In this article, we will be learning how to describe things in Japanese and making simple sentences for these adjectives.
The To (と) particle
One of the uses of this particle is the same as the “and” word in English. It combines two things in one same idea.
Gingko no yasumi wa doyoubi to nichiyoubi desu (ぎんこの休みは土曜日と日曜日です)
(bank) (‘s) (rest day) (is)(Saturday) (and) (Sunday) (.)
There are more uses for this particle, but for this article, it will be used as the “and” equivalent in English.
Making nouns into adjectives using no(の)
The most common usage of the no particle was for possession. Adding the “’s” to a noun would grant its possession. However, you can also use this particle to make nouns into adjectives.
Nihon no densha (にほんのでんしゃ)
(Japan) (adjective modifier) (train) = Japanese train
Kuruma no zasshi (くるまのざっし)
(car) (adjective modifier) (magazine) = Car magazine
Using colors to describe
In Japanese there is a special way to use colors to describe. For example, the Japanese word for red is aka (あか), however, when you use red to describe something, you have to attach the i (い) character to specify that it’s an adjective.
English | Japanese | Japanese (adjective) |
|---|---|---|
Red | Aka (あか) | Akai （あかい） |
Blue | Ao (あお) | Aoi (あおい) |
Yellow | Kiiro (きいろ) | Kiiroi (きいろい) |
Black | Kuro (くろ) | Kuroi (くろい) |
White | Shiro (しろ) | Shiroi (しろい) |
Japanese Adjectives
The adjectives in Japanese are quite different from English and therefore more complicated.
Basically there are two kinds of adjectives in Japanese. These are called the i-adjectives and the na-adjectives.
I-adjectives
i-adjectives are the most easy to distinguish since they all end in i. Although there are some exemptions to this but, we’ll tackle them later on. Here are examples of i-adjectives.
English | Japanese |
|---|---|
Hot | Atsui (あつい) |
Cold | Samui (さむい) |
Funny/Interesting | Omoshiroi (おもしろい) |
Difficult | Muzukashii（むずかしい） |
Fun | Tanoshii (たのしい) |
Scary | Kowai (こわい) |
Cute | Kawaii (かわいい) |
In order to add tenses or negations to these adjectives, you have to alter them by removing the “i" and add “kunai” (くない) or “katta”(かった). See the table below for easier understanding.
Base | Past | Negative | Negative Past |
|---|---|---|---|
Atsui (あつい) | Atsukatta (あつかった) | Atsukunai (あつくない) | Atsukunakatta (あつくなかった) |
Samui (さむい) | Samukatta (さむかった) | Samukunai (さむくない) | Samukunakatta (さむくなかった) |
Omoshiroi (おもしろい) | Omoshirokatta(おもしろかった) | Omoshirokunai (おもしろくない) | Omoshirokunakatta (おもしろくなかった) |
Muzukashii（むずかしい） | Muzukashikatta(むずかしかった) | Muzukashikunai (むずかしくない) | Muzukashikunakatta (むずかしくなかった) |
Tanoshii (たのしい) | Tanoshikatta(たのしかった) | Tanoshikunai (たのしくない) | Tanoshikunakatta (たのしくなかった) |
Kowai (こわい) | Kowakatta(こわかった) | Kowakunai (こわくない) | Kowakunakatta (こわくなかった) |
Kawaii (かわいい) | Kawaikatta (かわいかった) | Kawaikunai (かわいくない) | Kawaikunakatta (かわいくなかった) |
Now let’s try some sentences with these words.
Kinou wa atsukatta yo! (きのうはあつかったよ！)
Today was so hot! (yo is placed to convey emphasis)
Konkai no eiga ha omoshirokunakatta (こんかいのえいがはおもしろくなかった)
The movie this time wasn’t interesting.
Watashi no imouto ha kawaii (わたしのいもうとはかわいい)
My younger sister is cute.
This also applies to the color adjectives mentioned above since they are also i-adjectives.
Na-adjectives
Na-adjectives on the other hand don’t end in “i”. Here are some examples:
English | Japanese |
|---|---|
Energetic /Healthy | Genki (げんき) |
Convenient | Benri (べんり) |
Quiet | Shizuka (しずか) |
Famous | Yuumei (ゆうめい) |
Important | Taisetsu (たいせつ) |
Pretty/Clean | Kirei (きれい) |
The words highlighted are special types of na-adjective. Although they end in i, they are not considered as i-adjectives.
When using na-adjectives as adjectives, you need to attach na (な) to them. Hence, “na-adjectives”.
English | Japanese |
|---|---|
Healthy brother | Genki na ani (げんきなあに) |
Convenient airplane | Benri na hikouki (べんりなひこうき) |
Quiet place | Shizuka na basho(しずかなばしょ) |
Famous person | Yuumei na hito (ゆうめいなひと) |
Important secret | Taisetsu na naisho (たいせつなないしょ) |
Pretty girl | Kirei na onna(きれいなおんな) |
They also have a different way when expressing tenses. You have to attach “dewa arimasen (ではありません)” or “deshita (でした) to the word.
Base | Past | Negative | Negative Past |
|---|---|---|---|
Genki (げんき) | Genki deshita (げんきでした) | Genki de wa arimasen (げんきではありません) | Genki de wa arimasen deshita (げんきではありませんでした) |
Benri (べんり) | Benri deshita (べんりでした | Benri de wa arimasen (べんりではありません) | Benri de wa arimasen deshita (べんりではありませんでした) |
Shizuka (しずか) | Shizuka deshita (しずかでした | Shizuka de wa arimasen (しずかではありません) | Shizuka de wa arimasen deshita (しずかではありませんでした) |
Yuumei (ゆうめい) | Yuumei deshita (ゆうめいでした | Yuumei de wa arimasen (ゆうめいではありません) | Yuumei de wa arimasen deshita (ゆうめいではありませんでした) |
Taisetsu (たいせつ) | Taisetsu deshita (たいせつでした | Taisetsu de wa arimasen (たいせつではありません) | Taisetsu de wa arimasen deshita (たいせつではありませんでした) |
Kirei (きれい) | Kirei deshita (きれいでした | Kirei de wa arimasen (きれいではありません) | Kirei de wa arimasen deshita (きれいではありませんでした) |
Connecting adjectives
When connecting adjectives, there is a special rule that follows. For i-adjectives, you need to add the word “kute” (くて) and for na-adjectives, the word “de” (で). These words mean “and”, the particle “to (と)“ cannot be used for this case since it can only be used for nouns.
Here are a few examples:
Kanojo no neko
wa
kawaikute
genki
desu (かのじょのねこはかわいくてげんきです)
(her cat) (is) (cute and) (healthy) (.)
Watashi no chichi
wa
shizuka
de
kowai (わたしのちちはしずかでこわい)
(My father) (is) (quiet) (and) (scary)
Eiga wa
tanoshikute, omoshirokute, yuumei deshita(えいがはたのしくて、おもしろくて、ゆうめいでした)
(The movie) (fun and) (interesting and) (was famous).
Conclusion
That’s all there is to know about Japanese adjectives. Now you’ll be able to describe things with more accuracy!
Ganbatte ne! (がんばってね) Goodluck!
