〜すぎる (sugiru) - Too Much
〜すぎる attaches to verb stems and adjective stems to indicate excess - doing something too much or something being excessive. It carries a negative connotation of going beyond the appropriate amount.
Verb stem + すぎる
食べすぎる - eat too much
飲みすぎる - drink too much
働きすぎる - work too much
Excessive action
Beyond reasonable limit
Usually negative
Formation
With verbs
る-verbs:
食べる → 食べすぎる "eat too much"
寝る → 寝すぎる "sleep too much"
見る → 見すぎる "watch too much"
う-verbs:
飲む → 飲みすぎる "drink too much"
働く → 働きすぎる "work too much"
買う → 買いすぎる "buy too much"
Irregular:
する → しすぎる "do too much"
来る → 来すぎる "come too much"
With adjectives
い-adjectives (drop い):
高い → 高すぎる "too expensive"
長い → 長すぎる "too long"
多い → 多すぎる "too many"
少ない → 少なすぎる "too few"
な-adjectives (drop な):
簡単 → 簡単すぎる "too easy"
静か → 静かすぎる "too quiet"
便利 → 便利すぎる "too convenient"
Adjectives common with すぎる
Core Meaning
Excessive amount
食べすぎた
"Ate too much"
Implies: More than healthy/appropriate
Negative consequence
Regret implied
働きすぎている
"Working too much"
Beyond healthy limits
Concern for wellbeing
Common Usage
Health and wellbeing
飲みすぎないで
"Don't drink too much"
寝すぎた
"Slept too much"
疲れすぎている
"Too tired"
Concern for excess
Warning about limits
Spending and consumption
お金を使いすぎた
"Spent too much money"
買いすぎた
"Bought too much"
食べすぎて苦しい
"Ate too much and feel sick"
Financial concern
Consumption excess
Work and effort
働きすぎだよ
"You're working too much"
頑張りすぎないで
"Don't try too hard"
心配しすぎ
"Worrying too much"
Care for others
Warning against excess
Negative Connotation
Usually implies problem
Using すぎる suggests:
- Beyond appropriate amount
- Potentially harmful
- Should moderate
Even with positive actions:
頑張りすぎる "try too hard" - might burn out
親切すぎる "too kind" - maybe taken advantage of
Excess is negative
Moderation valued
With Adjectives
Too + adjective
高すぎる
"Too expensive"
難しすぎる
"Too difficult"
遠すぎる
"Too far"
簡単すぎる
"Too easy"
Exceeding acceptable degree
Common complaint pattern
Advice and Warnings
Don't do too much
食べすぎないで
"Don't eat too much"
働きすぎないように
"So that you don't work too much"
飲みすぎに注意して
"Be careful not to drink too much"
Cautionary statements
Health warnings
Friendly advice
Casual Shortening
すぎ form
働きすぎ
"Too much working"
Noun-like usage
Casual speech
食べすぎは体に悪い
"Eating too much is bad for the body"
Nominalized form
Common in casual talk
Conjugation
Regular る-verb
すぎる is a る-verb:
Present: すぎる
Past: すぎた
Negative: すぎない
Te-form: すぎて
Potential: すぎられる (rare)
食べすぎる → 食べすぎた
高すぎる → 高すぎた
Standard conjugations
With ている
Ongoing excess
働きすぎている
"Is working too much"
飲みすぎている
"Is drinking too much"
Current state of excess
Ongoing problem
Comparison Contexts
This is too much
これは高すぎる
"This is too expensive"
その仕事は多すぎる
"That work is too much"
Judging excess
Making complaints
Cultural Context
Moderation valued
Japanese culture values moderation:
中庸 (chuuyou) - middle way
過ぎたるは猶及ばざるが如し
"Too much is the same as too little"
すぎる reflects this value
Excess criticized
Balance preferred
Common Collocations
食べすぎる - eat too much
Most common
飲みすぎる - drink too much
Very common
働きすぎる - work too much
Common concern
高すぎる - too expensive
Common complaint
多すぎる - too many
Quantity complaint
These are natural phrases
Learn as units
Expressing Regret
Past excess
昨日食べすぎた
"Ate too much yesterday"
お金を使いすぎてしまった
"Ended up spending too much"
Regret expressed
Mistake acknowledged
Formality
Neutral usage
Can use in:
- Casual: 食べすぎた
- Polite: 食べすぎました
- Written: 食べすぎた
Adjust with conjugation
Not inherently formal/casual
With Causative
Made to do too much
働かせすぎる
"Make (someone) work too much"
勉強させすぎた
"Made (someone) study too much"
Criticism of forcing excess
Concern for others
Positive Actions Made Negative
Even good things
優しすぎる
"Too kind" - might be taken advantage of
頑張りすぎる
"Try too hard" - might burn out
真面目すぎる
"Too serious" - should relax more
Even positives can be excessive
Balance important
In Questions
Checking excess
食べすぎた？
"Did you eat too much?"
高すぎない？
"Isn't it too expensive?"
多すぎませんか
"Isn't it too many?"
Checking if excessive
Confirming concerns
Common Mistakes
❌ Using dictionary form
✗ 食べるすぎる
✓ Using stem form
✓ 食べすぎる
❌ With い-adjectives, keeping い
✗ 高いすぎる
✓ Drop い first
✓ 高すぎる
❌ Treating as positive
すぎる is usually negative
✓ Understand negative nuance
Excess is problem
❌ Wrong conjugation
✗ すぎた (sugita)
✓ Correct conjugation
✓ すぎた (sugita) - actually this IS correct
Practical Examples
Real-life situations
このコーヒーは甘すぎる
"This coffee is too sweet"
昨日飲みすぎて、頭が痛い
"Drank too much yesterday, have a headache"
彼は働きすぎだと思う
"I think he works too much"
最近スマホを見すぎている
"Lately looking at smartphone too much"
この靴は小さすぎて履けない
"These shoes are too small and can't wear them"
Everyday complaints
Health concerns
Natural contexts