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I've being studying Japanese over 3 years by now, but I don't think I've ever
encountered a phrase to express "very little", like in a humble "I know
Japanese language very little". Can I say 「本当に少し」or anything of this sort? I
just don't see it being used. Thank you.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-15T15:34:47.013
18676
2014-09-18T00:57:22.060
2922
question
word-choice
How can I say "very little" in Japanese
How about:

> ほんの少し｜just a little

The ほん comes from 本 but the examples in my Progressive dictionary are all use
hiragana.

Logically

日本語はほんの少ししか知らない。= I only know a little Japanese.

(The extra し makes it a little tricky to say)
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2014-09-15T15:44:18.487
18677
2014-09-18T00:57:22.060
2014-09-18T00:57:22.060
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answer
In casual speech, `ちょこっと` is usually used.

> コーヒーは？
>
> はい。`ちょこっと`だけです。

It's more of a modification of `ちょっと` somewhat akin to how we say "teeny" to
make `tiny` seem even smaller.
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2014-09-15T20:58:06.700
18682
2014-09-17T05:42:04.270
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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answer
In addition to answers above:

  * ちょっとしか分からない - I can understand not more than a little.
  * ちょっとだけ分かる - I understand very little only (this can be perceived as a humble phrase which actually means you are positioning yourself as very knowledgeable).
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-15T21:34:39.857
18683
2014-09-15T21:34:39.857
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answer