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すこぶる Japanese meaning | Kotomora

すこぶる

す

こ

ぶ

る

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

adverb

extremely; very

usually written using kana alone

A somewhat formal or emphatic adverb meaning 'extremely' or 'very'. Often used in written language or formal speech.

彼かれの説せつ明めいはすこぶる分わかりやすかった。
His explanation was extremely easy to understand.

今日きょう

の

会かい

議ぎ

は

すこぶる

順じゅん

調ちょう

に

進すす

ん

だ

。

Today's meeting went extremely smoothly.

Written forms

すこぶるUsage80%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
頗すこぶるUsage20%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.

Kanji

頗prejudiced, exceedingly

Similar words

非ひ常じょうに
非常に is a more common and neutral way to say 'very' or 'extremely'. すこぶる is more emphatic and slightly formal.
極きわめて
極めて is also formal and means 'extremely', but it can sound more objective or absolute. すこぶる often carries a subjective, impressed tone.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. It may be related to the classical Japanese adjective すこぶ (sukobu), meaning 'to be excellent' or 'to surpass', but the exact derivation is unclear.