Skip to content
JLPT N3Emphasis

～にすぎない— Nothing More Than

Means 'is nothing more than ~' or 'merely ~', downplaying something as small, limited, or insignificant. The speaker asserts that the thing does not exceed a certain modest level. It often carries a dismissive or humble tone, minimizing the importance of what precedes it.

Grammar path · 練習

Practice this in the path

A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 68 · EMPHASIS

Structure · 形

[Plain form] / [Noun] + にすぎない

Examples · 例文

  • それは単なる噂にすぎない。

    Sore wa tannaru uwasa ni suginai.

    That's nothing more than a mere rumor.

    Noun 噂 + にすぎない dismisses it as merely a rumor

  • 私は事実を言ったにすぎない。

    Watashi wa jijitsu wo itta ni suginai.

    I merely stated the facts.

    Plain past 言った + にすぎない minimizes the speaker's act

  • 彼はただの子供にすぎない。

    Kare wa tada no kodomo ni suginai.

    He's nothing more than a child.

    Often paired with ただ／単なる to strengthen the 'merely' nuance

Usage notes · 注意

  • Frequently combined with ただの / 単なる ('mere') for emphasis.
  • Tone is dismissive or humble — it minimizes value or importance.
  • Register: neutral to formal; common in writing and analytical speech.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～にすぎない is tested against.

vsだけだ

だけだ simply states 'only', a plain limit; にすぎない adds an evaluative, dismissive nuance that the amount is trivially small.

vsでしかない

でしかない is very close ('is nothing but') but tends to sound more emotional/resigned; にすぎない is more objective and analytical.

More emphasis

Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki

Everything on this page, ready to study

  • 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio (N5 free)
  • 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
  • 445 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
  • Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio (N5 sets 1 and 2 free)