Lesson 1

Introduction

Lesson 1   Lesson 2   Lesson 3   Lesson 4   Lesson 5

Japanese adjectives come in two basic flavors: "true" and "quasi." In some circles they are also known as "i adjectives" and "na adjectives" because

those are the suffixes they get when they're followed by a noun. Nevertheless, I prefer calling them "true" and "quasi" and will do so throughout these lessons.

Some examples of true adjectives are:

• ii: good
• yoi: good
• warui: bad
• takai: expensive; high; tall
• yasui: cheap
• hikui: low
• nagai: long
• mijikai: short
• katai: hard
• yawarakai: soft
• atsui: hot
• samui: cold (used for weather or room temperature)
• tsumetai: cold (used for tangible objects, food, drinks, and unfriendly feelings between people: a cold look, a cold reply, etc.)
• hiroi: wide; spacious
• semai: narrow; cramped
• tsuyoi: strong (used for things which are powerful or sturdy, etc.)
• yowai: weak (used for the opposite of the above)
• kitsui: strong (usually used for "too strong," as in flavors, medicines, personalities, etc.)
• abunai: dangerous
• akarui: bright
• kurai: dark
• karui: light
• omoi: heavy
• furui: old (not used with people or animals)
• hayai: fast; early
• osoi: slow; late
• omoshiroi: interesting

Many true adjectives end in shii:

•  oishii: delicious 
•  muzukashii: difficult
•  utsukushii: beautiful
•  tanoshii: fun
•  ureshii: happy
•  kanashii: sad
•  kurushii: hard; painful
•  isogashii: busy (This is Japan's most popular adjective — you'll hear it used several times an hour.)
•  kibishii: strict; severe
•  yakamashii: noisy
•  mabushii: too bright; glaring
•  sabishii: lonely; desolate
•  hazukashii: ashamed; shy
•  atarashii: new

The basic colors are often used as true adjectives:

• akai: red
• aoi: blue
• kiiroi: yellow
• shiroi: white
• kuroi: black

And now let's look at some good quasi-adjectives:

• kantan na: easy, as in easy to do
• raku na: easy, as in an easy situation; comfortable
• kara na: empty
• kirei na: pretty; clean
• kechi na: stingy (not generous)
• binbou na: poor; destitute
• hinpan na: frequent
• benri na: convenient
• fuben na: inconvenient
• busaiku na: clumsy; awkward
• tanki na: impatient; quick-tempered
• ganko na: stubborn
• byouki na: sick
• genki na: healthy; to be feeling well
• shizen na: natural, proper
• yutaka na: full; abundant
• anzen na: safe
• kanzen na: perfect

As you can see, there are quasis that end in i when the na is omitted, which is why I avoid calling them "i adjectives" and "na adjectives." It could be too confusing at first.

There are even a few adjectives that can be used as true or quasi, like:

• ookii / oki na: big
•  chiisai / chiisa na: small 

 Many quasi-adjectives are made by adding teki na to a noun:

• kokusaiteki na: international
•  kagakuteki na: scientific
•  rekishiteki na: historical
•  ippanteki na: general
•  rakkanteki na: optimistic

It's time for some examples. From a grammatical angle, adjective use in Japanese is very similar to English. With both true and quasi you include the final " i "or "na" when placing them before a noun. Here are some with true adjectives:

• Sore wa ii hon desu. (That's a good book.)
• Douzo, tsumetai gyuunyuu o nonde kudasai. (Please, have some cold milk.)
• Omoi hako desu ne. (This is a heavy box, isn't it. [with dropping intonation])

And here are some examples using quasi-adjectives:

• Sore wa kirei na inu desu. (That's a pretty dog.)
• Kare wa ganko na hito desu. (He's a stubborn person.)
• Ichiban kantan na houhou o oshiete ageru. (I'll show you the easiest way to do it.)

 Now, when a true adjective comes after the noun it modifies it usually does not change:

•  Sono hon wa ii desu yo. (That book is good.)
•  Kono gyuunyuu wa tsumetai desu ka. (Is this milk cold?)
•  Kono hako wa omoi desu ne. (This box is heavy, isn't it. [with dropping intonation])

 But, when a quasi-adjective comes after its noun, leave off the na:

•  Sono inu wa kirei desu ne. (That dog is pretty, isn't it. [with dropping intonation])
•  Kare wa ganko! (He's stubborn!)
•  Kore wa kantan. (This is easy.)

 Now it's time to introduce the quirks. First, there are some strange quasi- (quasi-quasi?) adjectives that, according to the dictionaries and grammar books, use the multi-purpose no particle instead of na:

• tokubetsu no: special  
• okutei no: specific
• fumei no: unclear; vague

However, I have heard native speakers use na with these. When I ask about the discrepancy, I am told that na is normal. So, while it's true that the books say no, and official documents use no, in everyday "unofficial" life it is perfectly acceptable — even preferred — to use na, so don't concern yourself with it until you have to be official.

There are, however, colors which use no and never na after them when modifying a noun:

• midori no kasa: a green umbrella
• murasaki no hana: a purple flower
• nezumiiro no boushi: a gray hat  

It's only natural to think that adjectives which exist in English should exist in Japanese. Sure, most do, but many don't. In these, the "adjectival idea" is conveyed through verbs. Some examples of these are:

•  o-naka (ga) suita: hungry 
•  nodo (ga) kawaita: thirsty

 Naka means "stomach" or "abdomen," and suku means "to be empty," so you're saying "my stomach is empty" when you put these together. Nodo is "throat," and kawaku means "to be dry," so these together equal "I'm thirsty." Here, the ta form of the verb is used for the present, which will be a bit confusing to beginners because this form is normally used for the plain past. Just do what I do: think of this as "a verb in an adjective's role," and, as such, the rules slightly change.

Using hungry, let's take a look at the different popular tenses. Note the verb changes:

•  O-naka (ga) suku deshou. (We'll probably get hungry.) (Base 3 for infinitives and the future tense)
•  O-naka (ga) suita deshou? (You're hungry, right?) (Ta Form for the present)
•  O-naka (ga) suite inai. (I'm not hungry.) (Te Form + inai / imasen for the present negative)
•  O-naka (ga) suite ita. (I was hungry.) (Te Form + ita for the past)
•  O-naka (ga) suite inakatta. (I wasn't hungry.) (Te Form + inakatta / imasen deshita for the negative past)

 The ga is optional, and is usually omitted in familiar situations.

Note also how naka gets the honorable o- prefix and nodo doesn't, so I guess our throats aren't as honorable as our stomachs. The next time you're at a party with native speakers and run out of topics to discuss, ask about this. It will keep them hemming and hawing for a while.

Here are two more that are often used:

• yaseru: to lose weight; become thin
• futoru: to gain weight; become fat

There are true adjectives for "fat" and "thin" (futoi and hosoi), but they, like their English counterparts, have to be used carefully because they can be offensive. When commenting about others, use the verbs:

•  Sukoshi futotta mitai. (Looks like you've put on a little weight.)
•  Yasemashita ka. (Have you lost weight?)

 There are a couple of strange, colloquial "-tai adjectives" that I should mention: nemutai and omotai. Actually, they are:

•  nemui: sleepy
• omoi: heavy

 However, nemutai and omotai are used often in daily conversation. As far as I know, these are the only adjectives that can do this. By the way, this -tai ending on these two adjectives has nothing to do with the "want to do" -tai ending used on Base 2 verbs. "Want to sleep" is netai.

 Finally, when used as simple exclamations, native speakers will often leave the final i off of some adjectives:

•  Samu! (It's cold!) 
•  Atsu! (It's hot!)
• Uma! (It's delicious!)
• Mazu! (It's nasty!)
• Ita! (Ouch!)

Lesson 1   Lesson 2   Lesson 3   Lesson 4   Lesson 5