いやに

いやに

awfully, terribly

JLPT N1

Meaning and Usage

The adverb いやに is used to express that something is unusually or excessively so, often with a nuance of surprise or suspicion. It can be translated as "awfully," "terribly," or "unusually." It often appears in casual or conversational contexts.

Common Collocations

  • いやに暑い (awfully hot): emphasizes an unusual degree of heat.
  • いやに静か (unusually quiet): suggests something is off or unexpected.
  • いやに親切 (awfully kind): can imply suspicion about the kindness.

Nuance and Register

いやに often conveys a feeling that the degree of something is beyond normal expectations, sometimes causing the speaker to feel uneasy or surprised. It is informal and common in spoken Japanese.

Common Mistakes

Learners sometimes confuse いやに with いやだ (dislike) or いや (no), but いやに is an adverb modifying adjectives or verbs to indicate an unusual degree, not a negative feeling by itself.

Summary

Use いやに when you want to highlight that something is strikingly or unusually so, often with a subtle implication that it might be strange or suspicious. It helps add emotional color to descriptions in everyday conversation.

Example Sentences

きょうはいやにあついですね。

It's awfully hot today, isn't it?

かれはいやにしずかだったので、なにかあったのかもしれない。

He was unusually quiet, so maybe something happened.

いやにしんせつにしてくれて、ぎゃくにあやしいとおもった。

They were awfully kind, so I thought it was suspicious.