.
昨日は最高だったね。すごく楽しかった！
Kinou wa saikou datta ne. Sugoku tanoshikatta!
きのうはさいこうだったね。すごくたのしかった！
Yesterday was great. I had so much fun!
風がすごく強いなあ。
Kaze ga sugoku tsuyoi naa.
かぜがすごくつよいなあ。
The wind is so strong, eh.
最初はすごく大変だった。
Saisho wa sugoku taihen datta.
さいしょはすごくたいへんだった。
It was really hard at first.
あの日はすごく良い思い出です。
Ano hi wa sugoku ii omoide desu.
あのひはすごくいいおもいでです。
That day is a very good memory.
Sugoi instead of sugoku?
If you spend a decent amount of time in Japan talking to young people (or maybe just watching TV!), you’re bound to notice how some Japanese use sugoi as an emphasizer instead of sugoku. This is a form of slang, as below:
彼女はすごい綺麗！
Kanojo wa sugoi kirei!
かのじょはすごいきれい！
She is so beautiful!
As it turns out, using sugoi in this way is actually grammatically incorrect. The reason is that sugoi should not be used to modify an adjective because it is not an adverb. The correct sentence is as follows:
彼女はすごく綺麗！
Kanojo wa sugoku kirei!
かのじょはすごくきれい！
She is so beautiful!
So which word should you use in this situation, sugoi or sugoku?
Some might argue that popular usage is, by definition, what you should imitate in a language but I tend to take the side of Steve Kaufmann in this debate.
When learning a foreign language like Japanese, you should firstly study the correct (standard) language. By all means, take a note of slang such as how people use sugoi here. It’s a fun part of Japanese culture.
But don’t imitate slang or non-standard language until you are already comfortable with using Japanese. You will be better understood and taken more seriously if you use the correct Japanese. With all that said, have fun on your journey to fluency!
Rohan's favorite resource for learning Japanese is JapanesePod101, one of the best tools for getting started with the language. Sign up for a free lifetime account here.
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