めったに〜ない: 'Rarely' / 'Hardly Ever'
A rare event, not an impossible one
めったに answers "how often?" — and the answer is almost never. Crucially, it describes something that can happen and occasionally does; it just seldom does. That "once in a blue moon" nuance sets it apart from a flat "never," and it carries a slightly emphatic, almost surprised tone — stronger than a casual "not very often."
先生はめったに怒らない。
せんせいは めったに おこらない。
The teacher hardly ever gets angry.
弟はめったに泣かないが、今日は泣いた。
おとうとは めったに なかないが、きょうは ないた。
My little brother rarely cries, but today he did.
Shows the 'it can happen, just seldom' nuance.
The verb has to go negative
This is the one rule you can't skip: めったに requires a negative predicate. Think of it as one unit — めったに〜ない — that cannot stand alone with a plain affirmative. Place めったに before the verb, then make the verb negative:
| Element | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain negative | めったに + 〜ない | めったに行かない (rarely goes) |
| Polite negative | めったに + 〜ません | めったに行きません |
| Past negative | めったに + 〜なかった | めったに会わなかった (rarely met) |
| With です/ある | めったに + ない | めったにない (is rare) |
| Potential negative | めったに + 〜られない | めったに食べられない (rarely can eat) |
Two spots trip learners up. The negative has to survive into the past tense — "I rarely met him" is めったに会わなかった, never めったに会った. And the negation happily sits on a potential verb: めったに食べられない means "you rarely get to eat (it)," perfect for something special.
こんなチャンスはめったにない。
こんな チャンスは めったに ない。
An opportunity like this rarely comes along.
めったにない is an extremely common set phrase.
これはめったに食べられない高級料理だ。
これは めったに たべられない こうきゅうりょうりだ。
This is a luxury dish you rarely get to eat.
めったに食べられない = can seldom eat — the potential form.
ヤッタンはめったに学校を休まない。
ヤッタンは めったに がっこうを やすまない。
Yattan rarely takes a day off school.
モチはめったに弱音を吐かない。
モチは めったに よわねを はかない。
Mochi hardly ever complains or shows weakness.
Where it sits: あまり, ほとんど, 全然
All four combine with a negative, but they mark different points on the "how often" scale:
- あまり〜ない — "not very often / not much." The mildest. あまり食べない = "I don't eat it much" (but sometimes I do).
- めったに〜ない — "rarely / hardly ever." Stronger; the event is genuinely uncommon.
- ほとんど〜ない — "almost never / almost none." Very close to zero, but a hair above it.
- 全然〜ない — "not at all / never." A flat, absolute zero. (See 全然〜ない.)
Roughly: あまり (sometimes not) → めったに (rarely) → ほとんど (almost never) → 全然 (never). The pair most worth separating is めったに and ほとんど: they're close, but めったに stresses frequency (it seldom happens), while ほとんど leans toward amount/degree (almost none of it). And don't reach for めったに when you mean an absolute zero — that's 全然's job. For an event that occurs once in a blue moon, めったに is the natural choice.
The short version
- めったに = "rarely / hardly ever / seldom" — the event can happen, but it almost never does.
- It always pairs with a negative predicate: めったに〜ない / 〜ません / 〜なかった (including the past and potential forms).
- The number-one slip is an affirmative verb: ✗ めったに行く → ✓ めったに行かない.
- It's about how often (frequency), not how much (amount) — for "not very much," reach for あまり.
- Scale: あまり〜ない (not much) < めったに〜ない (rarely) < ほとんど〜ない (almost never) < 全然〜ない (never).
Practice it
Choose the correct sentence using めったに〜ない.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
そんなに気品のあるダンサーは＿＿＿見たことがない。
Frequently asked questions
Does めったに always need a negative verb?
Yes. めったに only works with a negative predicate — めったに〜ない, 〜ません, or 〜なかった. There is no affirmative use; めったに行く is incorrect. Always pair it with a negative.
What's the difference between めったに〜ない and ほとんど〜ない?
Both mean 'almost never,' and they're close. めったに stresses frequency (it seldom happens), while ほとんど leans toward amount/degree (almost none). For a once-in-a-blue-moon event, めったに is the most natural pick.
Is めったに stronger than あまり〜ない?
Yes. あまり〜ない is mild ('not very often / not much'), while めったに〜ない is stronger ('rarely / hardly ever'). The order from weak to strong is roughly あまり < めったに < ほとんど < 全然.
How is めったに different from 全然〜ない?
めったに〜ない means it happens but very rarely; 全然〜ない means it never happens at all — an absolute zero. Use 全然 for a flat 'not at all,' めったに for 'on rare occasions.'
Where めったに〜ない fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Past Tense · N5 — The plain past た-form means 'did.' It follows the same sound changes as the て-form (just て→た, で→だ): 食べた, 行った, 飲んだ. Learn it by verb group.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜うちに · N3 — 〜うちに means 'while a state lasts' — do something before it changes: 明るいうちに帰ろう. Learn 〜ないうちに ('before X happens'), 〜ているうちに, and うちに vs 間に.
More N3 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ものだ — 〜ものだ states general truths and common-sense advice, recalls how things used to be (〜たものだ), and voices strong feeling. Learn all four N3 uses and 〜ものではない.
- 〜向け vs 〜向き — 〜向け = made/intended for a target audience (子供向けの番組). 〜向き = suited to by nature, or facing a direction (初心者向き, 南向き). Learn the contrast and avoid mixing them up.
- 〜ないことはない — 〜ないことはない is a double negative that softly affirms: 'it's not that I can't / it's possible, I suppose.' Learn the formation, the nuance, and how it differs from 〜ことはない.
- 〜に違いない — 〜に違いない means 'must be' or 'I'm sure' — a strong, evidence-based conclusion. Learn the formation, the certainty ladder vs かもしれない・でしょう・はず, and common mistakes.
- 〜によると — 〜によると (= 〜によれば) cites the source of reported information: 天気予報によると…. Learn the form, why it pairs with そうだ/らしい, and によると vs によって.
- おそらく — おそらく means 'probably' or 'most likely' — a slightly formal adverb that pairs with だろう, でしょう, or と思う. Learn its use, register, and how it differs from たぶん.