Language/Japanese/Grammar/Adjectives

Japanese Grammar - Adjectives

Hi Japanese learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about adjectives in Japanese. Adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns. Some adjectives in Japanese can also be used as verbs. Adjectives typically come before the noun they modify.

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Future Tense, How to Use "Have", Hiragana Reading and Writing Practice & Adjective Conjugation.

Types of Adjectives

In Japanese, adjectives can be categorized into two main types: い-adjectives (i-adjectives) and な-adjectives (na-adjectives).

い-adjectives (i-adjectives)

い-adjectives (i-adjectives) end in the い (i) sound. They are also called “consonant-stem adjectives”.

For example:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English Translation
行 き た い	i-ki-ta-i	want to go
忙 し い	iso-ga-shi-i	busy
暑 い	a-tsu-i	hot
寒 い	sa-mu-i	cold
高 い	ta-ka-i	expensive
安 い	ya-su-i	cheap
美 味 し い	o-i-shi-i	delicious

When conjugating い-adjectives, drop the final い (i) sound, and add the appropriate ending according to the tense or grammatical structure you want.

For example:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English Translation
行 き た く な い	i-ki-ta-ku-na-i	don’t want to go
忙 しかっ た	iso-ga-shi-ka-ta	was busy
暑 く な い	a-tsu-ku-na-i	not hot
寒 く な い	sa-mu-ku-na-i	not cold
高 か っ た	ta-ka-ka-tta	was expensive
安 か っ た	ya-su-ka-tta	was cheap
美 味 し か っ た	o-i-shi-ka-tta	was delicious

な-adjectives (na-adjectives)

な-adjectives (na-adjectives) are adjectives that require a な (na) before the noun they modify. They are also called “adjectival nouns”.

For example:

Japanese

Pronunciation

-

き れ い な 女性

ki-re-i-na-jyo-sei

beautiful woman

丈 夫 な 椅子

jyo-bu-na-i-su

sturdy chair

静 か な 景色

shi-za-ka-na-ke-shiki

quiet scenery

When conjugating な-adjectives, simply add the appropriate ending according to the tense or grammatical structure you want, without dropping any sounds as in い-adjectives.

For example:

Japanese

Pronunciation

-

き れ い な 女性 だ

ki-re-i-na-jyo-sei-da

is a beautiful woman

丈 夫 な 椅子 だっ た

jyo-bu-na-i-su-da-tta

was a sturdy chair

静 か な 景色 で す

shi-za-ka-na-ke-shiki-de-su

is a quiet scenery

Comparatives and Superlatives

In Japanese, comparatives and superlatives of adjectives are formed by adding the particles より (yori) and 一番 (i-chi-ban) respectively.

For example:

Japanese

Pronunciation

-

この 魚 は あ の 魚 より おい し い

ko-no-sa-ka-na-wa, a-no-sa-ka-na-yo-ri o-i-shi-i

This fish is more delicious than that fish.

山田 さん は クラスで 一 番 親切 だ

ya-ma-da-san-wa, ku-ra-su-de i-chi-ban shin-se-tsu da

Mr. Yamada is the kindest in the class.

Adjective in Action

To demonstrate how adjectives work in Japanese, here is a dialogue between two people:

• Person 1: あの ねこ は とても ふわふわし て かわいい です 。 (Ano neko wa totemo fuwa-fuwa shite kawaii desu.) -- That cat is very fluffy and cute.

• Person 2: そう です ね 。 でも 、 この 犬 は ふわふわし て いい 匂い が し ますよ 。 (Sō desu ne. Demo, ko-no inu wa fuwa-fuwa shite ii nioi ga shimasu yo.) -- Yes, that's true. But this dog is fluffy and smells good.

Conclusion

In conclusion, adjectives in Japanese are classified into い-adjectives (i-adjectives) and な-adjectives (na-adjectives), and they are used to describe or modify nouns. To learn more about adjectives and other aspects of Japanese Grammar, visit the <a href="Japanese">Japanese</a> section of Polyglot Club. Don’t forget to find native speakers and ask them any questions. 😊

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Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Japanese Grammar → Particles and Conjunctions → Conjunctions ..., Japanese Grammar → Adjectives and Adverbs → Adjective and ..., Introduction to Japanese Sentence Structure & Adverb Types and Usage.

Other Lessons

• Negation
• Plurals
• How to Use Have
• Nouns 名詞
• How to Use Be
• Adjectives 形容詞
• Feminine 女性
• Conditional Mood
• Give your Opinion
• Pronouns (代名詞)

Sources

• Learn Japanese Grammar: How to Use Japanese Adjectives
• Adjectives – Learn Japanese
• An In-depth Guide to Japanese Adjectives: What They Are ...