余り
あまり · amari · JLPT N5 · noun
surplus
🍰 From 余る (amaru), to be left over: what remains, the surplus
Noun form of the verb 余る, to be left over or exceed. As an adverb it means too much, in excess; pair that with a negative verb and you get not very. あまり好きじゃない = not to an excess liked = don't like it much.
余 — roof 亼 + wooden post/pillar
Originally a pictograph of a simple thatched shelter or hut supported by a central post, 余 meant 'lodging' or 'temporary dwelling.' It was later borrowed phonetically to write the first-person pronoun 'I/me,' which became its dominant meaning. The 'surplus/remainder' sense developed through its use as a loan for 餘.