Just a quick question. I understand these both mean roughly the same thing as “at least,” but is there a specific reason one should be used over the other? I couldn’t find a grammar point for 少なくとも on bunpro, but from my understanding 少なくとも is closer to “if nothing else” as in focusing on what can’t be done as opposed to what can be done. I might also be entirely wrong lol.
I would appreciate any help if possible!
In cases like this it’s best to refer to a Japanese dictionary.
少なくとも
① 少なくみても。うちわに見積もっても。「―五人の応援が必要だ」
② ほかのことはともかく、せめて。「―謝罪くらいすべきだ」
せめて
最小限の願望を表す。不満足ではあるがそれだけは。やむをえなければこれだけでも。「―命だけは助けてください」
Based purely on these, I personally don’t see any difference.
If you feel comfortable reading Japanese, I think this article can explain it fairly well 「せめて」と「少なくとも」の違いとは？分かりやすく解釈 | 言葉の違いが分かる読み物. Either way, I’ll kind of summarize what I got from the article, first starting with the “general” definitions it gives for the two:
「せめて」は「現在不満な状況にあり、最低水準の満足を得る為には、最低限でもそのようなことを期待するという時に使われる言葉」という意味です。
「少なくとも」は「最低の場合でもこの数値や度合いのこと」「最低限これだけはするべきであることに」といういみです。
From my understanding, it looks like 少なくとも is used with a numerical value, or a “degree” of some sort indicating the lowest it can/should go. Additionally, it’s also used when someone should be doing something at the very minimum. On the other hand, せめて is used when you’re unsatisfied with a certain situation and are expecting something to the minimum degree of where you’ll be satisfied (such as - you got 5 dollars, but you wanted at least 10 dollars). You’ll notice that uses a numerical value, but the overall idea here is that there was dissatisfaction with receiving 5 dollars when there was an expectation of receiving a minimum of 10. While on the other hand, 少なくとも would be used in an example such as “I think I can lose at least 5 pounds” or “It will take at least half a year before it’s complete”.
Ahh I see. From what I gather then せめて is used more for more unsatisfactory situations whereas 少なくとも is more for describing the bare minimum to achieve ___. Thank you guys for the awesome explanations, and I’ll certainly look at that article soon!