〜にすぎない

〜にすぎない means "is nothing more than…": それは私の個人的な意見にすぎません (that is nothing more than my personal opinion). The speaker deliberately PLAYS DOWN the importance of something — it is insignificant, so don't overrate it.

Connection: noun + にすぎない is the most common; verbs and adjectives take the plain form (冗談で言ったにすぎない). The polite form is にすぎません. It comes from the verb 過ぎる (to exceed): "it does not go beyond that level."

This belittling nuance works in two directions: being modest about yourself (私はまだ学生にすぎない), or downplaying something in order to push back against it (それはうわさにすぎない — that is nothing more than a rumor). Sentences with にすぎない often include emphasizing words like ただ, ほんの, or まだ to strengthen the sense of "just that and no more."

Examples

• それは私(わたし)の個人的(こじんてき)な意見(いけん)にすぎません。

  That is nothing more than my personal opinion.

• 彼(かれ)はまだ十八歳(じゅうはっさい)の学生(がくせい)にすぎない。

  He is still just an eighteen-year-old student.

• これは冗談(じょうだん)にすぎないから、気(き)にしないでください。

  This is just a joke, so please don't take it to heart.

Related patterns

• 〜など／なんか／なんて
• せいぜい