JLPT N2 Grammar – Difference between “〜あまり” and “あまりの～に”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “〜あまり” and “あまりの～に”
2. 〜あまり
3. あまりの〜に
4. Let’s Compare
5. Summary
6. Quiz
7. Similar Articles
8. Comment

Q: Do “〜あまり” and “あまりの～に” have the same meaning?

A: “〜あまり” and “あまりの～に” indicate an extraordinarily high degree, leading to an unusual result because of some cause or reason.

〜あまり (JLPT N2)

[Meaning]
To the extent of ~ / Too ~

[Rules]　　
[V] Verb plain form＋あまり
　　*For verbs, only the affirmative form can be used
[A] Nominalized い adjective ＋の＋あまり
　　*For い adjectives, the nominalized form is used (e.g., うれしい ⇒ うれしさ)
[Na] な adjective＋あまり
[N] Noun＋の＋あまり

[Point]
Verbs like “食たべます” (to eat) and “飲のみます” (to drink) are often used together with “〜過すぎます” to indicate an abnormal degree or state.
Adjectives used in this construction typically express emotions or states.

[Examples]
[V] 薬くすりを飲のみ過すぎたあまり効きくなくなってしまいました。
I took too much medicine, and it stopped working.

[V] 母ははは私わたしを心配しんぱいするあまり毎日まいにち電話でんわをかけてきます。
My mother worries about me so much that she calls me every day.

[A] JLPTに合格ごうかくして、うれしさのあまり泣なきました。
I passed the JLPT and was so happy that I cried.

[Na] 仕事しごとが大変たいへんなあまり社員しゃいんがどんどん辞やめてしまいました。
The work was so tough that employees started quitting one after another.

[N] 驚おどろきのあまり声こえが出でませんでした。
I was so surprised that I couldn’t speak.

あまりの〜に (JLPT N2)

[Meaning]
To the extent of ~ / Too ~

[Rules]　
[A] あまりの＋nominalized い adjective＋に
[Na] あまりの＋nominalized な adjective＋に
*For adjectives, the nominalized form is used (e.g., うれしい ⇒ うれしさ, 大変たいへん⇒大変たいへんさ)
[N] あまりの＋Noun＋に

[Point]
Adjectives used in this construction typically express emotions or states.

[Examples]　
[A] 試験しけんに受うかってあまりのうれしさに泣なきました。
I passed the exam and was so happy that I cried.

[A] その景色けしきのあまりの美うつくしさに人々ひとびとは言葉ことばを失うしないました。
People were speechless due to the overwhelming beauty of the scenery.

[A] まだ4月がつですが、あまりの暑あつさにエアコンをつけました。
It’s only April, but I turned on the air conditioner due to the extreme heat.

[Na] パーティーのあまりのにぎやかさに疲つかれてしまいました。
I got tired from the overwhelming liveliness of the party.

[N] あまりの恐怖きょうふに息いきもできませんでした。
I was so terrified that I couldn’t even breathe.

Let’s Compare

When using adjectives expressing emotions to indicate a high degree, either “〜あまり” or “あまりの～に” can be used to convey the same meaning. This can be applied to both positive and negative emotions.
However, note the different positions of the words indicating the high degree.

[Examples]
うれしさのあまり泣なきました。
あまりのうれしさに泣なきました。
I cried from being so happy.
⇒ This indicates that you cried because the speaker was thrilled.

仕事しごとの大変たいへんさのあまり社員しゃいんがどんどん辞やめてしまいました。
あまりの大変たいへんさに社員しゃいんがどんどん辞やめてしまいました。
The overwhelming difficulty caused employees to quit one after another.
⇒ This indicates that the work was so overwhelming that employees started quitting.

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[〜あまり]

While “あまりの〜に” can only be connected to adjectives, “〜あまり” can indicate a high degree of action. When the result is unfortunate or unexpected, “しまう” is often used.

[Examples]
急いそいでいたあまり大事だいじな書類しょるいを家いえに忘わすれて来きてしまいました。
I was in such a hurry that I forgot to bring the important documents from home.
⇒ This indicates that being in too much of a hurry resulted in forgetting the documents at home.

仕事しごとをしすぎたあまり病気びょうきになってしまいました。
I worked too much and ended up getting sick.
⇒ This indicates that working too much resulted in getting sick.

Summary

• “Both ”〜あまり” and “あまりの〜に” indicate an extraordinarily high degree, leading to an unusual result because of that cause or reason.
• When expressing degree or emotion with adjectives, either can be used.
• When expressing a high degree with verbs, use ”〜あまり.”

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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