とりたてて

とりたてて
adverb
particularly; especially; nothing special
1. particularly; especially; in particular
Used mostly in negative sentences to mean 'nothing in particular' or 'not especially.' Occasionally appears in questions asking if there is anything noteworthy.
とりたてて問題(もんだい)はない。
There's nothing particularly wrong.
とりたてて()わったことはなかった。
There was nothing especially unusual.
趣味(しゅみ)はとりたてて()うほどのものはない。
I don't have any hobbies worth mentioning in particular.
とりたてて理由(りゆう)があるわけではないが、なんとなく()になる。
It's not that there's any particular reason, but somehow it bothers me.

Almost always used with a negative predicate. The literal origin is from ()()てる (to single out, to highlight), so とりたてて means 'singling out' — in negative form, 'nothing to single out' or 'nothing noteworthy.'

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • とりたてて問題(もんだい)はない: no particular problem
  • とりたてて()わったことはない: nothing unusual in particular
  • とりたてて()うほどのことではない: nothing worth mentioning
  • とりたてて特徴(とくちょう)がない: no distinguishing features

USAGE:
Very rarely used in affirmative sentences. When used in questions, it asks 'is there anything noteworthy?' — e.g., とりたてて(なに)かありますか.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • (とく)に: especially; particularly — more common and versatile, used in both positive and negative sentences
  • (べつ)に: not particularly — similar negative-polarity usage, but more casual and sometimes dismissive
  • 格別(かくべつ): exceptionally — literary, used for something standing out positively