Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives and Adverbs

There are two different types of Japanese words that can be used to modify nouns (adjectives) and verbs (adverbs). One group is much like what we would call an adjective but they can also be conjugated to modify verbs as well. We will refer to these as "dv" (for "descriptive verb"). These are often referred to as "true adjectives" or "i-adjectives". The other group can, in most cases, stand alone like a noun but can also be used to modify nouns and verbs. We will refer to these as "dn" (for "descriptive noun"). These are often referred to as "quasi adjectives" or "na-adjectives".

All adjectives in the "dv" group always end with い (i). No exceptions. These are placed in front of a noun in order to modify it. For example:

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 赤い車 あかいくるま akai kuruma red car

These adjectives can be conjugated to form different tenses, turned into adverbs (modify verbs), etc. The conjugation rules for "true" Japanese adjectives are as follows:

ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning drop the い and add く drop the "i" and add "ku" modifies a verb (adverb form) (akaku natta -> became red) (naru is the verb "to become") drop the い and add くない drop the "i" and add "kunai" present tense negative (akakunai -> is not red) (becomes a new "dv") drop the い and add かった drop the "i" and add "katta" past tense (akakatta -> was red) drop the い and add くなかった drop the "i" and add "kunakatta" past tense negative (akakunakatta -> was not red) (This one might take a little practice saying.)

It's not as easy to recognize "dn" adjectives but I will point them out in the vocabulary lists. Sometimes you'll even find a "dn" that ends in い (i) (ex. kirei - pretty). As mentioned before, these words can, in most cases, be used by themselves like a noun (ex. shizen - nature). By adding a な (na) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a noun (ex. shizen na kankyou -> a natural environment). And by adding a に (ni) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a verb as an adverb (ex. shizen ni aruku -> to walk naturally).

Here's a list of some commonly used "dv" and "dn" adjectives:

漢字 - Kanji	ひらがな - Hiragana	Romaji (English Letters)	English Meaning
赤い	あかい	akai (dv)	red
黄色い	きいろい	kiiroi (dv)	yellow
青い	あおい	aoi (dv)	blue
黒い	くろい	kuroi (dv)	black
白い	しろい	shiroi (dv)	white
面白い	おもしろい	omoshiroi (dv)	interesting, funny
暑い	あつい	atsui (dv)	hot
寒い	さむい	samui (dv)	cold
大きい	おおきい	ookii (dv)	big
小さい	ちいさい	chiisai (dv)	small
自然	しぜん	shizen (dn)	nature
綺麗	きれい	kirei (dn)	pretty, clean
失礼	しつれい	shitsurei (dn)	rude
静か	しずか	shizuka (dn)	quiet
特別	とくべつ	tokubetsu (dn)	special
元気	げんき	genki (dn)	in good spirits
変	へん	hen (dn)	weird, strange
上手	じょうず	jouzu (dn)	skillful
親切	しんせつ	shinsetsu (dn)	kind, nice
素敵	すてき	suteki (dn)	"cool", good looking

Meeting Someone New

We are often asked by our students learning Japanese how to introduce yourself to a Japanese person. This interaction is normally very formal and filled with a few bows. Below is a typical Japanese conversation/introduction between two people meeting for the first time:

Japanese (In Kanji, Hiragana, and Romaji) English Meaning Person 1: こんにちは。始めまして。 こんにちは。はじめまして。 Konnichi wa. Hajimemashite. Hello. Nice to meet you. Person 2: 始めまして。お元気ですか。 はじめまして。おげんきですか。 Hajimemashite. O-genki desu ka? Nice to meet you. How are you? Person 1: はい、元気です。 はい、げんきです。 Hai, genki desu. I am fine. Person 1: 私は______と申します。あなたのお名前は？ わたしは______ともうします。あなたのおなまえは？ Watashi wa ______ to moushimasu. Anata no o-namae wa? My name is ______. What is your name? Person 2: 私は______と言います。宜しくお願いします。 わたしは______といいます。よろしくおねがいします。 Watashi wa ______ to iimasu. Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. My name is ______. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Person 1: 宜しくお願いします。 よろしくおねがいします。 Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu. Pleased to make your acquaintance.

Explanation: "Hajimemashite" literally means "it is a beginning" but would be the equivalent of "Nice to meet you" in English. It would only be used the first time meeting someone. As learned in Lesson 9, "genki" means "in good spirits". "O-genki desu ka" is literally asking "Are you in good spirits?". This is the most common way of asking "How are you?" in Japanese. The other person responds "Yes, I am in good spirits". "Mousu" is the ultra polite form of the verb "iu" (to say). Both people are literally saying "I am said/called _____". "Namae" is the word for "name". An "o" is added in front of it (and other words throughout this exchange) to show respect. This is not done when talking about yourself. "Yoroshii" means "good/fine" and "negai" is a wish or request. "Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu" literally means "I request/wish kindly of you". It is basically like saying "Please treat me well". It can be used in other situations as well - such as when asking for a favor.

Other Common Japanese Phrases

We are often asked how to say "I love you" in Japanese. This would be "Anata o ai shite imasu" BUT be advised that the Japanese typically don't use the word for love (愛 - あい - ai) when talking about their feelings for someone else (not even a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, child, parent, etc.). They would typically say "Anata no koto ga suki desu" or "Anata ga daisuki desu". "Suki" is Japanese for "like" and "daisuki" means "favorite". This may seem strange but this is just what they say for "I love you".

漢字 - Kanji ひらがな - Hiragana Romaji (English Letters) English Meaning 誕生日おめでとうございます たんじょうびおめでとうございます tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu Happy Birthday! 明けましておめでとうございます あけましておめでとうございます akemashite omedetou gozaimasu Happy New Year! おめでとうございます おめでとうございます omedetou gozaimasu Congratulations! お休みなさい おやすみなさい oyasuminasai Good night. (used when someone is going to bed) 御免なさい ごめんなさい gomennasai I'm sorry. すみません すみません sumimasen Excuse me. トイレは何処ですか トイレはどこですか toire wa doko desu ka Where is the bathroom? お腹が空いています おなかがすいています onaka ga suite imasu I am hungry. ("My stomach is empty.")