めったに〜ない: 'Rarely' / 'Hardly Ever'
What it means
めったに tells you how often something happens — and the answer is almost never. It describes a rare event: it can occur, but it seldom does. The one rule you must lock in: めったに requires a negative verb. It cannot stand alone with a plain affirmative.
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.
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.
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.
The nuance is "on rare occasions, but practically never." It carries a slightly emphatic, almost surprised tone — stronger than a casual "not very often."
How to form it
Place めったに before the verb, and make the verb negative. That's the whole pattern.
| 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) |
Note that the negation can sit on a potential verb too: めったに食べられない means "you rarely get to eat (it)" — perfect for talking about something special.
More examples
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.
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.
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.
めったに vs. other frequency adverbs
These four all combine with a negative, but they sit at different points on the "how often" scale. In plain English:
- 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). めったに and ほとんど are close, but めったに stresses frequency (it seldom happens), while ほとんど leans toward amount/degree (almost none of it). For an event that occurs once in a blue moon, めったに is the natural choice.
Common mistakes
- Using めったに with an affirmative verb. This is the number-one error. ✗ めったに行く → ✓ めったに行かない. めったに must have a negative predicate; there is no "めったに + affirmative" meaning "rarely does."
- Confusing it with 全然. めったに〜ない = rarely (it does happen sometimes); 全然〜ない = never at all. Don't use めったに when you mean an absolute zero.
- Forgetting the negative in the past tense too. "I rarely met him" is めったに会わなかった, not めったに会った.
- Treating it as "a little." めったに is about how often (frequency), not how much (amount). For "not very much," reach for あまり instead.
Quick recap
- めったに = "rarely / hardly ever / seldom."
- It always pairs with a negative predicate: めったに〜ない / 〜ません / 〜なかった.
- Nuance: the event can happen, but it almost never does.
- 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).
- Common slip: never use めったに with an affirmative verb.
Your turn
Choose the correct sentence using めったに〜ない.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N3 めったに〜ない drill →
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.'