Sections
全然Zenzen: what it means in anime
ぜんぜん · zenzen
at all; in the slightest
Zenzen means "not at all" with a negative: 全然わからない is "I don't get it at all". In casual speech it is also used with positives, as in 全然大丈夫, "totally fine".
Updated October 24, 2026
Where you hear it
-
髪型とか服とか全然違うし ポリシー ねえなTheir hairstyles and clothes are completely different, and their policies aren't that great.
NANAEpisode 1 · 10 lines in episodes 1–3 -
画風が全然違う！He looks completely different in person!
My Hero AcademiaEpisode 1 · 5 lines in episodes 1–3 -
全然 悪いと思ってる顔じゃねえよ
Haikyu!!Episode 3 · 8 lines in episodes 1–3 More examples (4)
-
すげえ 高木 全然 現役じゃねえか
Jujutsu KaisenEpisode 1 · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 -
まだ 全然 練習してないの？
K-On!Episode 2 · 6 lines in episodes 1–3 -
あのさ 全然 届かないよね 手紙
The Promised NeverlandEpisode 1 · 5 lines in episodes 1–3 -
何か 全然 現実感ないっていうか…
Dr. StoneEpisode 3 · 5 lines in episodes 1–3
-
Lines from the Japanese subtitles of episodes 1–3 of each show. A translation is shown only when it clearly matches the line; counts are subtitle lines containing the word.
Usage and nuance
The textbook rule is that 全然 needs a negative after it. Spoken Japanese bends the rule all the time, especially in reassurance: 全然いいよ, "it's completely fine".
On its own, 全然！ answers a worried question with "not at all!", like "Am I bothering you?" "全然！"
For "absolutely" in a positive sense, 絶対 (zettai) is the stronger, more emphatic word. 全然 leans toward denial and reassurance.
Hear 全然 in NANA10 lines in episodes 1–3 · tappable subtitles · free, no account