JLPT N4 grammar
〜すぎる — Meaning & Examples
Too much — almost always a complaint. Verb stem / drop い / drop な + すぎる. Irregulars: いい → よすぎる, ない → なさすぎる.
〜すぎる — Too Much
〜すぎる means "too much" — and it is almost always negative. It signals a problem, not enthusiasm.
Formation:
Verb ます-stem + すぎる → 食べすぎる = eat too much
い-adjective, drop い + すぎる → 高すぎる = too expensive
な-adjective, drop な + すぎる → 静かすぎる = too quiet
Examples:
昨日、食べすぎました。
= I ate too much yesterday.
このかばんは高すぎます。
= This bag is too expensive.
働きすぎないでください。
= Please don't overwork.
Two irregulars worth memorising:
いい → よすぎる (not いいすぎる)
ない → なさすぎる
Careful — すぎる is a complaint, not a compliment:
❌ このケーキはおいしすぎます。 (sounds like "unpleasantly sweet")
✅ このケーキはとてもおいしいです。
(In very casual speech young people do use おいしすぎる positively, the same way English says "insanely good" — but for the JLPT and for polite conversation, treat すぎる as a problem.)
すぎ as a noun is common too:
食べすぎ = overeating
飲みすぎ = drinking too much
働きすぎ = overwork
Practice questions
Try these 3 questions on 〜すぎる. Pick an answer in your head, then open “Show answer”.
1. The すぎる form of the adjective 高い is?
- 高すぎる
- 高いすぎる
- 高くすぎる
- 高さすぎる
Show answer
Answer: 高すぎる
い-adjectives DROP the い before すぎる: 高い → 高すぎる = too expensive.
2. The irregular すぎる form of いい is?
- いいすぎる
- よくすぎる
- よすぎる
- いさすぎる
Show answer
Answer: よすぎる
いい → よすぎる (using the よ- stem, as いい always does when it conjugates). Also ない → なさすぎる.
3. Why is このケーキはおいしすぎます odd in polite speech?
- すぎる signals a problem, so it sounds like an unpleasant excess
- The grammar is wrong
- It is too formal
- ケーキ cannot take adjectives
Show answer
Answer: すぎる signals a problem, so it sounds like an unpleasant excess
すぎる is essentially a complaint. Praising something needs とても, not すぎる — though casual speech does bend this.
Practise 〜すぎる in the free app
This point is part of the “⚖️ Easy, Hard, Too Much — 〜やすい・〜にくい・〜すぎる・〜ながら” lesson in A Star Japanese. Study it with examples, a quiz, flashcards and timed JLPT N4 mock exams. Free on iPhone and Android.
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Related N4 grammar points
From the same lesson: ⚖️ Easy, Hard, Too Much — 〜やすい・〜にくい・〜すぎる・〜ながら
Frequently asked questions
What does 〜すぎる mean?
Too much — almost always a complaint. Verb stem / drop い / drop な + すぎる. Irregulars: いい → よすぎる, ない → なさすぎる.
Is 〜すぎる on the JLPT N4 test?
〜すぎる is taught in the JLPT N4 grammar course in A Star Japanese (lesson “⚖️ Easy, Hard, Too Much — 〜やすい・〜にくい・〜すぎる・〜ながら”), so it is a pattern learners at this level are expected to recognise. The JLPT does not publish an official grammar list, so treat this as a study guide rather than an official requirement.
How can I practise 〜すぎる?
Open the “⚖️ Easy, Hard, Too Much — 〜やすい・〜にくい・〜すぎる・〜ながら” lesson in the free A Star Japanese app for iPhone and Android. It has examples, a quiz after every lesson, flashcards with spaced repetition and timed JLPT N4 mock exams, with no ads.