この くるまは あまり はやく ない。
Kono kuruma wa amari hayaku nai.
This car is not very fast.
This ain’t for when somethin’ is straight-up zero. Nah, this is for when it’s just a little bit, or less than what you’d expect. It’s like when your connect says he got a whole bunch of the good stuff, but when you pull up, he only got a little baggie. It ain’t none, but it ain’t much either. That feeling right there? That’s あまり〜ない (amari ~ nai). It’s the difference between an empty safe and a safe with only a couple Gs in it.
This is how you put it together, see? You just gotta get your verbs and your nouns right.
| Word Type | How to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| い-Adjective | Drop the final い, add くない | あまり おおきくない amari ookikunai not really big |
| な-Adjective | Add じゃない | あまり げんきじゃない amari genkijanai not well / happy |
| Verb | Put the verb in the negative form | あまり ~ はなさない amari hanasanai not really speak |
Now peep this: the verb part is all about takin’ your regular verb and puttin’ it in that negative form, that “nai” form. So, like, “to eat” (たべる) becomes “don’t eat” (たべない). The rest of ’em, the adjectives and the nouns, you just gotta know how to make ’em negative. It’s a different kinda hustle, but the flow’s the same. You just slap that あまり in front of the negative form, and boom, you’re good to go.
Think of it like a gangster’s loyalty. You got your right-hand man who’s with you ’til the end, no matter what. That’s a straight-up “yes.” Then you got some cat who’s cool when things are good, but when the heat comes down, he’s nowhere to be found. He ain’t exactly a snitch, but his loyalty? It’s あまりない (amari nai). It’s there, but barely. It’s a weak signal, you feel me?
Peep these words to survive the examples.
ぱくられる (Pakurareru)
English: To get caught; to be arrested.
Yo, you out here hustlin’, you gotta be smart, ya feel me? ‘Cause the law, the police, the fuzz… they watchin’. So when you get caught by the five-o, when they put them cuffs on you and take you downtown? That’s what this word is. You got pakurareru. It’s the worst thing that can happen to a playa on the street. Like when they finally got Al Capone for tax evasion, he got pakurareru.
しんよう できる (Shinyou dekiru)
English: Trustworthy; dependable.
In this life, you can’t trust just anybody. You need a crew you can ride with, people who got your back no matter what. Someone you can give the keys to the kingdom and know they ain’t gonna cross you. That’s a shinyou dekiru homie. Someone you can put your faith in. In “The Godfather,” Don Corleone had a few men he could truly say were shinyou dekiru.
めし (Meshi)
English: Food; a meal.
What’s the best part of the day? Gettin’ that grub, right? That’s your meshi. It’s what keeps a brother goin’. It’s the rice and beans, the steak and potatoes, the fried chicken… the good stuff. Like when you get out of the joint and the first thing you want is a real meshi, not that prison mess. That’s what this word is about.
しゃば (Shaba)
English: The outside world; society (after being in prison).
When you been locked down, doin’ your time, the one thing you dream of is gettin’ back to the real world. Get back to the streets, see your family, be a free man again. That’s shaba. It’s the world outside the prison walls, the normal world. When a convict gets out, he says he’s back on shaba.
もうかる (Moukaru)
English: To make a profit; to be profitable.
You ain’t in this for your health, you’re in it for the paper. The money. So when a deal goes right, when the hustle pays off big time, that’s what this word is. You moukaru. It’s about gettin’ that fat stack of cash, seein’ your bank account go up. Every good business, legal or otherwise, needs to moukaru to survive. Like when Frank Lucas in “American Gangster” was makin’ that Blue Magic, he was definitely moukaru.
Check out these sentences, and you’ll see how we put it all together.
ぼす は あまり げんき じゃない。
Bosu wa amari genki janai.
The boss is not very well.
おれの そしきは あまり おおきくない。
Ore no soshiki wa amari ookikunai.
My crew is not very big.
かれは あまり にほんごを はなさない。
Kare wa amari nihongo o hanasanai.
He doesn’t speak Japanese very much.
あんたは あまり しんよう できない。
Anta wa amari shinyou dekinai.
I can’t trust you very much.
ここの めしは あまり おいしくない。
Koko no meshi wa amari oishikunai.
The food here is not very good.
おれは あの おとこの ことが あまり すき じゃない。
Ore wa ano otoko no koto ga amari suki janai.
I don’t like that guy very much.
やつは あまり たまを もって いない。
Yatsu wa amari tama o motte inai.
He doesn’t have a lot of ammo.
おれたちは あまり しゃばを あいして いない。
Oretachi wa amari shaba o aishite inai.
We don’t love the outside world very much.
さいきん、しのぎは あまり もうからない。
Saikin, shinogi wa amari moukaranai.
Lately, the hustle isn’t very profitable.
おれの そしきは あまり ぱくられない。
Ore no soshiki wa amari pakurarenai.
My crew doesn’t get arrested very often.
Stay safe out there in these streets, and keep your head on a swivel. You heard? Peace.
Leave a comment