余り～ない
Not very, Not much, Not really, Hardly
Structure
あまり(1) + ［い］Adjective［ない］
あまり(1) + Noun + ではない(2)
あまり + ［な］Adjective + ではない(2)
(1) あんまり
(2) じゃない
Explanation
The word あまり is quite useful in Japanese and appears in a variety of grammatical structures. When combined with a negative form (ending in ない), it conveys the meaning of 'not very (A)' or 'hardly (A)'. You can place あまり (or its informal version, あんまり) either at the start of the clause or just before the negative expression.
- 今日はあまり天気が良くないですね。The weather isn't very good today, is it?
- 私は辛いものがあまり好きじゃない。I don't like spicy food very much.
- あの喫茶店はあまり混んでいない。That coffee shop isn't very crowded.
- 弟はスポーツがあまり上手ではない。My younger brother is not very good at sports.
Fun Fact
Although あまり～ない is commonly translated as 'not very', its original meaning is more akin to 'not excessively (A)'. This comes from the kanji 余り, which signifies 'excess' or 'surplus'.This underlying sense of 'excessiveness' is present in all uses of あまり; the nuance simply shifts depending on whether it's used in an affirmative sentence (without ない) or a negative one (with ない).
Examples
今朝はあまり寒くないですね。
It isn't very cold this morning, is it?
あまりテレビを見ません。
I don't watch very much TV.
料理はあまり上手ではないです。
I am not very good at cooking.
今日はあまり外に出たいと思わない。
I don't really feel like going out today.
その人の名前があまり覚えられません。
I can't quite remember that person's name.
運動はあまり得意ではないんです。
I'm not very good at sports, you see.
彼はあまり勉強していないようだ。
It seems he hasn't been studying very much.
最近、友達にあまり会っていない。
Recently, I haven't been seeing my friends very much.
あまり面白い映画ではなかったけど、音楽はよかった。
It wasn't a very interesting movie, but the music was good.
ホラー映画はあまり好きじゃないから、見に行かない。
I don't really like horror movies, so I'm not going to see it.
彼の言うことはあまり信用できない。
I can't really trust what he says.
パーティーはあまり楽しくなかったので、早めに帰った。
The party wasn't very fun, so I went home early.