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For any beginner of Japanese, adjectives and adverbs are bound to present a challenge. Unlike English adjectives, Japanese ones conjugate, meaning that you must memorize their various forms before being able to build sentences of any complexity. Adverbs do not conjugate, but make use of particles to show their grammatical relationship to other words, and some have very subtle shades of meaning that are difficult to grasp. Moreover, many do not translate into adverbs in English.
The role these parts of speech play in adding flavor to the Japanese language is invaluable. This handy reference manual introduces the basic (and basics of) adjectives and adverbs in a clear and sensible way, enabling students not only to speak Japanese but to do it with pizzazz.
The book is divided roughly in half, the first half dealing with adjectives, the second with adverbs. Each is prefaced by a short introduction that serves as an overview of the material introduced. The section on adjectives is divided into two parts: Part 1 covers the conjugations of i- and na-adjectives and some basic auxiliary adjectives, and Part 2 presents common sentence patterns in which adjectives appear.
The adverb section is arranged by topic. Among the types of adverbs explained here are those used to express time, quantity, degree, circumstance, and natural sounds or actions (the ubiquitous onomatopoeic adverbs).
Each entry in this book is given a simple, concise English explanation and two or more example sentences to illustrate its usage. Exercises every few pages enable students to measure their understanding. Finally, a number of quick-reference lists in the appendixes provide a convenient means of recalling and building vocabulary.
Together with its sister publication, The Handbook of Japanese Verbs, this unique manual is certain to provide years of friendly guidance.
From the Publisher
[The first pages of the opening chapter; without the bold type setting relevant words and with Japanese script represented by X's.]
ADJECTIVES
Introduction
This section deals with some of the main features of Japanese adjectives as well as their similarities to and differences from English adjectives. You are advised to read it carefully before moving on to the main text.
Types of Adjectives
Japanese adjectives may be divided into two types: (a) i-adjectives, which end with i, and (b) na-adjectives, which end with na. I-adjectives are Japanese in origin while na-adjectives are mostly Chinese-origin words.
atarashii XXX new
isogashii XXX busy
omoshiroi XXX interesting
shizukana XXX quiet
sukina XXX favorite
benrina XXX convenient
Noun Modifiers
When used as noun modifiers, Japanese adjectives, like their English counterparts, precede the nouns they modify. Foreign words used as adjectives in Japanese become na-adjectives.
(a) okii ie
XXXXX
a big house
kuroi kuruma
XXXXX
a black car
(b)kireina hana
XXXXX
a pretty flower
genkina hito
XXXXX
a healthy person
modanna biru
XXXXX
a modern building
yuniikuna aidia
XXXXX
a unique idea
Adjectival Predicates
I-adjectives, when used as predicates, behave like verbs. For example, when okii XXX (big) or kuroi XXX (black) is used as a predicate, it means "is big" or "is black," not just "big" or "black."
Tanaka-san no ie wa okii.
XXXXXXX
Mr. Tanaka's house is big.
Watashi no kuruma wa kuroi.
XXXXXXX
My car is black.
Na-adjectives, when used as predicates, behave like nouns. That is, the stem form (the form without na) must be followed by the copula (be-verb) da, as must an ordinary noun. For this reason, na-adjectives are sometimes called "nominal (nounlike) adjectives" or "adjectival nouns."
Kono hana wa kirei da.
XXXXXXX
This flower is pretty.
Yamada-san wa genki da.
XXXXXXX
Miss Yamada is healthy.
Some na-adjectives can be used as nouns when functioning as the subject or object of a sentence.
anzenna asobiba
XXXXXXX
a safe playground
Kodomo ni totte anzen ga taisetsu da.
XXXXXXX
Safety is important for children.
zeitakuna kurashi
XXXXXXX
luxurious living
Sonna zeitaku wa dekinai.
XXXXXXX
I can't afford such a luxury.
Exceptions: The i-adjectives okii XXX (big), chiisai XXX (small) and okashii XXX (funny) may be used as na-adjectives when modifying certain nouns such as those given in the examples below.
okina koen XXX a big park
chiisana ike XXX a small pond
okashina hanashi XXX a funny story
Auxiliary Adjectives
Auxiliary adjectives are adjectives that are attached to other adjectives or verbs. Some are i-adjectives (Examples 1, 2, 3, 4), while others are na-adjectives (Examples 5, 6).
1. Ano resutoran wa takai rashii.
XXXXXXX
That restaurant seems to be expensive.
2. Kono mondai wa judai kamoshirenai.
XXXXXXX
This problem might be serious.
3. Fuji-san ni noboritai.
XXXXXXX
I want to climb Mt. Fuji.
4. Kono kigu wa tsukaiyasui.
XXXXXXX
This utensil is easy to use.
5. Kono pai wa oishiso da.
XXXXXXX
This pie looks delicious.
6. Sumisu-san wa sumo ga sukina yo da.
XXXXXXX
Mr. Smith appears to like sumo.
In addition to auxiliary adjectives, there are also auxiliary verbs. These, too, can attach to adjectives.
(a) Kono heya wa semasugiru.
XXXXXXX
This room is too small.
(b) Kare wa majime sugiru.
XXXXXXX
He is too serious.
Tenses of Adjectives Japanese adjectives conjugate and have two tenses: present and past. The same adjectival form is used to express both present and future tenses.
(a) Shiken wa yasashii.
XXXXXXX
The exam is/will be easy.
Shiken wa yasashikatta.
XXXXXXX
The exam was easy.
(b)Tetsuzuki wa kantan da.
XXXXXXX
The procedure is/will be simple.
Tetsuzuki wa kantan datta.
XXXXXXX
The procedure was simple.
Levels of Speech
Japanese adjectives have plain, polite and superpolite forms or levels of speech. The plain form is used among family and friends, as well as in publications. The polite form is used among adults who are not close friends. The super-polite form is seldom used by younger speakers except in such greetings as o-hayo gozaimasu XXXXXXX (Good morning) or o-medeto gozaimasu XXXXXXX (Congratulations).
"It is interesting."
(a) Plain for i-adjectives
Omoshiroi.
XXX
Polite form for i-adjectives
Omoshiroi desu.
XXX
Superpolite form for i-adjectives
Omoshiro gozaimasu.
XXX
(b) Plain form for na-adjectives
Kantan da.
XXX
Polite form for na-adjectives
Kantan desu.
XXX
Superpolite form for na-adjectives
Kantan de gozaimasu.
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