Japanese Adjectives: い-Adjectives and な-Adjectives
The two types of Japanese adjectives, how each is conjugated for negative and past, and how to use them before nouns.
Japanese has two kinds of adjectives, and each behaves differently. Recognising the type tells you how to change it.
い-adjectives
These end in い:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 大きい (ōkii) | big |
| 小さい (chiisai) | small |
| 高い (takai) | tall, expensive |
| 安い (yasui) | cheap |
| 新しい (atarashii) | new |
| 古い (furui) | old (things) |
| おいしい (oishii) | delicious |
| むずかしい (muzukashii) | difficult |
Conjugation
Change the ending:
| Form | Pattern | Example (高い) |
|---|---|---|
| present | -い | 高いです |
| negative | -くない | 高くないです |
| past | -かった | 高かったです |
| past negative | -くなかった | 高くなかったです |
- この本は高いです。 — This book is expensive.
- 高くないです。 — It isn't expensive.
- 昨日は暑かったです。 — Yesterday was hot.
Note the irregular: いい (good) becomes よくない, よかった.
な-adjectives
These take な before a noun:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| きれい (kirei) | pretty, clean |
| 静か (shizuka) | quiet |
| 元気 (genki) | healthy, lively |
| 有名 (yūmei) | famous |
| 好き (suki) | liked |
| 上手 (jōzu) | skilled |
Conjugation
They behave like nouns with です:
| Form | Example (静か) |
|---|---|
| present | 静かです |
| negative | 静かじゃないです |
| past | 静かでした |
| past negative | 静かじゃなかったです |
Before a noun, add な:
- 静かな町 (shizuka na machi) — a quiet town
- きれいな花 — a pretty flower
Before a noun
- い-adjective + noun: 大きい犬 (a big dog)
- な-adjective + な + noun: 有名な人 (a famous person)
A tricky pair
きれい (pretty) ends in い but is a な-adjective, so it says きれいな花. It is a classic exception, along with きらい (dislike), also a な-adjective.
Tips
- Check the type of each new adjective.
- Practise the four forms.
- Use the dictionary, which shows the adjective type.
English Japanese Dictionary
Offline English–Japanese dictionary with kanji, hiragana and katakana support
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