すごい
すごい
i-adjective
amazing, incredible
informalevaluation
See also:
すげー (casual variant)
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 |
1.
amazing, incredible, awesome
Expressing that something is impressive, remarkable, or extraordinary. Very commonly used in casual conversation.
She has an incredible talent for languages—apparently she can speak five languages.
2.
terrible, dreadful
Originally meant something frightening or extreme (can still be used this way).
The typhoon winds were terrible, so we couldn't go outside. Apparently several trees fell over too.
Uses sense 2: terrible/dreadful
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
As an 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.
Casual variants
- すげー / すげえ: rough, mostly masculine slang
- すっごい: emphatic, with the doubled consonant carrying the emphasis
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.