When do you use “めっきり”? Learn how to use it!
Table of Contents
1. When do you use “めっきり”?
2. めっきり
3. Let’s Compare
4. Summary
5. Similer Articles
6. Comment
Q: I heard the word “めっきり” for the first time. What does it mean?
A: It’s an adverb that describes a clear and noticeable change. You may not hear it often, but it’s actually a natural expression commonly used in everyday conversation and writing.
めっきり
[Meaning]
A situation changes suddenly in a noticeable way, and that change can be clearly felt
[Commonly used with]
Verbs: 減る (decrease), 弱る (weaken), 老ける (grow old), 変わる (change), etc.
Adjectives: 寒くなる (become cold), 弱くなる (become weak), etc.
Expressions: 元気がない (not energetic)
[Examples]
めっきり寒くなりましたね。
It has suddenly gotten much colder.
めっきり日が長くなって、もう夏ですね。
The days have clearly become longer—it already feels like summer.
昔はにぎわっていた場所も、めっきり変わってしまい、今ではほとんど人が住んでいません。
A place that used to be lively has changed noticeably, and now almost no one lives there.
若いころは元気だった父も、最近はめっきり弱ってしまいました。
My father, who was so energetic when he was young, has recently grown noticeably weaker.
“めっきり” expresses a clear or sudden change, seen from an objective point of view.
It can be used in both positive and negative situations, but it tends to appear more often in contexts that describe decline or decrease, such as getting weaker or less active.
It also often reflects the speaker’s surprise or strong impression that the change was greater than expected.
[Example in a positive context]
葉が赤くなって、めっきり秋らしくなりましたね。
The leaves have turned red, and it has clearly started to feel like autumn.
⇒ The changing color of the leaves makes the shift from summer to autumn easy to feel.
[Examples in a negative context]
叔母に5年ぶりに会ったら、めっきり老けていて驚きました。
When I saw my aunt for the first time in five years, I was surprised at how much older she looked.
⇒ There was a noticeable difference from the last time we met, and I was surprised by the change.
昔は子どもたちに大人気だったおもちゃも、今ではめっきり売れなくなってしまいました。
A toy that used to be very popular among children has now stopped selling almost completely.
Let’s Compare
Which of the following sounds more natural in this situation?
[Example]
A「体調はどうですか？」
B ①「めっきり元気になりました。」
②「すっかり元気になりました。」
The correct answer is ② “I’ve gotten completely better.”
“すっかり” (sukkari) is an adverb that means completely, showing that something has fully changed into a certain state. In this case, B wants to say they have completely recovered from a cold or illness, so “すっかり” is the appropriate choice.
On the other hand, “めっきり” (mekkiri) expresses a change that is sudden and clearly noticeable from an objective point of view. In this situation, the recovery is likely gradual and felt personally, so using “めっきり” sounds unnatural.
Then, how about the following case?
[Example]
① 友達の子どもがめっきり大人っぽくなっていて驚きました。
② 友達の子どもがめっきり大人っぽいので驚きました。
The more natural expression is ①.
“めっきり” is an adverb that describes a change, so it’s usually followed by expressions that also show a sense of change, such as “〜なる” (“to become”).
In sentence ①, “become more mature” shows a change compared to before, so it connects naturally with “めっきり.”
In contrast, sentence ② just describes the current state without showing a change. Therefore, using “めっきり” here sounds unnatural because the meaning of change is missing.
Summary
- “めっきり” is an adverb that describes a sudden and noticeable change seen from an objective point of view.
- It often reflects the speaker’s surprise or strong impression that the change was more than expected.
- It sounds most natural when used with verbs that express change, such as “～なる,” “～くなる,” or “～てしまう.”
Similer Articles
- Must-Know for Foreigners Working in Japan: Do You Really Need a Hanko (Personal Seal)?
- Differences in Parts of Speech between Japanese and English②
- Differences in Parts of Speech between Japanese and English①
- Learning the Forms of Japanese from Classical Literature
- Idioms Using “頭” ② – Useful in Everyday Conversations
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