ほぼ

ほぼ is an adverb meaning "almost" or "approximately," indicating near-completeness or approximation.

COMMON PATTERNS:

• ほぼ完成(かんせい) (almost complete)
• ほぼ全員(ぜんいん) (almost everyone)
• ほぼ同(おな)じ (almost the same)
• ほぼ毎日(まいにち) (almost every day)

SIMILAR WORDS:

• ほぼ vs. ほとんど: Both mean "almost," but ほとんど often implies "the great majority" and can be used with negative constructions (ほとんど〜ない = hardly any). ほぼ is more neutral for approximations.
• ほぼ vs. 約(やく): 約(やく) is used specifically for numerical approximations (約(やく)10人(にん) = about 10 people), while ほぼ is broader.
• ほぼ vs. だいたい: だいたい is more casual and can mean "generally" as well as "approximately."

Register: Neutral. Common in both spoken and written Japanese.