すごい
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | すごい | すごくない |
| Past | すごかった | すごくなかった |
| て form | すごくて | すごくなくて |
| Adverbial | すごく | — |
| Conditional ば | すごければ | すごくなければ |
| Conditional たら | すごかったら | すごくなかったら |
Usage
すごい has two core meanings — (1) amazing, impressive (positive) and (2) terrible, extreme (negative) — and context alone decides which is meant. What both share is that the speaker is struck by the sheer degree of something, whether that degree is welcome or not. Sense 2 attaches naturally to nouns for unpleasant conditions: 雨, 渋滞, 音.
Forms
- すごくない (negative)
- すごくて (te-form)
- すごかった (past)
- Adverbial すごく: very, extremely
- The kanji 凄い exists but hiragana is far more common
- すげー / すげえ: rough, mostly masculine slang
- すっごい: emphatic, with the doubled consonant carrying the emphasis
USAGE (intensifier):
すごく is an everyday intensifier: すごくおいしい (very delicious), すごく寒い (extremely cold). In casual speech すごい is often used in that adverbial slot instead of すごく (すごいおいしい). Learners will hear this constantly, but it is non-standard and should be avoided in writing.
Similar words
- 素晴らしい: wonderful — positive only, and more formal; safe in writing where すごい is not
- ひどい: terrible — negative only, and about badness rather than degree
- やばい: the younger-generation equivalent, likewise both positive and negative, but far more casual
Register
Informal. One of the most frequent exclamations in spoken Japanese, but in formal writing 素晴らしい or a more specific adjective is preferred.