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.
***
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I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
18 Comments
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!
