なるべく: 'As Much As Possible' / 'If Possible'
The best-effort promise it hides
なるべく asks the listener (or yourself) to do something to the greatest extent that's reasonable — no more. That's the whole flavor: effort within reason. You're committing to try hard, but quietly leaving room for circumstances that might get in the way. So なるべく行きます is "I'll go if I reasonably can," not the firm 必ず行きます ("I will definitely go"). Read it as an absolute and you overpromise; read it as best-effort and you've got it.
なるべく早く来てください。
なるべく はやく きてください。
Please come as early as you can.
Not 'definitely arrive early' — just 'as early as is feasible.'
健康のために、野菜をなるべく毎日食べる。
けんこうの ために、やさいを なるべく まいにち たべる。
For my health, I eat vegetables every day as much as I can.
Where it lands: requests and goals
That soft, best-effort feel is exactly why なるべく slots so naturally onto 〜てください requests (softening the instruction) and onto 〜ようにする goals (framing an ongoing effort). It also works cleanly with the negative — なるべく〜ないようにする, "try to avoid … as much as you can."
ヤッタンはなるべく日本語で話すようにしている。
ヤッタンは なるべく にほんごで はなすように している。
Yattan tries to speak in Japanese as much as possible.
モチはなるべくお金を使わないようにしている。
モチは なるべく おかねを つかわないように している。
Mochi tries not to spend money as much as possible.
なるべく works with the negative too — 'avoid as much as you can.'
Just an adverb — no particle, no conjugation
Mechanically なるべく is simple: it's a pure adverb that sits in front of the verb (or the adjective/adverb) it modifies. It never conjugates — there's no なるべきます or なるべくな — and it never takes が or を. Position is flexible: both なるべく野菜を食べる and 野菜をなるべく食べる are fine.
| Pattern | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With a verb | なるべく + verb | なるべく歩く (walk as much as possible) |
| With a request | なるべく + 〜てください | なるべく静かにしてください |
| With a goal | なるべく + 〜ようにする | なるべく早く寝るようにする |
| With an adjective/adverb | なるべく + 早く / たくさん | なるべく安く (as cheaply as possible) |
なるべく or できるだけ?
The one comparison worth internalizing is できるだけ. The two overlap heavily and swap freely in most sentences, but できるだけ ("as much as you possibly can") lands slightly stronger and shows up more in everyday speech, while なるべく can feel a touch softer and more polite. Neither means "definitely" — for a firm promise, reach for 必ず instead.
More sentences to model
先生は「なるべく辞書を使わないで読んでみて」と言った。
せんせいは「なるべく じしょを つかわないで よんでみて」と いった。
The teacher said, 'Try to read it without a dictionary as much as you can.'
弟はなるべく宿題を後回しにしたがる。
おとうとは なるべく しゅくだいを あとまわしに したがる。
My little brother wants to put off his homework as much as possible.
明日は雨らしいので、なるべく早く家を出よう。
あしたは あめらしいので、なるべく はやく いえを でよう。
It looks like rain tomorrow, so let's leave the house as early as we can.
The short version
- なるべく = "as much as possible" / "if possible" — a reasonable, best-effort goal.
- It's an adverb: it never conjugates and takes no particle. Just place it before the verb.
- It pairs naturally with 〜てください (requests) and 〜ようにする (ongoing efforts).
- It does not mean "definitely" — for that, use 必ず.
- Near-synonym: できるだけ, which is slightly stronger and more common.
Practice it
Choose the sentence that uses なるべく correctly.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
コートを探してます。背が低いので、丈は短めで、＿＿＿すっきりしたデザインのものを。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between なるべく and できるだけ?
They mean almost the same thing: 'as much as possible.' できるだけ is slightly stronger and more common in casual speech, while なるべく can feel a touch softer and more polite. In most sentences you can swap one for the other freely.
Does なるべく mean 'definitely'?
No. It means 'to the extent that's reasonable / if possible.' なるべく行きます is 'I'll go if I reasonably can,' not a firm promise. For 'definitely,' use 必ず.
Where does なるべく go in the sentence?
It's an adverb, so it goes before the verb or the word it modifies. Both なるべく野菜を食べる and 野菜をなるべく食べる are natural — position is flexible.
Can I use なるべく with a negative verb?
Yes. なるべく〜ないようにする ('try not to … as much as possible') is very common: なるべくお金を使わないようにする ('try to avoid spending money').
Where なるべく fits
Don't confuse it with
- 〜ようにする · N4 — 〜ようにする means making a conscious effort to do (or not do) something — 'try to / make sure to.' Learn the formation, the negative, the ている habit form, and how it differs from ようになる.
More N3 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜にはかなわない — 〜にはかなわない attaches to a noun to mean 'cannot compete with' or 'no match for' — 母の料理にはかなわない (nothing beats mom's cooking). It expresses conceding defeat to something clearly superior.
- 〜わけがない — 〜わけがない expresses confident logical denial: 'there's no way' / 'impossible.' Learn the formation, how it differs from わけではない and わけにはいかない, and はずがない.
- 〜わけにはいかない — 〜わけにはいかない means you can't do something for social, moral, or psychological reasons. Learn the form, the double-negative 〜ないわけにはいかない ('have to'), and how it differs from ことができない.
- 〜にとって — 〜にとって marks whose viewpoint an evaluation is made from: 私にとって大切 ('important to me'). Learn the formation, にとっての + noun, and how it differs from として.
- 〜について — 〜について marks the topic you talk, think, or write about: 日本の文化について話す. Learn the form, the についての + noun pattern, についても, and how it differs from に関して.
- 〜という — 〜という names things (「ヤッタン」という犬), wraps hearsay (来ないという), and packages a clause into a noun (失敗したという事実). Learn all three N3 uses.