余(あま)す

あます
godan verb (transitive)
to leave over; to leave (something) remaining; to have to spare
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present余(あま)す余(あま)さない
Present polite余(あま)します余(あま)しません
Past余(あま)した余(あま)さなかった
Past polite余(あま)しました余(あま)しませんでした
て form余(あま)して余(あま)さなくて
ている present余(あま)している余(あま)していない
ている polite余(あま)しています余(あま)していません
ている past余(あま)していた余(あま)していなかった
ている past polite余(あま)していました余(あま)していませんでした
Conditional ば余(あま)せば余(あま)さなければ
Conditional たら余(あま)したら余(あま)さなかったら
Volitional余(あま)そう—
Volitional polite余(あま)しましょう—
Potential余(あま)せる余(あま)せない
Passive余(あま)される余(あま)されない
Causative余(あま)させる余(あま)させない
Imperative余(あま)せ余(あま)すな
1. to leave (something) over; to leave remaining
To leave a portion of something unused, unfinished, or unconsumed. The transitive counterpart of 余(あま)る.
ご飯(はん)を余(あま)した。
I left some rice over (didn't finish it).
おかずを少(すこ)し余(あま)して弟(おとうと)に残(のこ)しておいた。
I left a bit of the side dish over and saved it for my younger brother.
食(た)べきれずに料理(りょうり)を半分(はんぶん)も余(あま)してしまった。
I couldn't finish it and ended up leaving half the food over.
〜(〜)してしまう adds the nuance of regret or unintended outcome.
2. to have (time/distance) to spare
Used in fixed expressions like 〜(〜)を余(あま)して to mean 'with (time/distance) to spare' before reaching a deadline or destination.
力(ちから)を余(あま)して勝(か)った。
He won with energy to spare.
時間(じかん)を十分(じゅうぶん)余(あま)して駅(えき)に着(つ)いた。
I arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare.
彼(かれ)は締(し)め切(き)りまで一(いち)時間(じかん)余(あま)して原稿(げんこう)を書(か)き上(あ)げた。
He finished writing the manuscript with an hour to spare before the deadline.

余(あま)す is the transitive counterpart of 余(あま)る (to be left over). The pair forms a classic transitive/intransitive set: someone 余(あま)す something, vs. something 余(あま)る on its own.

TRANSITIVITY:

  • Transitive: ご(ご)飯(はん)を余(あま)す (to leave rice over) — the speaker actively leaves it
  • Intransitive: ご(ご)飯(はん)が余(あま)る (the rice is left over) — it simply remains

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 時間(じかん)を余(あま)す: to have time to spare
  • 力(ちから)を余(あま)す: to have energy/strength to spare
  • 〜(〜)を〜(〜)時間(じかん)余(あま)して: with (number of) hours to spare
  • 持(も)て余(あま)す: to be unable to handle (a separate fixed compound — see related)

USAGE NOTES:

  • Sense 1 (leaving food/material over) is much less common in everyday speech than 残(のこ)す, which is the default verb for leaving food on a plate. 余(あま)す sounds slightly stiff or literary in this sense.
  • Sense 2 (時間(じかん)を余(あま)して, etc.) is the more frequently encountered pattern, especially in sports commentary and news.

RELATED TERMS:

  • 余(あま)る: intransitive counterpart — to be left over
  • 残(のこ)す: to leave behind (more common for food/items)
  • 持(も)て余(あま)す: to be at a loss with; to find too much to handle
general
Added 2026.5.9 20:31
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