Japanese with Manga

Far too few clues with なさすぎる

Grammar Explanation: Too much with 〜すぎる

Conan walks down a city sidewalk behind Ran and Kogoro, his head lowered in thought. Ran's hand is raised to her face.
名探偵コナン » Volume 2 » Page 77

Masami Hirota’s father has been found hanged in his apartment, and the police say it was murder. Masami is missing, and her glasses turned up near the scene. Ran is crushed, and Conan resolves to find Masami before it’s too late.

コナン:
「でも、どーすりゃいいんだ…」
“But what am I supposed to do...”
Literal: “But, what would be good if I do...”
「あまりにも手(て)がかりがなさすぎる…」
“There are way too few clues...”
Literal: “Clues are excessively too nonexistent...”
「せめて、何(なに)か目印(めじるし)でもあれば…」
“If only there were some kind of marker, at least...”
Literal: “At least, if there were something like a marker...”

Key Points

1なさすぎる means “far too little” or “far too few”
  • The adjective ない becomes なさ before すぎる. 手(て)がかりがなさすぎる says the lack of clues goes too far.
  • English usually flips this into “too few clues” rather than “too much lack of clues”.
2あまりにも stresses the excess
  • あまりにも means “far too” or “excessively”. It often comes before すぎる, which also marks excess.
3どーすりゃいいんだ is a casual どうすればいいんだ
  • すれば contracts to すりゃ, and どー is a casual spelling of どう.
  • どうすればいいんだ asks “what should I do?” With んだ and no listener, it sounds like Conan asking himself in frustration.
4せめて〜でもあれば wishes for at least something
  • せめて means “at least”. Conan would settle for even the smallest lead.
  • 何(なに)か目印(めじるし)でも is “some kind of marker or something”. でも offers it as one example of what would help.
  • The ば conditional trails off, leaving the result unsaid: “if there were a marker, (I could find her)”.

Vocabulary

(How)

どう asks about the way or state of something: “how” or “how about”. It also appears in どうしよう, “what should I do?”

(To do)

する is to do or perform something. It also turns many nouns into verbs, as in 勉強する.

(Good)

いい describes something good, nice, or fine. It can also mean “okay” or “that’s enough”. Its other forms come from よい, as in よくない and よかった.

(Far too)

あまりにも means “far too” or “excessively”. It stresses that something goes well beyond what’s normal or acceptable, and often comes before すぎる.

(Clue)

手(て)がかり is a clue or lead that helps someone work out what happened or find someone. It can also mean a handhold used for climbing.

(Not)

ない means something does not exist or someone does not have it. After a verb, it makes the verb negative. It is also written 無(な)い.

(Too much)

すぎる follows a verb stem or adjective to mean “too much” or “overly”. On its own, it means to pass by or for time to pass. It is also written 過(す)ぎる.

(At least)

せめて describes the minimum the speaker hopes for, even if more is not possible.

(Something)

何(なに)か means something or anything. It can also introduce an uncertain question, as in “Is something wrong?”

(Marker)

目印(めじるし) is a mark or sign that makes something easy to spot or identify, such as a landmark or a tag on a bag.

(To exist)

ある is to exist or be in a place, for things and plants rather than people or animals. It also means to have something, or for an event to take place.

See Also

名探偵コナン © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.