Language/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.
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 | }
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:
|