JLPT N4 Vocabulary – Difference between “すごい” and “すごく”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “すごい” and “すごく”
2. すごい
3. すごく
4. Let’s Compare
5. Summary
6. Quiz
7. Similer Articles
8. Comment

Q: What is the difference between “すごい” and “すごく”? I often hear both “すごいおいしい” and “すご おいしい” but which one is correct?

A: “すごい” is an い adjective, and “すごく” is an adverb. Therefore, the correct form is “すごくおいしい.”

すごい (JLPT N4)

“すごい” is an い adjective. い adjectives are independent words that conjugate, and they express the qualities or states of things by modifying nouns or by being used alone as predicates.

[Conjugation rules for i-adjectives]
Present/Future Affirmative: い adjective (です) → おいしい (delicious)
Present/Future Negative: い adjective い + くない (です) → おいしくない (not delicious)
Past Affirmative: い adjective い + かった (です) → おいしかった (was delicious)
Past Negative: い adjective い + くなかった (です) → おいしくなかった (was not delicious)

[Basic word order]
Subject + い adjective + noun
Subject + い adjective

[Examples]
昨日きのうの嵐あらしはすごい風かぜと雨あめでした。
Yesterday’s storm had incredible wind and rain.

ここからの景色けしきはすごいですね。
The view from here is amazing, isn’t it?

昨夜さくやの花火はなび大会たいかいは本当ほんとうにすごかったです。
Last night’s fireworks festival was really amazing.

すごく (JLPT N4)

“すごく” is the adverbial form of “すごい.”
Adverbs are independent words that do not conjugate, and they primarily function to modify the qualities or states of things.

[Rule for forming adverbs from い adjectives]
い adjective い + く
⇒ すごい → すごく, 大おおきい → 大おおきく, 細こまかい → 細こまかく

[Basic word order]
Adverb + Verb
Adverb + Adjective

[Examples]
この映画えいが、すごくおもしろいね。
This movie is really interesting, isn’t it?

楽たのしみにしていたけど、すごくつまらない話はなしでした。
I was looking forward to it, but it turned out to be a really boring story.

すごく大変たいへんな仕事しごとだったけど、終おわると良よい経験けいけんだったと思おもいます。
It was a really tough job, but in the end I think it was a good experience.

Let’s Compare

Which of the following is correct?

[Example]
①このケーキ、すごいおいしいね。
②このケーキ、すごくおいしいね。

If you know the rule, the answer is clear.
The correct one is ② “すごく.”

What about the following case?

[Example]
①すごい楽たのしい時間じかんを過すごした。
②すごく楽たのしい時間じかんを過すごした。

Since it modifies “楽たのしい時間じかん” (adjective + noun), the correct form is ② “すごく.”

So why did the incorrect usage “すごい + adjective” come about?
In fact, the reason for this misuse is not entirely clear, and there are several theories. One possible explanation is that it relates to the original meaning of “すごい.”

[Meanings of すごい]
①ぞっとするほど恐おそろしいこと・とても気味きみが悪わるいこと
②程度ていどがはなはだしいこと・並外なみはずれていること

[例れい]
あの廃墟はいきょには霊れいがいるとか…すごく怖こわいです。（①）
They say there are ghosts in that abandoned building… it’s really scary.

すごい雨あめですね。（②）
That’s an incredible amount of rain, isn’t it?

From these original meanings, using “すごい” with “おいしい“ could either sound coarse (as in ①) or exaggerated (as in ②). For this reason, the more natural expressions were originally “とてもおいしい” (“very delicious”) or “大変たいへんおいしい” (“extremely delicious”).

However, as language has evolved, “すごい” has come to be used broadly in both positive and negative senses. In spoken Japanese, the form “すごい + adjective” spread and became common.

[Current usage]
“すごい” is often used adverbially in casual spoken Japanese.
Grammatically, however, the correct form is the adverb “すごく.”
When you want to express deliciousness or strong emotion politely, adverbs like “とても” or “大変たいへん” sound more refined.

Summary

• “すごい” is used as an i-adjective, while “すごく” is used as an adverb.
• “すごいおいしい” is a colloquial expression, but grammatically correct usage is “すごくおいしい”
• When you want to express yourself more politely, adverbs like “とても” or “大変たいへん” are more natural and refined.

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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Similer Articles

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