Japanese: Expressing 'Enough' and 'Too Much' with 足りる and すぎる
Learn to say whether something is sufficient or excessive in Japanese using 足りる, 足りない, and 〜すぎる, with natural examples for time, money, and food.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, saying something is 'enough' or 'not enough' is not about obligation or necessity; it is about sufficiency. The core verb is 足りる (tariru), which means 'to be sufficient' or 'to be enough.' Its negative form 足りない (tarinai) means 'not enough.' To express excess, Japanese uses the suffix 〜すぎる (sugiru) attached to stems of adjectives and verbs. This lesson focuses on these two functional areas so you can talk about time, money, food, and effort without confusing them with 〜なければならない (must) or 〜必要がある (need). You will learn set patterns, common particles, and how politeness changes the forms.
By the end, you can…
- say that something is enough or not enough using 足りる and 足りない.
- use 〜すぎる to say something is too much or excessive.
- ask and answer whether there is enough time, money, or food in a natural Japanese conversation.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
時間が足りない。
There isn't enough time. / We don't have enough time.
Jikan ga tarinai.
Casual, direct statement. 時間 (jikan) = time; が marks the subject; 足りない = is not enough.
お金が足りません。
There isn't enough money. / I don't have enough money.
Okane ga tarimasen.
Polite negative form of 足りる. Use in shops, offices, or with strangers.
これで足りますか。
Is this enough? / Will this do?
Kore de tarimasu ka.
Asking whether an amount or thing is sufficient. で marks the means or amount.
食べすぎました。
I ate too much.
Tabesugimashita.
Verb stem 食べ + すぎる, polite past. Used after meals or when feeling full. Note: 食べすぎました is often written 食べ過ぎました.
高すぎます。
It's too expensive.
Takasugimasu.
I-adjective stem 高 + すぎる. Polite present. Common when shopping. Note: often written 高過ぎます.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic sufficiency pattern is [thing] が 足りる / 足りない. For example, 時間が足りない (jikan ga tarinai) means 'time is not enough.' To ask about sufficiency, use 足りますか (tarimasu ka). For excess, attach 〜すぎる to an adjective or verb stem: 高すぎる (takasugiru, too expensive), 食べすぎる (tabesugiru, eat too much). Polite forms are 足ります (tarimasu), 足りません (tarimasen), and 〜すぎます (sugimasu). Note that 〜すぎる conjugates as a regular ichidan verb: 〜すぎます, 〜すぎました, 〜すぎて, etc.
When to use it
Use 足りる when checking whether an amount meets a need, not when stating an obligation. Compare 時間が足りない (not enough time) with 時間がありません (there is no time). Use 〜すぎる for excess that causes a problem or comment: このかばんは重すぎます (kono kaban wa omosugimasu, this bag is too heavy). Avoid 〜すぎる with nouns; say お金が足りない, not お金すぎる. For na-adjectives, attach 〜すぎる directly to the stem: 静かすぎる (shizukasugiru, too quiet).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
パーティーの準備はもう終わった？
Are the party preparations already finished?Pātī no junbi wa mō owatta?ううん、まだ時間が足りない。
No, we still don't have enough time.Uun, mada jikan ga tarinai.じゃあ、手伝おうか。お金も足りない？
Then shall I help? Is money not enough too?Jā, tetsudaō ka. Okane mo tarinai?お金は足りるけど、食べ物が多すぎるよ。
Money is enough, but there's too much food.Okane wa tariru kedo, tabemono ga ōsugiru yo.A little context goes a long way
Japanese often softens direct statements with sentence-final particles like よ or ね, and uses 〜すぎる to comment on excess without sounding harsh. In polite contexts, prefer 足りません or 〜すぎます over plain forms. Note that 足りる is intransitive: the thing that is sufficient is marked by が, not を. In casual speech, 足りない is common among friends and family, while 足りません is safer with strangers, superiors, or in business settings.
One thing to watch for
Using 足りない with を, as in 時間を足りない.
Try this instead: 足りる is intransitive, so mark the thing with が: 時間が足りない (jikan ga tarinai). Use を only with transitive verbs like 使う (tsukau, to use).
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'There isn't enough money' politely?
Show a sample answer
お金が足りません。 (Okane ga tarimasen.)
This uses the polite negative of 足りる with が marking the subject. お金が足りない is also correct in casual speech.
2Turn 高い (takai, expensive) into 'too expensive' politely.
Show a sample answer
高すぎます。 (Takasugimasu.)
Drop the final い of the i-adjective and add すぎる; polite present is すぎます. 高すぎるです is not standard; use 高すぎます or casual 高すぎる.
3What is the difference between 時間が足りない and 時間がない?
Show a sample answer
時間が足りない means 'not enough time' (insufficient), while 時間がない means 'there is no time' (absence).
足りない focuses on sufficiency; ない simply states lack. Both can be valid depending on context.
Use 足りる / 足りない for sufficiency and 〜すぎる for excess; mark the subject with が and adjust politeness with ます forms.
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