Colors and Adjectives in Japanese

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.

Ginkō no yasumi wa doyoubi to nichiyoubi desu (ぎんこう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.

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.

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.

Now let’s try some sentences with these words.

Kinou wa atsukatta yo! (きのうはあつかったよ！)Yesterday was so hot! (yo is placed to convey emphasis)

Konkai no eiga wa 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 wa 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 use な before a noun, as in 静かな場所 (shizuka na basho, a quiet place). The dictionary form is not normally listed with a permanent な ending. Some na-adjectives end in the sound i, including きれい and 有名 (ゆうめい), so spelling alone does not identify the class.

The words highlighted are special types of na-adjective. Although they end in i, they are not considered as i-adjectives.

Use な when a na-adjective directly modifies a noun. In a polite predicate, use です instead: 静かな場所 (a quiet place), but ここは静かです (This place is quiet). Do not attach な before です.

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.

Connecting adjectives

To link i-adjectives, replace the final い with くて: かわいい → かわいくて. For na-adjectives, use で: 静か → 静かで. These forms can join descriptions. と joins nouns in the “and” use discussed here; it is not the normal way to link these adjective predicates.

Here are a few examples:

Kanojo no nekowakawaikutegenkidesu (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 chichiwashizukadekowai (わたしのちちはしずかでこわい)(My father) (is) (quiet) (and) (scary)

Eiga watanoshikute, 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

These patterns introduce adjective forms, but they do not cover every exception. For example, いい (good) uses the stem よ in よくない (not good) and よかった (was good). Practice a description, a negative and a past form for each adjective you learn.

Ganbatte ne!
(がんばってね) Good luck!