Translation guide
The English word 'hardly' is used to express that something is almost not the case, or that something happens very little. It often corresponds to Japanese expressions of negation, scarcity, or difficulty. This guide organizes the main uses of 'hardly' and provides natural Japanese equivalents.
彼のことはほとんど知らない。
I hardly know him.
牛乳がほとんど残っていない。
There's hardly any milk left.
Expressing that something is almost not true or happens to a very small degree.
This is the most common and versatile way to express 'hardly' in the sense of 'almost not'. The pattern is ほとんど + negative verb/adjective.
彼はほとんど食べない。
He hardly eats.
この町にはほとんど人がいない。
There are hardly any people in this town.
Used specifically for frequency: 'hardly ever'. It emphasizes rarity of an action or event.
彼はめったに映画を見ない。
He hardly ever watches movies.
Implies 'hardly' with a nuance of 'not properly' or 'not enough'. Often used in negative contexts.
ろくに勉強もしないで試験に落ちた。
He failed the exam without hardly studying.
Expressing that there is very little or almost nothing of something.
Same pattern as above, but used with nouns and quantity expressions.
冷蔵庫にほとんど何もない。
There's hardly anything in the fridge.
彼はほとんどお金がない。
He has hardly any money.
Literally 'only a little', used to emphasize a very small amount. Can be used in positive sentences.
ほんのわずかな違いだ。
It's a hardly noticeable difference.
Expressing that one event happened immediately after another, with the first event barely completed.
Used to say 'hardly had ... when ...'. The verb before か is in dictionary form, and the verb after is in negative form.
家に着くか着かないかのうちに雨が降り出した。
Hardly had I arrived home when it started raining.
Similar meaning, but emphasizes the moment right after an action. Often translated as 'as soon as' or 'hardly ... when'.
彼はベッドに入ったとたんに眠ってしまった。
Hardly had he gotten into bed when he fell asleep.
Using 'hardly' to mean 'not at all' in a sarcastic or emphatic way, often with 'can/could hardly'.
Expresses that something is impossible or extremely difficult. Often used with potential verbs.
この問題はとても解けない。
I can hardly solve this problem. (It's impossible)
Used to say that something is far from being the case; 'hardly the time/place for ...'.
今は笑っているどころではない。
This is hardly the time to be laughing.
English 'hardly' is not directly equivalent to Japanese adverbs like 'かろうじて' (barely) in all contexts. The most natural translation often uses a negative structure with ほとんど〜ない or めったに〜ない. Using a positive adverb may sound unnatural.
彼はほとんど英語を話せない。
He can hardly speak English.
ほとんど〜ない is used for both frequency and degree (hardly any, hardly at all). めったに〜ない is specifically for low frequency (hardly ever). Use めったに〜ない when emphasizing that something rarely happens.
彼はめったに怒らない。
He hardly ever gets angry.
彼はほとんど怒らない。
He hardly gets angry. (could also mean he barely shows anger)