まだまだ
まだまだ
adverb
still far from enough, not yet by a long shot
1.
still far from enough, not nearly there yet
Emphasizes that something is far from reaching a goal, standard, or completion. Stronger than まだ alone.
まだまだです。
I still have a long way to go.
Common humble response to praise
日本語はまだまだ上手じゃない。
My Japanese is still far from good.
練習が足りない。まだまだ努力しないといけない。
I haven't practiced enough. I still need to work much harder.
2.
still more to come, there is much more ahead
Indicates that something will continue or that there is still plenty remaining.
夏はまだまだ続く。
Summer is far from over.
時間はまだまだある。
There is still plenty of time.
この先まだまだ面白くなるから、楽しみにしていてね。
It's going to get much more interesting from here, so look forward to it.
まだまだ is the reduplicated form of まだ (still, not yet), adding emphasis to mean "far from enough" or "still a long way to go."
COMMON PATTERNS:
- まだまだです: I still have a long way to go (humble response to praise)
- まだまだ足りない: still far from enough
- まだまだこれから: the best is still to come
- まだまだ続く: far from over
USAGE:
まだまだです is one of the most common humble responses when receiving a compliment in Japanese. It conveys modesty by saying one is far from accomplished.
NUANCE:
- Sense 1 (not enough) often carries a tone of self-reflection or humility
- Sense 2 (more to come) is more neutral or encouraging, indicating that something will continue or has further to go
CONTRAST:
まだ simply means "still" or "not yet." まだまだ emphasizes that the gap is large.