Japanese Adjectives Introduction This is a companion tutorial to my Japanese Verbs, and I trust that it will also become a concise and convenient resource for those learning or reviewing Japanese. Please have an English-Japanese/Japanese-English dictionary and notebook handy as you study. As new words are introduced, use your dictionary to learn or check their meanings, and make a word list in your notebook to add new vocabulary to. It's a proven fact that the process of looking up and writing vocabulary will help the learning process, along with regular reviewing. Please see A Bit of the Language for pronunciation guides and other relevant information about basic Japanese. Please note: In order to avoid technical explanations, only the simplest and most general translations of words are given. Also, romaji (romanized Japanese words) used herein are written in their true, romanized form: elongated vowels are shown as such, etc. 2003-2006 Tim R. Matheson Table of Contents 1. Introduction to Japanese Adjectives 2 2. Plain Positive and Plain Negative 7 3. Colors 12 4. Adjectives suki, kirai, hoshii, jouzu and heta 14 5. Adverbial Forms 17 6. Conditional Forms 18 7. The Te Form + mo 18 8. Plain Past 19 9. Adjectives with sou and sugiru 20 10. Adjective Modifiers 22 1
1. Introduction to Japanese Adjectives 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: いい (ii) good 良い (yoi) good 悪い (warui) bad 高い (takai) expensive; high; tall 安い (yasui) cheap 低い (hikui) low 長い (nagai) long 短い (mijikai) short 硬い (katai) hard 柔らかい (yawarakai) soft 暑い (atsui) hot (used for weather or room temperature) 熱い (atsui) hot (used for tangible objects: food, drinks, etc.) 寒い (samui) cold (used for weather or room temperature) 冷たい (tsumetai) cold (used for tangible objects, food, drinks, and unfriendly feelings between people: a cold look, a cold reply, etc.) 広い (hiroi) wide; spacious 狭い (semai) narrow; cramped 強い (tsuyoi) strong (used for things which are powerful or sturdy, etc.) 弱い (yowai) weak (used for the opposite of the above) きつい (kitsui) strong (usually used for too strong, as in flavors, medicines, personalities, etc.) 危ない (abunai) dangerous 明るい (akarui) bright 暗い (kurai) dark 軽い (karui) light 重い (omoi) heavy 古い (furui) old (not used with people or animals) 早い ( 速い ) (hayai) fast; early 遅い (osoi) slow; late 面白い (omoshiroi) interesting Many true adjectives end in shii: おいしい (oishii) delicious 難しい (muzukashii) difficult 美しい (utsukushii) beautiful 2
楽しい (tanoshii) fun 嬉しい (ureshii) happy 悲しい (kanashii) sad 苦しい (kurushii) hard; painful 忙しい (isogashii) busy (This is Japan's most popular adjective you'll hear it used several times an hour.) 厳しい (kibishii) strict; severe 喧しい (yakamashii) noisy 眩しい (mabushii) too bright; glaring 寂しい (sabishii) lonely; desolate 恥ずかしい (hazukashii) ashamed; shy 新しい (atarashii) new The basic colors are often used as true adjectives: 赤い (akai) red 青い (aoi) blue 黄色い (kiiroi) yellow 白い (shiroi) white 黒い (kuroi) black And now let's look at some good quasi-adjectives: 簡単な (kantan na) easy, as in easy to do 楽な (raku na) easy, as in an easy situation; comfortable 空な (kara na) empty きれいな (kirei na) pretty; clean けちな (kechi na) stingy (not generous) 貧乏な (binbou na) poor; destitute 頻繁な (hinpan na) frequent 便利な (benri na) convenient 不便な (fuben na) inconvenient 不細工な (busaiku na) clumsy; awkward 短気な (tanki na) impatient; quick-tempered 頑固な (ganko na) stubborn 病気な (byouki na) sick 元気な (genki na) healthy; to be feeling well 当然な (shizen na) natural, proper 豊かな (yutaka na) full; abundant 安全な (anzen na) safe 完全な (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. 3
There are even a few adjectives that can be used as true or quasi, like: 大きい 大きな (ookii / oki na) big 小さい 小さな (chiisai / chiisa na) small Many quasi-adjectives are made by adding teki na to a noun: 国際的な (kokusaiteki na) international 科学的な (kagakuteki na) scientific 歴史的な (rekishiteki na) historical 一般的な (ippanteki na) general 楽観的な (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: それはいい本です (Sore wa ii hon desu.) That's a good book. どうぞ 冷たい牛乳を飲んでください (Douzo, tsumetai gyuunyuu o nonde kudasai.) Please, have some cold milk. 重い箱ですね (Omoi hako desu ne.) This is a heavy box, isn't it. (with dropping intonation) And here are some examples using quasi-adjectives: それはきれいな犬です (Sore wa kirei na inu desu.) That's a pretty dog. 彼は頑固な人です (Kare wa ganko na hito desu.) He's a stubborn person. 一番簡単な方法を教えてあげる (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: その本はいいですよ (Sono hon wa ii desu yo.) That book is good. この牛乳は冷たいですか (Kono gyuunyuu wa tsumetai desu ka.) Is this milk cold? 4
この箱は重いですね (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: その犬はきれいですね (Sono inu wa kirei desu ne.) That dog is pretty, isn't it. (with dropping intonation) 彼は頑固! (Kare wa ganko!) He's stubborn! これは簡単 (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: 特別の (tokubetsu no) special 特定の (tokutei no) specific 不明の (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: 緑の傘 (midori no kasa) a green umbrella 紫の花 (murasaki no hana) a purple flower ねずみ色の帽子 (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: お腹 ( が ) すいた (o-naka [ga] suita) hungry のど ( が ) 渇いた (nodo [ga] kawaita) thirsty Naka literally means middle, and suku means to be empty, so you're saying my middle 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. 5
Using hungry, let's take a look at the different popular tenses. Note the verb changes: お腹 ( が ) 空くでしょう (O-naka [ga] suku deshou.) We'll probably get hungry. (Base 3 for infinitives and the future tense) お腹 ( が ) 空いたでしょう (O-naka [ga] suita deshou.) You're hungry, right? (Ta Form for the present) お腹 ( が ) 空いていない (O-naka [ga] suite inai.) I'm not hungry. (Te Form + inai / imasen for the present negative) お腹 ( が ) 空いていた (O-naka [ga] suite ita.) I was hungry. (Te Form + ita for the past) お腹 ( が ) すいていなかった (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. 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: 痩せる (yaseru) to lose weight; become thin 太る (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: 少し太ったみたい (Sukoshi futotta mitai.) Looks like you've put on a little weight. 痩せましたか (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: 眠い (nemui) sleepy 重い (omoi) heavy 6
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! 2. Plain Positive and Plain Negative As in English, using Japanese adjectives in plain positive statements is simple just say the adjective. Here are some true adjectives: おいしい (Oishii.) It's good. (delicious) 暑い (Atsui.) It's hot. 難しい (Muzukashii.) It's difficult. And here are some quasi-adjectives: 便利 (Benri.) It's convenient. 楽 (Raku.) It's comfortable. 簡単 (Kantan.) It's easy. 7
Now let's make all these negative. Like the verbs, adjectives use nai to do this. True adjectives drop their final i and add ku before adding nai: おいしくない (Oishiku nai.) It's not good. (not delicious) 暑くない (Atsuku nai.) It's not hot. 難しくない (Muzukashiku nai.) It's not difficult. Note: The exception is ii (good). It is always used as it is and never conjugated. Quasis add de and then nai: 便利でない (Benri de nai.) It's not convenient. 楽でない (Raku de nai.) It's not comfortable. 簡単でない (Kantan de nai.) It's not easy. Note: Although de is standard after quasis in negative constructions, dewa or ja can be used instead. Use ja only in familiar settings. Now let's look at some endings and combinations which can be added to plain adjectives. (There are others, but these are the most used in my opinion.) If you've already been through my Japanese Verbs, these should look familiar. Group A でしょう? (deshou?)..., right? (request for agreement) でしょう (deshou.) it probably is かどうか (ka dou ka) whether or not it is かもしれない しれません (kamo shirenai / shiremasen) it may be なら (nara) if it is らしい (rashii) it seems to be; I hear it is Group B はず (hazu) it is supposed to be 方がいい (hou ga ii) it would be better if it were の (no) one(s) (used in place of nouns when they are known) 8
ので (node) because it is のに (noni) in spite of the fact that it is Group C から (kara) because it is けれども けど (keredomo / kedo) although it is と思う (to omou) I / We think it is You may want to call the above three groups quasi handling groups because they only apply to quasi-adjectives. We'll get to those a little later. First, some positive examples. Any add-on from any group above can be added after a true adjective without changing it: おいしいでしょう? (Oishii deshou?) It's good, isn't it? 難しいらしい (Muzukashii rashii.) I hear it's difficult. 白いはず (Shiroi hazu.) It's supposed to be white. 良いかどうか分からない (Yoi ka dou ka wakaranai.) I don't know if it's good or not. 真里のかばんは大きいと思う 小さいのは恵子の (Mari no kaban wa ookii to omou. Chiisai no wa Keiko no.) I think Mari's bag is big. The small one is Keiko's. 安いから買った (Yasui kara katta.) I bought it because it was cheap. With quasis, it gets a bit trickier. Those in Group A are added without any particle: 空でしょう (Kara deshou.) It's probably empty. 便利かもしれない (Benri kamo shirenai.) It might be convenient. 病気なら病院に行きなさい (Byouki nara byouin ni ikinasai.) If you're sick, go to the hospital. 9
Note: In Japan you don't go see a doctor, you go to the hospital. Those in Group B are added after first adding na: もっと簡単なはず (Motto kantan na hazu.) It's supposed to be easier. 旅行は楽な方がいい (Ryokou wa raku na hou ga ii.) A relaxing trip is best. カールは病気なのに学校に来た (Carl wa byouki na noni gakkou ni kita.) Carl came to school even though he's sick. And add da before adding those in Group C: きれいだから 彼女は人気者です (Kirei da kara, kanojo wa ninkimono desu.) She's popular because she's pretty. ローンは頑固だけど 性格がいい (Ron wa ganko da kedo, seikaku ga ii.) Ron's stubborn, but he has a good personality. この問題は簡単だと思う (Kono mondai wa kantan da to omou.) I think this problem is easy. Da is actually the plain form of desu, which could be used with kara or kedo (keredomo) instead of da to make it more polite. For more about desu, please see Lesson 7 of my Japanese Verbs. Now let's do some negative ones. First some with true adjectives: おいしくないでしょう (Oishikunai deshou.) It's not very good, is it. (with dropping intonation) 白くない方がいいでしょう (Shirokunai hou ga ii deshou.) It would probably be best if it weren't white. 難しくないらしい (Muzukashikunai rashii.) I hear it's not difficult. 真里のかばんは大きくないと思う (Mari no kaban wa ookikunai to omou.) I don't think Mari's bag is big. 安くないかもしれない 10
(Yasukunai kamo shirenai.) It might not be cheap. And here are some with quasi-adjectives: 空でないでしょう (Kara de nai deshou.) It's probably not empty. 便利でないかもしれない (Benri de nai kamo shirenai.) It might not be convenient. 簡単でないはず (Kantan de nai hazu.) It's not supposed to be easy. ボブは病気でないのに学校に来なかった (Bob wa byouki de nai noni gakkou ni konakatta.) Bob didn't come to school even though he's not sick. ジョーは頑固でないけど 性格が難しい (Joe wa ganko de nai kedo, seikaku ga muzukashii.) Joe's not stubborn, but he has a difficult personality. There are two more handy negative add-ons that I'd like to introduce here. They are: なければならない (nakereba naranai) it must be (literally, if it's not..., it won't do ) なくてもいい (nakutemo ii) it doesn't need to be (literally, even if it's not..., it's good ) Here they are with a true adjective: 大きくなければならない (Ookiku nakereba naranai.) It has to be big. 大きくなくてもいい (Ookiku nakutemo ii.) It doesn't have to be big. And with a quasi: 簡単でなければならない (Kantan de nakereba naranai.) It has to be simple. 簡単でなくてもいい (Kantan de nakutemo ii.) It doesn't have to be simple. 11
Note: In written Japanese there are no spaces between words. In my lessons I usually use what is most common for romanized Japanese, but may add spaces for clarification in long constructions. This is why there will sometimes be inconsistencies. 3. Colors Because colors are usually used as adjectives, and because Japanese colors have their own strange set of rules, I thought I'd make a separate lesson out of them. Here are ten popular colors as they are used when not preceding a noun, which is most of the time: 赤 (aka) red 青 (ao) blue 黄色 (kiiro) yellow 緑 (midori) green 紫 (murasaki) purple 橙色 (daidaiiro) orange 茶色 (chairo) brown 白 (shiro) white 黒 (kuro) black ねずみ色 (nezumiiro) gray Please keep in mind that iro ( 色 ) means color, and that four of the above are made by adding iro to a noun: kiiro: yellow (ki [sulfur] + iro [color]) daidaiiro: orange (daidai [a kind of orange] + iro [color]) chairo: brown (cha [tea] + iro [color]) nezumiiro: gray (nezumi [mouse] + iro [color]) While it is possible to leave off the iro in some instances, this is how these colors are used most of the time. It is also possible to add iro to the others which usually don't use it: midori iro (green, greenish); shiro iro (white, whitish); etc. Here are a few examples where the color comes after the noun it modifies: リックの車は赤 (Rick no kuruma wa aka.) Rick's car is red. 私の犬は白と茶色 (Watashi no inu wa shiro to chairo.) My dog's white and brown. 今度自転車を買ったら青がいい (Kondo jitensha o kattara ao ga ii.) The next time I buy a bicycle I want a blue one. 12
Again, most of the time the color of something is mentioned in Japanese, it's after the subject or object in question, like in the above examples. When you want to put a color directly before the object, add i to aka, ao, shiro and kuro; add no not na to midori, murasaki, daidaiiro and nezumiiro; and you can add either i or no to kiiro and chairo: 彼女の美しい黒い髪を見て (Kanojo no utsukushii kuroi kami o mite.) Look at her beautiful black hair. 私は白い靴を買いたい (Watashi wa shiroi kutsu o kaitai.) I want to buy some white shoes. 淳子は黄色い傘を持っている (Junko wa kiiroi kasa o motte iru.) Junko's holding a yellow umbrella. この赤い辞書はだれの? (Kono akai jisho wa dare no?) Whose red dictionary is this? この紫の風船は店でもらった (Kono murasaki no fuusen wa mise de moratta.) I got this purple balloon at the store. ボブは大きなねずみ色の机を買った (Bob wa ooki na nezumiiro no tsukue o katta.) Bob bought a big gray desk. Colors with i added become and behave the same as true adjectives; those with no behave like quasis. There's a handy prefix that works especially well with three colors. It's ma, and it means true. Note how the pronunciation changes with ma added: 真っ赤 (makka) bright red 真っ白 (masshiro) pure white 真っ黒 (makkuro) jet black Strangely, you never add i to these; nor do you add no. They are regular quasiadjectives, and use na: あの真っ赤な花がきれいですね (Ano makka na hana ga kirei desu ne.) That bright red flower is pretty, isn't it? And here's a useful suffix: -ppoi. It works like -ish in English, and comes in handy when you don't know what to call a color. All colors become true adjectives with it attached: 彼女は緑っぽい帽子を被った (Kanojo wa midorippoi boushi o kabutta.) She wore a greenish hat. 13
その黄色っぽい寿司はまずい (Sono kiiroppoi sushi wa mazui.) That yellowish sushi is nasty. By the way, you will find that the names for colors in Japanese, especially the primary ones, have a more abstract role than their English counterparts. Aka can mean anything from dark orange to copper or reddish purple; ao from green to bluish purple; and kiiro from light orange to pale yellow. In Japan, you stop when the light's aka, and go when it's ao. 4. Adjectives suki, kirai, hoshii, jouzu and heta These five adjectives play by their own set of rules. Since they are used regularly, I think it would be good to get used to their weird ways as soon as possible. Suki means to like and kirai means to dislike. Yes, that's right just as there are ideas conveyed through verbs in Japanese where adjectives would be used in English, as mentioned in Lesson 1, the reverse is also true. If you'll check your dictionary, you'll see that both of these exist in verb form: suku and kirau; but the chances are very slim that you'll ever hear them used that way. You will, however, hear them used in passive constructions, like: 和子はどこに行っても好かれる (Kazuko wa doko ni itte mo sukareru.) Kazuko is liked wherever she goes. 納豆はたくさんの人から嫌われている (Nattou wa takusan no hito kara kirawarete iru.) Nattou (fermented soybeans) is disliked by many people. For regular, straightforward talk about what you and others like and don't like, use suki and kirai in quasi-adjective form: 日本の秋が好き (Nihon no aki ga suki.) I like autumn in Japan. 日本の夏は蒸し暑いから好きではない (Nihon no natsu wa mushiatsui kara suki dewa nai.) I don't like summers in Japan because they're hot and humid. 皆ゴキブリが嫌い (Mina gokiburi ga kirai.) Everyone hates cockroaches. Note that ga is used to link suki or kirai to their object when there is no other necessary element between them. You can put dai (a lot; very much) before suki or kirai to emphasize them: リンダは苺が大好き (Linda wa ichigo ga dai suki.) 14
Linda loves strawberries. ベスはクモが大嫌い (Beth wa kumo ga dai kirai.) Beth really hates spiders. When you put the object in question after suki or kirai, use the quasi indicator na: それは僕の好きな音楽 (Sore wa boku no suki na ongaku.) That's the music that I like. 田中さんは僕の嫌いな食べ物ばかり作る (Tanaka-san wa boku no kirai na tabemono bakari tsukuru.) All the food Mrs. Tanaka makes is the stuff I don't like. Interestingly, and mainly colloquially, these can also be used to modify the indirect object: 野菜の好きな子供が少ない (Yasai no suki na kodomo ga sukunai.) There are few kids that like vegetables. 刺身が嫌いな人がたくさんいます (Sashimi ga kirai na hito ga takusan imasu.) There are many people that don't like raw fish. While hoshii is a true adjective, it's used to represent the English verb want. It also uses ga when following its object, but remains alone when preceding it: 風船が欲しい! (Fuusen ga hoshii!) I want a balloon! 私の欲しい色がない (Watashi no hoshii iro ga nai.) They don't have the color I want. 赤い風船の欲しい子供が多い (Akai fuusen no hoshii kodomo ga ooi.) There are many kids who want a red balloon. Although hoshii isn't necessarily a kid's word, outside of familiar circles it could make you sound like one when expressing your own desires, so you'll want to be careful with it. I should mention here that hoshii can be used with verbs in the Te Form to imply "want (someone) to...," just like -te moraitai. It's not used on yourself. It's used like this: 僕は今この部屋を掃除したい そして君に手伝って欲しい (Boku wa ima kono heya o souji shitai. Soshite kimi ni tetsudatte hoshii.) I want to clean this room now, and I want you to help. もっと英語を勉強して欲しい 15
(Motto eigo o benkyou shite hoshii.) I want you to study English more. これを読んで欲しい (Kore o yonde hoshii.) I want you to read this. This is very plain and familiar, however. Be sure to upgrade to something like -te kudasai or -te itadakitai when necessary. (See Japanese Verbs Lessons 55 and 61.) Like suki and kirai, jouzu and heta are quasi-adjective opposites that fill the role of ideas usually expressed by verbs in English. They also use ga before or na after in the same manner. Jouzu means to be good at; well done, and heta means the exact opposite: 彼女は料理が上手ですね (Kanojo wa ryouri ga jouzu desu ne.) She's a good cook, isn't she. (with falling intonation) それは上手な絵 (Sore wa jouzu na e.) That's a nicely done painting. 私はピアノが本当に下手です (Watashi wa piano ga hontou ni heta desu.) I'm really bad at playing the piano. 下手な歌! (Heta na uta!) What a poorly done song! カラオケが上手な人が少ない (Karaoke ga jouzu na hito ga sukunai.) There aren't many people who are good at karaoke. There are a few expressions with jouzu where the ga is often omitted: 彼は英語上手 (Kare wa eigo jouzu.) He speaks English well. 幸は料理上手でしょう? (Sachi wa ryouri jouzu deshou?) Sachi's a great cook, isn't she? 16
5. Adverbial Forms Making adverbs from adjectives is quite easy. With true adjectives, just replace the final i with ku before adding the verb. With quasis, just add ni: おじいさんはいつも遅く食べる (Ojii-san wa itsumo osoku taberu.) Grampa always eats slowly. 早くしなさい! (Hayaku shinasai!) Do it quickly! 和也は絵を上手に描ける (Kazuya wa e o jouzu ni kakeru.) Kazuya can draw pictures well. この仕事は簡単にできるよ (Kono shigoto wa kantan ni dekiru yo.) You'll be able to do this job easily. The verb naru (to become) is often used with adverbs: 心配しないで! 段々上手になるよ (Shinpai shinaide! Dandan jouzu ni naru yo.) Don't worry! You'll gradually become better at it. 毎年僕の仕事は難しくなります (Mai toshi boku no shigoto wa muzukashiku narimasu.) My job gets more difficult every year. リサは海外から帰ると いつも病気になる (Lisa wa kaigai kara kaeru to, itsumo byouki ni naru.) Lisa always gets sick after returning from overseas. Use suru with descriptive adverbs for to make : 大きくしてくれる? (Ookiku shite kureru?) Would you make it bigger? 暖かくしてあげましょう (Atatakaku shite agemashou.) I'll make it warmer for you. 私たちは安全にしなければならない (Watashitachi wa anzen ni shinakereba naranai.) We must make it safe. 17
6. Conditional Forms To make positive conditionals, replace the final i with kereba in true adjectives, and add nara to quasis: 安ければ買いましょう (Yasukereba kaimashou.) If it's inexpensive, let's buy it. 外は暑ければ出たくない (Soto wa atsukereba detakunai.) I don't want to go out if it's hot outside. 犬は病気なら 獣医に連れて行こう (Inu wa byouki nara, juui ni tsurete ikou.) If the dog's sick, let's take him to the vet. Note: Naraba can also be used after quasi-adjectives, but nara is more common. For negative conditionals, use ku nakereba (the negative-forming ku nai + kereba) with true adjectives, and de nakereba (the negative-forming de nai + kereba) with quasis: 明日は寒くなければ行きましょう (Ashita wa samuku nakereba ikimashou.) If it's not cold tomorrow, let's go. このパソコンが欲しくなければ 別の店に行きましょう (Kono pasokon ga hoshiku nakereba, betsu no mise ni ikimashou.) If you don't want this computer, let's go to another store. 店の場所は便利でなければ 客が少ないでしょう (Mise no basho wa benri de nakereba, kyaku ga sukunai deshou.) If the store isn't in a convenient location, it probably won't get many customers. Please see Lesson 2 for more about negative structures. 7. The Te Form + mo There are just two adjective te form endings that I hear used often enough to mention. The first is mo ii, which means it's okay if..., and the second is mo kamawanai, a similar ending meaning I don't mind if... To convert true adjectives to the te form, remove the final i and add kute; quasis just need a de. Here are a few examples: 大きくてもいい (Ookikute mo ii.) If it's large that's okay. 少し古くてもいい (Sukoshi furukute mo ii.) It's all right if it's a little old. 18
彼は下手でもいい (Kare wa heta de mo ii.) It's okay if he's not good at it. ジョンソン先生は厳しくても構わない (Johnson sensei wa kibishikute mo kamawanai.) I don't mind if Mr. Johnson's strict. Note: Sensei is the name suffix for teacher. その店は不便でも構わないの? (Sono mise wa fuben de mo kamawanai no?) Don't you mind that store being inconveniently located? To make these polite, add desu to ii and use kamaimasen instead of kamawanai: 少し不便でもいいです (Sukoshi fuben de mo ii desu.) It's okay if it's a bit inconvenient. 外は寒くても構いません (Soto wa samukute mo kamaimasen.) I don't mind if it's cold out. The negative forms of -kute mo ii and de mo ii were covered at the bottom of Lesson 2. 8. Plain Past Use katta and datta to make adjectives plain and past. Datta is the universal plain form of deshita, and can be used at the end of many sentences to make them plain and past. Katta is for true adjectives only, however, and is added after removing the final i. Here are a few true adjective examples: 今日は暑かった! (Kyou wa atsukatta!) It was hot today! 数学の試験はとても難しかった (Suugaku no shiken wa totemo muzukashikatta.) The math test was very difficult. 昨日の旅行は楽しかった (Kinou no ryokou wa tanoshikatta.) Yesterday's trip was fun. And here are some quasi examples: 昨日病気だった (Kinou byouki datta.) I was sick yesterday. 19
10 年前にジョンは貧乏だった (Juu nen mae ni John wa binbou datta.) Ten years ago John was poor. 歴史の宿題は簡単だった (Rekishi no shukudai wa kantan datta.) The history homework was easy. Now, having done this, you can further conjugate using the endings and combinations applicable to other plain forms, like those in Lesson 2: 寒かったでしょう (Samukatta deshou?) It was cold, wasn't it? 小さかったはず (Chiisakatta hazu.) It was supposed to be small. 彼はとても頑固だったらしい (Kare wa totemo ganko datta rashii.) It seems he was very stubborn. Finally, if you're ending a sentence with an adjective and want to make it past and polite, just add desu after katta in true adjectives, and use deshita instead of datta with quasis: 会議は長かったです (Kaigi wa nagakatta desu.) The meeting was long. 食事は完全でした (Shokuji wa kanzen deshita.) The meal was perfect. Note: The adjective ii (good) is not conjugated into the past tense. Use yokatta to say that something was good. 9. Adjectives with sou and sugiru This lesson should clarify sou (I hear that [something] is [adjective]) and sou ([something] looks/sounds/seems [adjective]). Here's how they work: Sou (I hear that [something] is [adjective]) is basically used to report hearsay or the reports of others without the involvement of your personal senses or opinion. It is added after both true and quasi-adjectives with no change to the adjective itself: あの大学の入学試験は難しいそうです (Ano daigaku no nyuugaku shiken wa muzukashii sou desu.) I hear that that university's entrance exam is difficult. 20
その本は高いそうです (Sono hon wa takai sou desu.) I hear that book's expensive. あの新しい店の場所は不便そうです (Ano atarashii mise no basho wa fuben sou desu.) I hear that the new store is in an inconvenient location. The other sou ([something] looks/sounds/seems [adjective]) is used to express your own impression of something based on hearsay, seeing a picture, etc. This one takes the place of the final i in true adjectives, and is added after quasis, just like the other sou: おいしそう! (Oishisou!) Sounds delicious! その自転車は高そう (Sono jitensha wa takasou.) That bicycle looks expensive. 彼は頑固そうなおじいさんですね (Kare wa ganko sou na ojii-san desu ne.) He seems like a hard-headed old man, doesn't he? Thanks to various unwritten rules, these two sous are fairly easy to keep straight. In the first sou outlined above, sou is said without stress, in a matter-of-fact kind of way. Also, I've noticed that native speakers will usually add desu or da after it. (That's why I added desu in the examples.) The second sou is stressed and drawn out, and said with at least a little excitement if it's describing something good. It doesn't need desu or da, and is often used as a simple exclamation: 楽しそう! (Tanoshisou!) Sounds fun! 寒そう! (Samusou!) Looks cold! (as one might say while watching a program about Alaska) まずそう! (Mazusou!) Sounds nasty! (not good to eat) 簡単そう! (Kantan sou!) Looks easy! 楽そう! (Raku sou!) Looks comfortable! Note: The adjective yoi is an exception with this sou. You need to add sa first: yosasou (sounds good). This, by the way, is how you add sou to the negative nai as well, for 21
example: yoi (good) + nai = yokunai (not good) + sou = yokunasasou (doesn't sound good). Sugiru means too (much of something), and is also used a lot. It works like the second sou above, meaning it replaces the final i of true adjectives: このお茶は熱すぎる! (Kono o-cha wa atsusugiru!) This tea is too hot! あの箱は重すぎる! (Ano hako wa omosugiru!) That box is too heavy! 今日の試験は難しすぎた (Kyou no shiken wa muzukashisugita.) Today's test was too difficult. これは簡単すぎる! (Kore wa kantan sugiru!) This is too easy! 彼女はけちすぎるから 友達がいない (Kanojo wa kechi sugiru kara, tomodachi ga inai.) She doesn't have any friends because she's too stingy. 10. Adjective Modifiers In this last lesson we will look at the bits and pieces needed to adjust the meaning of adjectives so they convey exactly what we want. Everything here applies to both true and quasi-adjectives. Comparatives In sentences where an adjective is used to compare two things, use yori after the object which is used for comparison. Note how the compared object (underlined) sits between the subject and adjective of the main idea: 賢の犬は静香の犬より大きい (Ken no inu wa Shizuka no inu yori ookii.) Ken's dog is bigger than Shizuka's dog. 今日の試験は昨日のより簡単だった (Kyou no shiken wa kinou no yori kantan datta.) Today's exam was easier than yesterday's....but how it comes before other objects which are not a part of the subject: 私は焼きそばより焼き飯が好き (Watashi wa yakisoba yori yakimeshi ga suki.) I like fried rice more than fried noodles. 22
Alternately, yori can be placed after the subject in structures that follow other finalized statements: 静香の犬は大きいですが 賢の犬はより大きい (Shizuka no inu wa ookii desu ga, Ken no inu wa yori ookii.) Shizuka's dog is big, but Ken's dog is bigger. 今日は暑かったけど 明日はより暑くなるそうです (Kyou wa atsukatta kedo, ashita wa yori atsukunaru sou desu.) Today was hot, but they say it's going to be hotter tomorrow. Note: Mo is sometimes added to yori yorimo. It's completely optional and does not change the meaning of the sentence. Another popular way to compare things is to use motto, which is roughly the equivalent of more in English. It is placed directly before the adjective it modifies, and could be used to replace yori in the last set of examples above: 静香の犬は大きいですが 賢の犬はもっと大きい (Shizuka no inu wa ookii desu ga, Ken no inu wa motto ookii.) Shizuka's dog is big, but Ken's dog is bigger. 今日は暑かったけど 明日はもっと暑くなるそうです (Kyou wa atsukatta kedo, ashita wa motto atsukunaru sou desu.) Today was hot, but they say it's going to be hotter tomorrow. Superlatives Mottomo or the well-known ichiban (number one) can be placed before adjectives to make them superlative. Ichiban without an adjective can be used to simply mean the best : これはこの店の最も安いパソコンです (Kore wa kono mise no mottomo yasui pasokon desu.) This is the cheapest computer in this store. それは僕の一番好きな本です (Sore wa boku no ichiban suki na hon desu.) That's my favorite book. 中島さんのラーメンは一番! (Nakajima-san no ramen wa ichiban!) The ramen Ms. Nakajima makes is the best! Negative Comparatives and Superlatives Negative comparatives and superlatives are not used that much in Japanese. In fact, there is no equivalent to the least. To convey something in a negative superlative way, just use an adjective with that meaning, or make the adjective negative, as in: これは最も悪い (Kore wa mottomo warui.) This is the worst. 23
これは一番おいしくない (Kore wa ichiban oishikunai.) This is the least delicious. For negative comparatives where less is implied, you can put hodo, which means to the extent of, after the object of comparison. You must also make the adjective negative. Let's do this to the first two examples used in the Comparatives section above. Note how the subject and compared object change places in order to convey the same meaning: Two More 静香の犬は賢の犬ほど大きくない (Shizuka no inu wa Ken no inu hodo ookikunai.) Shizuka's dog isn't as big as Ken's dog. 昨日の試験は今日のほど簡単ではなかった (Kinou no shiken wa kyou no hodo kantan dewa nakatta.) Yesterday's exam wasn't as easy as today's. There are two other handy modifiers I'll mention here because they're used a lot: toku ni and amari. Toku ni means especially and amari means about the opposite of that. Here's how they're used: 今日は特に忙しかった (Kyou wa toku ni isogashikatta.) Today was especially busy. あの映画はあまり面白くない (Ano eiga wa amari omoshirokunai.) That movie is not really that interesting. 賢二の成績は特に悪い (Kenji no seiseki wa toku ni warui.) Kenji's grades are particularly bad. 今日はあまり暑くないね (Kyou wa amari atsukunai ne.) Today's not that hot, is it. (with dropping intonation) 24