せめて and せいぜい

Table of Contents

せめて

At least

せめて is an adverb meaning “at least do x”. It is about actions and not amounts.

It tends to be used with words stressing a low degree like くらい、だけ、etc.

Examples

せめて電話くらいして。- At the very least call me.
彼はせめて頑張るぐらいできるだろう – He can at least try right?
せめて写真だけでも見たい – I want to at least see a picture
せめてやってみたい – I at least want to try.

せいぜい

At most
As much as you can (negative meaning)

せいぜい has 2 meanings:

At most; and
“As much as you can” or “to the very limit”

It is used about other people.

Young people tend to use it negatively, but older people may not necessarily. (Source)
せいぜい is commonly paired with がんばる

As much as you can

This meaning is somewhat like できるだけ but a lot stronger.
Tends to be negative.

せいぜい頑張って – Try as much as you can/do your best. (Sounds like it won’t be enough)
せいぜい休んでください (Weblio)- Rest as much as you can.
せいぜい勉強して – Study as much as you can.

At most

This meaning is typically used when making a judgement about something.

せいぜい10歳だろう – They are at most 10 years old.
せいぜいあと1年 – At most another year.
そのアパートの家賃はせいぜい5万円だろう – The rent of that apartment is at most 50,000 Yen.