ちっとも～ない

ちっとも～ない is an emphatic negative expression meaning "not at all" or "not in the least." It is used with the negative form of verbs or adjectives to strongly deny that something is the case. The speaker conveys that there is absolutely zero degree of the action or quality in question.

ちっとも is primarily used in spoken, casual Japanese and carries a somewhat emotional or emphatic tone – often expressing frustration, disappointment, or strong denial.

With verbs

ちっとも is placed before a verb in its negative form.

With i-adjectives

ちっとも can be used with the negative form of i-adjectives.

With na-adjectives

For na-adjectives, use ちっとも + [na-adjective] + じゃない / ではない.

Nuance and related expressions

ちっとも～ない is very close in meaning to ぜんぜん全然〜～ない (not at all) and すこしも少しも〜～ない (not even a little). However, ちっとも tends to sound more colloquial and emotionally charged than 全然, and is used when the speaker is frustrated or emphasizing a surprising lack of something. For example, if you've been studying hard but feel like you're making no progress, you might say

Unlike 全然, which is sometimes used colloquially with affirmative predicates in modern Japanese (e.g. 全然大丈夫), ちっとも is almost always used with negative forms.