今日は少し優しめにしてね。
= Kyou wa sukoshi yasashime ni shitene.
= Please be a little nice to me today, OK?
Hi everyone! I am your guest teacher, Pate!
I just had an operation. Please be a little nice to me today.
Maggie sensei taught you the suffix, 目 = め ( = me ) after a counter to indicate order before.
Today we will learn another way to use 目 = め ( = me ) with an adjective.
How to form:
★ i-adjecitve + 目／め ( = me)
* 大きい = おおきい ( = ookii ) big
→ delete い ( = i ) and add 目／め ( = me)
→大き目／大きめ = おおきめ ( = ookime) biggish, largish, a little bigger/larger
☆ modify a noun
大き目／大きめ = おおきめ ( = ookime) ＋の ( = no) + noun = a biggish sized ~/ a little bigger one
Ex. 大き目／めのサイズ
= Ookime no saizu
= a largish size
☆ use it as an adverb modifying a verb
* 大き目／大きめ = おおきめ ( = ookime) ＋に ( = ni) +verb
Ex. 大き目／大きめに切る。
= Ookime ni kiru.
= To cut in a biggish pieces.
Note: It won’t work with all adjectives. You usually use this with adjectives that express the degree, size, amount, etc.
Though you are not supposed to use this form with na-adjective, you will see it used this way in conversation sometimes.
* 静かな= しずかな ( = shizukana) = quiet
→ delete な ( = na ) and 目／め ( = me)
→ 静か目／静かめ = しずかめ ( = shizukame) on the quiet side
How / When to use this form:
目／め ( = me) : adjective “ish” / somewhat/a kind of ~ / slightly ~
a little less than what the adjective indicate.
* 大きめ = おおきめ ( = ookime) doesn’t actually mean “big / large ”.
It means size-wise something biggish/ largish.
Let’s look at the difference:
Ex. 1) 大きいおにぎりをください。
= Ookii onigiri wo kudasai.
= Please give me a big rice ball.
Ex. 2) 大きめのおにぎりをください。
= Ookime no onigiri wo kudasai.
= Please give me a biggish rice ball. (a rather big sized rice ball)
So the size-wise,
大きい (= ookii) > 大きめ (= ookime)
大きめ ( = ookime) is slightly smaller than 大きい ( = ookii).
大きめ ( = ookime) sounds a little subtle than 大きい ( = ookii) so when you ask for something, it sounds milder.
So you use this often when you ask for a favor.
Let’s see them in example sentences.
**
* 少ない = すくない ( = sukunai) a little, a few
→ 少なめ ＝すくなめ ( = sukuname) somewhat smaller amount
Ex. わさびは少めにお願いします。
= Wasabi wa sukuname ni onegai shimasu.
= Please go easy on the wasabi.
**
* 多い = おおい ( = ooi) a lot
→ 多め = おおめ（ = oome) somewhat larger quantity/amount
Ex. 今日は、デートだからいつもより多めにお金を持っていこう。
＝ Kyou wa, deito dakara itsumo yori oome ni okane wo motte ikou.
= I have a date today so I should take a little bit more money than usual with me.
Ex. ごはん、多めに盛ってください。
＝ Gohan, oome ni motte kudasai.
= Please serve me a larger portion of rice.
**
* 小さい = ちいさい ( = chiisai) small
→小さめ ( = chiisame) smallish
Ex. 「マギー、ケーキ食べない？」
= Maggie, keiki tabenai?
= Hey, Maggie, do you want a piece of cake?
「今、おなかがあまりすいていないから小さめのをちょうだい。」
= Ima, onaka ga amari suite inai kara chiisame no wo choudai.
= I am not hungry now so give me a smaller one.
***
* 強い = つよい ( = tsuyoi ) strong
→ 強め = つよめ ( = tsuyome) strongish
* 弱い = よわい ( = yowai ) weak
→ 弱め = よわめ ( = yowame) weakish
At the massage parlor
Ex.「もう少し強め／弱めでお願いします。」
= Mou sukoshi tsuyome/ yowame de onegai shimasu.
= Could you push a little harder / more gently please?
***
* 濃い = こい = koi = strong, thick
→It is supposed to be 濃め = こめ (= kome) but 濃いめ = こいめ ( = koime) strongish is more common
Ex. 濃いめのコーヒーが好きだ。
= Koime no koohii ga sukida.
= I like strongish coffee.
Ex. 濃いめにしてください。
= Koime ni shite kudasai.
= Please make it on the strong side.
***
* 薄い＝ うすい ( = usui) = weak, thin
→ 薄め = weakish
Ex. 今日は面接だから薄めの化粧にしておこう。
= Kyou wa mensetsu dakara usume no keshou ni shiteokou.
= I have an interview today so I should wear less make up today.
***
* 固い = かたい = katai = hard
→ 固め = かため= katame = hardish
* 柔らかい = やわらかい = yawarakai = soft
→ 柔らかめ = やわらかめ ( = yawarakame) softish
Ex. 卵は固めにゆでてください。
= Tamago wa katame ni yudete kudasai.
= Please boil the egg on the hard side.
Ex. 柔らかめのアボガドを選んでください。
= Yawarakame no abogado wo erande kudasai.
= Choose the softer avocados
***
* 長い = ながい ( = nagai ) long
→ 長め = ながめ ( = nagame) longish
* 短い = みじかい ( = mijikai) short
→ 短め = みじかめ ( = mijikame) shortish
*at a beauty salon
Ex. 前髪は短めに切ってください。
= Maegami wa mijikame ni kitte kudasai.
= Please make the bangs shortish.
****
* 熱い = あつい = atsui = hot
→熱め = あつめ= atsume = somewhat hot
* ぬるい = nurui = lukewarm
→ ぬるめ = nurume =the way not too hot
Ex. お風呂は熱めが好きですか？ぬるめが好きですか？
= Ofuro wa atsume ga suki desuka? Nurume ga suki desuka?
= Do you prefer rather hot temperature bath or you prefer lukewarm side?
****
* 早い = はやい ( = hayai) early, fast
→ 早め = はやめ ( = hayame) somewhat early/fast
* 遅い = おそい ( = osoi) slow, late
→ 遅め = おそめ ( = osome) somewhat slow / latish
Ex. 今日は月曜日だからいつもより早めに家を出よう。
= Kyou wa getsuyoubi dakara itsumo yori hayame ni ie wo deyou.
= It’s Monday today so I guess I will leave a little early today.
Ex. 遅めのランチをとる。
= Osome no ranchi wo toru
= To have a late lunch.
****
* 太い = ふとい ( = futoi) fat
→太め = ふとめ ( = futome) fat side
* 細い = ほそい ( = hosoi) thin, slim
→ 細め = ほそめ (= hosome) thin side
Ex. 「最近、ぽっちゃりしてきたね。」
= Saikin pocchari shitekitane.
= You are getting chubby lately.
「太めが好きだって言ったじゃない！」
= Futome ga suki datte itta janai!
= You told me you liked girls a little on the chubby side, didn’t you.
****
* 甘い = あまい ( = amai) sweet, nice
→甘め = あまめ ( = amame) sweetish,
* 辛い = からい ( = karai) spicy, hot, strict
→辛め = からめ ( = karame) hot side, strict side
* 厳しい = きびしい ( = kibishii) strict
→厳しめ = きびしめ ( = kibishime) somewhat strict
Ex. 外国のケーキは甘めだね。
= Gaikoku no keiki wa amame dane.
= I think the foreign cakes are a little sweet side.
Ex. 辛めの批評
= Karame no hihyou
= a little critical review
Ex. マギー先生にいつもより厳しめに作文を直された。
= Maggie sensei ni itsumo yori kibishime ni sakubun wo naosareta.
= Maggie sensei corrected my composition a little more strictly today than usual.
***
マギー先生より = Maggie sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
Pate先生、ありがとう！
= Pate Sensei, arigatou!
= Thank you, Pate-Sensei!
もうエリザベスは取れたよね。
= Mou Erizabesu wa toreta yone.
= You got rid of that Elizabeth collar by now, right?
今日はいつもより多めのお肉をもらってください。
= Kyou wa itsumo yori oome no oniku wo moratte kudasai.
= I hope you get a bit bigger portion of meat than usual today.
***
Could you be my Patron?
I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
20 Comments
Can you elaborate on the negative versions?
大きな目 not so big?
少なめで not so much, less?
Could you give me some example sentences with the negative usage?
Hi Rita
Technically the negative form is
大きめではない/大きめじゃない
少なめではない/少なめじゃない
but it is rare to use these forms. You just use the opposite words, 小さめ, 多め
The only case that you use the negative forms will be when you deny what someone just said.
Ex. 「ご飯、少なめでいい？」 Would small serving of rice be OK with you?
「少なめじゃなくて普通にもって」 Serve me regular portion not small portion.
Hi! I’m trying to do some digging into a phrase that my friend has on a sticker they bought.
It reads 「政府の犬め」with a picture of a dog
The only translation I can find is simply ‘government dog’ but didn’t know if the -me particle possibly changed the meaning it. Online searching lead me here 😅
Hello, Kyoumi
That め is different from the one that I explained in this lesson.
As you say the translation is “You are a government dog!”
(この）＋noun(usually a bad word)+め is a strong way to curse or insult someone.
And unfortunately, “dog” is a derogatory term to refer to someone who does everything for their boss if it is used like that.
This lesson is really helpful. I wonder if you would have another lesson about ‘v stem + こむ’?
Thank you.
@J
Good to hear that. I will add V+こむ on the request list.
how do i use the word “感じ”? i know it means “feeling” but sometimes i feel like this word its in the phrase just to make the phrase bigger, because i dont see the word “feeling” fitting in most of the phrases i read.
@ivan
Hi Ivan,
“to make the phrase bigger” →Do you have any examples?
One of the colloquial usages of 感じ is “like”/ something
It’s like I did something wrong. = なんか私が悪いことでもしたみたいな感じ。
Is it like this? = こんな感じ？
I think the “like and “something” meaning fit the phrases i saw.
one more doubt, lets say i do something or i say something to some person and this person says to me 「感じ!!!」, what it means?
@ivan
You don’t use 感じ solely.
If you say something/do something and someone says something, then it could be
そんな感じ。
Yes, just like that.
Is there any connection to this ～め and the negative ～め we see in movie dialog?
For example, バカめ seems pretty rude, while this adj+め can be used in polite situations.
My dictionary lists the kanji for both as 目 (but I suspect this is just 当て字).
Any thoughts?
@randome guy with an internet connection
There is a suffix ~め
noun + め
It is a male speech and as you said it is pretty rude and it is often used to curse someone/something or show your anger or frustration.
Ex. このバカめ！
I wouldn’t use the kanji 目 for that usage. You usually use hiragana.
面白いレッスンありがとうございます。
“Wasabi wa sukoshi me ni onegai shimasu.”
“sukuname”
ちょっととろめだから、例文の助詞の使い方を説明していただけませんか。
今日は、デートだからいつもより多めにお金を持っていこう。 Why “に” instead of “の”, as I would think “多め” modifies ”お金”?
よろしくお願いします
@Zetsuboumanadeshi
Thank you for spotting the typo. I fixed it.
多めに modifies a verb 持って行く. It is an adverb.
（ご飯を多めに作る）
多めのお金を持って行こう works too.
多め modifies お金 so it is an adjective.
Ohh, Thanks for this lesson! I have never noticed this expression before, though I might have heard it somewhere.
@reid
You’re very welcome. You will hear a lot in a restaurant here. (Ex. ごはん、多め/少なめにお願いします。etc.)
hello does this comment work
@S
Hello s,
All your comments were in Pending Files. I erased other comments as you wrote.
I have to authorized your comments first. I assume it should appear from the second time.
弱い = よわい
( = yowame 
[yowai] ) weak !niconico!
@zoheb
Thank you, my spell check angel!
