とりたてて

Almost always used with a negative predicate. The literal origin is from 取(と)り立(た)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
• とりたてて変(か)わったことはない: nothing unusual in particular
• とりたてて言(い)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., とりたてて何(なに)かありますか.

Similar words

• 特(とく)に: especially; particularly — more common and versatile, used in both positive and negative sentences
• 別(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