Welcome to the world of Japanese adjectives! In this section, you'll discover how to describe everything from cute cats to difficult homework. Adjectives are essential tools in Japanese — they bring your sentences to life by adding emotion, detail, and personality.
Just like in English, Japanese adjectives describe things, people, places, and feelings. For example:
In Japanese, adjectives can appear before a noun (like "quiet room") or at the end of a sentence to describe the subject (like "The book is interesting"). However, Japanese adjectives do more than just describe — they also act like verbs, meaning they can change form to express tense or negation.
What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word that modifies or describes a noun. In Japanese, adjectives are grammatically powerful and flexible — they function as predicates and don't need a separate verb like “is” to complete the thought. For example:
このケーキは あまい (This cake is sweet.)
No need for a word like "is" — the adjective already carries the meaning!
The Two Types of Japanese Adjectives
Japanese has two main types of adjectives: い-adjectives and な-adjectives. Each type follows its own rules, but both are easy to spot once you know what to look for! Understanding the difference between い-adjectives and な-adjectives is crucial because they behave differently in Japanese grammar. Each type follows its own set of rules when used in sentences and when conjugated into different forms like past tense or negative.
い-adjectives
い-adjectives almost always end with the hiragana い in their dictionary form. They can be used directly before a noun or at the end of a sentence. Here are some common い-adjectives:
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| たかい | takai | high / expensive |
| おおきい | ookii | big |
| ちいさい | chiisai | small |
| あたらしい | atarashii | new |
| おもしろい | omoshiroi | interesting |
| たのしい | tanoshii | fun |
| むずかしい | muzukashii | difficult |
| かわいい | kawaii | cute |
な-adjectives
な-adjectives do not end with い (with a few exceptions). When used directly before a noun, you add な between the adjective and the noun. Some examples:
Here are some common な-adjectives:
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| しずか | shizuka | quiet |
| きれい | kirei | pretty / clean |
| ゆうめい | yuumei | famous |
| べんり | benri | convenient |
| すき | suki | liked / favorite |
| たいせつ | taisetsu | important |
| ひま | hima | free (time) |
| げんき | genki | healthy / energetic |
Note: Some な-adjectives, like きれい, end with い but are not い-adjectives. Always check which type a word is!
More adjectives can be found in the Vocabulary section.