What are the various uses of あまり?

Question

I'm a beginner and I would like to know how あまり is used.

Answer 1

This won't be all the uses of あまり but it should give you some idea how it is used :)

As a noun:
It can be used simply as a noun meaning "the rest"; "the remainder".

給料の余りで本を買った
He bought books with what was left of his pay.
食事の余りは捨てた
The remains of the meal were thrown away.

It can also be used as a grammar point ～（の）あまり（に）～ showing the result of having too strong an emotion. It connects to nouns with の or just comes straight after verbs.

あの時はショックのあまり何もできなかったんです。
I was too shocked to do anything at that time.
うれしさのあまり彼女は踊りだした
She was so happy that she danced for joy.
将来を心配するあまり現在のことがおろそかになる
worry so much about the future that you neglect the present

As a na-adjective:
Expresses that something is extreme; too much; beyond expectations

あまりに多くの間違いをする
make too many mistakes
あまりにきれいで食べるのがもったいないように見える
look too good to eat

As an adverb:
Comes before the verb as an adverb expressing that somebody is doing something too much, more than they should.

あまり勉強するとからだを壊すよ
If you study too much you'll ruin your health

With a negative, expresses "not very much". This usage in particular is very common and often becomes あんまり or あんま in casual speech.

あまりよくない
Not very good
あまり可愛くない
Not so cute
あまり食べない
Don't eat very much

As a suffix:
Comes after a counter to express that something is more than the amount

百名余りの従業員
More than 100 employees
5年余り前に
More than five years ago

Example sentences and information from:

• goo辞書 (goo Dictionary)
• 英辞郎 (Eijirou)