とんでもない (tondemonai) means “outrageous” or, in reply to praise or thanks, “not at all.” The second use modestly rejects credit or reassurance. とんでもございません is used in polite speech, though its formation has been debated; とんでもないことでございます is another polite option.
とんでもない · also tondemonai / とんでもありません / とんでもございません
outrageous, absurd, way out of line · not at all, don't mention it · unbelievable (of a scale)
Sentences
6 sentences, word by word
とんでもない ＋ noun · off the scale
polite
。
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修理
しゅうり ［1］
repair
noun · 修理する to repair something
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に
に
to; at; into
particle · a point something reaches — a place, a time, a person, or a state
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とんでもない
とんでもない
absurd; way out of line
い-adjective attributive · the scale is off, not merely high
とんでもないN2outrageous · absurd
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金額
きんがく ［0］
sum of money
noun · 金 money ＋ 額 amount
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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かかりました
かかりました
it took; it cost
polite past of かかる · the standard verb for cost and time
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The repair came to an absurd amount.
とんでもない · deflecting thanks
polite
。。
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ありがとう
ありがとう
thank you
expression · from 有り難い, 'hard to exist'
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ございます
ございます
(polite)
polite copula · lifting ありがとう into formal register
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とんでもない
とんでもない
not at all; don't mention it
い-adjective as a reply · the praise is nowhere near warranted
とんでもないN2not at all · don't mention it
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です
です
(polite ending)
copula · politeness added after an い-adjective
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“Thank you so much.” “Not at all.”
とんでもございません · service Japanese
polite
。。
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助かりました
たすかりました
you've been a help
polite past of 助かる · 'I was saved', said of the outcome
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とんでもございません
とんでもございません
not at all
the formal deflection · splits とんでも from ない to add ございません
とんでもございませんN2not at all (formal)
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“You've been such a help.” “Not at all, sir.”
とんでもない · condemning a plan
plain
。
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そんな
そんな
that kind of
demonstrative · pointing at what was just proposed
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考え
かんがえ ［3］
idea; way of thinking
noun from 考える · a position, not a plan
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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とんでもない
とんでもない
out of the question
い-adjective predicate · a blunt verdict on the idea
とんでもないN2outrageous · out of the question
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よ
よ
I'm telling you
sentence particle · pressing the point on a listener who disagrees
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That idea is completely out of the question.
とんでもなかった · in the past
plain past
。
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昨日
きのう ［2］
yesterday
noun used adverbially · no particle needed
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の
の
links noun to noun
particle · A の B = B belonging to A
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会議
かいぎ ［1,3］
meeting
noun · a formal meeting, not a casual chat
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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とんでもなかった
とんでもなかった
was a disaster
past of とんでもない · ordinary い-adjective inflection
とんでもないN2outrageous · a disaster
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Yesterday's meeting was an absolute disaster.
とんでもない · declining an offer
polite
、。
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お金
おかね ［0］
money
noun · the お is fixed, not optional politeness
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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いただく
いただく
receive (humble)
humble verb · lowering oneself relative to the giver
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なんて
なんて
the very idea of
particle · presenting the action as unthinkable
なんてN3the very idea of
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とんでもない
とんでもない
absolutely not
い-adjective · refusing on the grounds that it is not near appropriate
とんでもないN2absolutely not
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です
です
(polite ending)
copula · keeping the refusal polite
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Taking money for this? Absolutely not.
Forms
How とんでもない gets used
とんでもない＋話 / 間違い / 金額
とんでもない金額. An absurd amount of money. Attributive, and the most common written shape.
Thing ＋ は＋とんでもない
そんな考えはとんでもない. Stated as a verdict — much blunter than the attributive use.
とんでもない＋（です）
Answering thanks or praise. “Not at all” — you are saying the credit is nowhere near warranted.
とんでも＋ございません
Service and business Japanese. Formally irregular, universally understood, and safe to use.
Meaning
とんでもない vs ひどい vs 恐れ入ります
One meaning, two targets. The word says the thing is nowhere near where it should be. Point it at behaviour and you get “outrageous.” Point it at a compliment aimed at you and you get “nothing of the sort” — the distance is now between the praise and your actual merit.
ひどい is the everyday complaint. Terrible, awful, unfair. とんでもない is stronger and more indignant: it says the thing is off the scale rather than merely bad.
恐れ入ります is the humble alternative. Where とんでもない denies the compliment, 恐れ入ります accepts it while shrinking yourself. Both are polite; only one of them is a denial.
It is an い-adjective, not a negative verb. The past is とんでもなかった. The ない is frozen into the word, exactly as in くだらない and もったいない.
Inside the word
とんでもない — nowhere near it
From とでもない
Historical dictionaries connect とんでもない with とでもない, with an added ん sound. The character 途 is sometimes used in the spelling, but the off-the-path story is not its established derivation.
Why the two meanings are one meaning
Outrageous behaviour is far outside the acceptable. A compliment you deflect is far outside what you earned. The word measures distance from the mark; only the thing being measured changes.
The とんでもございません argument
Sticklers point out that ない is part of the word, so splitting it to make it polite is irregular. The Agency for Cultural Affairs has recorded it as established usage, and service Japanese uses it constantly. Use it without worry.
Watch out
Where とんでもない goes wrong
Conjugating the ない as a verb ending
The past is とんでもなかった, never とんでもないでした. Treat the whole thing as one い-adjective, like くだらない.
Using the deflection where thanks are expected
If a colleague genuinely thanks you for real work, a flat とんでもないです can sound like you are brushing them off. お役に立ててよかったです accepts it gracefully.
Aiming it at a person rather than the act
とんでもない人 means a shocking person — a real accusation. To condemn the behaviour and not the human, put it on the noun: とんでもない話.
Also asked
Questions people ask about とんでもない
How does one word mean both 'outrageous' and 'not at all'?
It says the thing is nowhere near where it should be. Aimed at behaviour that reads as outrageous; aimed at praise of yourself it reads as “nothing of the sort.” One measurement, two targets.
Is とんでもございません correct Japanese?
It is irregular — ない is part of the word, so splitting it to add ございません breaks the morphology. It is also recorded as established usage and is standard in service Japanese. Use it.
What's the past tense?
とんでもなかった. It inflects as a plain い-adjective, because that is what it is, despite ending in ない.
とんでもない or ひどい?
ひどい is the everyday “that's awful.” とんでもない is indignant and stronger — the thing is off the scale, not merely bad.
How do I reply to a compliment at work?
とんでもないです or とんでもございません both work and both deny the compliment. If you would rather accept it modestly, 恐れ入ります or ありがとうございます is warmer.
Can I write it in kanji?
途轍もない exists but is a different word in practice — it means colossal, and it is read とてつもない. Write とんでもない in kana.
