The Use and Conjugation

of Japanese Adjectives
(Keiyoshi)
DR. LETY CHAWAG
Keiyoshi to wa nan desu ka?
(What are Adjectives?)

Adjectives describe nouns.

Keiyoshi wa meishi o arawashimasu.

 Look at the adjectives used below:

Sushi is delicious. Sushi wa oishiidesu.

noun adjective noun adjective

Tour guides are smart. Tsuaa gaido wa kashikoidesu.

noun adjective noun adjective
 Position of Keiyoshi
Where are the adjectives placed in the sentence ?

English Nippongo
Sushi is delicious. Sushi wa oishii desu.
noun verb adjective noun adjective verb

Note: The adjective can be placed after noun “sushi”

The adjective is placed before the linking verb “desu”
 The adjectives can come immediately before the noun

She is a beautiful woman. Kanojo wa utsukushī josei desu.

be verb adjective noun adjective noun be verb

Agera is a fast car. Agera wa hayai kuruma desu.

 Types of Adjectives
(Keiyoshi no surui)

I-Adjectives Na-Adjectives
 The 1-adjectives generally  The Na-adjectives generally
end in letter “ I.” end in other letters except
for some words
 The ending “I” in an I- When written in Hiragana, the
adjective is one Hiragana letter “ I” is not written in like
vowel character い manner as the vowel character
pronounced as /“iy/ in most “I” but as （な）
words pronounced as
na
Thus, when in doubt, check how the adjective is
written in Hiragana character.
 1. Junsuina Keiyoshi (Pure Adjectives)
English Adjectives Japanese Statements
equivalents
Beautiful 美しい 彼女は美しい 。
utsukushii Kanojo wa utsukushī.
She is beautiful.

busy 忙しい ツアーガイドは忙しいです。

Isogashii Tsuāgaido wa isogashīdesu.
The tour guide is busy.

fast Hayai 車は速い。

Fast Kuruma wa hayai desu.
The car is fast.
 Structure of sentence with ‘i’ adjective

Case 1: When ‘i’ adjective is placed at the end of a sentence

Structure:
Noun wa + ‘i’ Adjective + です (desu)
Example:
Watashi no kuruma wa hayai desu. ( My car is fast)

Case 2: When ‘i’ adjective is placed before a noun

Structure:
‘i’ adjective + noun
Example:
Hayai kuruma desu. It is a fast car.
 Conjugating Adjectives when
expressed in different verb tenses
Hayai
It is a fast car. Hayai kuruma desu.

It was a fast car. Hayai kuruma deshita. .

It was not a fast car. Hayai kuruma dewa arimasen deshita.

Note: The adjective is not conjugated, the verb “desu “ (is) conjugated.
Subarashii
Stem = subarashi

Conjugate : Affirmative Negative

Present tense “ subarashii (plain) subarashikunai
subarashii desu ( polite) subarashiku arimasen deshita

Past Indicative: subarashikatta (plain) subarashi kunakatta

subarashikatta desu (polite) subarashiku arimasen deshita
 2. Na-Adjectives
Na-adjectives are not conjugated
Examples:
genki na - genki na inu ( an energetic dog)
kirei na - kirei na Watashi wa kirei na hito desu. ( I am a beautiful person)
Kirei Watashi wa kirei dewa arimasen . ( I am not beautiful)
watashi wa kirei dewa arimasen dehista. ( I was not beautiful)
shizuka na - (quiet) Shizuka na basho desu. ( It is a quiet place)
Shizuka na basho deshita. ( It was a quiet place)
Shizuka na basho dewa arimasen. ( It is not a quiet place)
Shizuka na basho dewar arimasen deshita. ( It was not a quiet place.)

Basho wa shizuka desu. ( The place is quiet).

 What if there are two adjectives in a
sentence?
Answer:
Change the adjective in the first sentence to te to connect it to the next adjective.

Process:
1. To change to te-form for i-adjectives, remove the " い " (i) and replace it with " くて " (kute).
Example: oishii - oishikute ( delicious)

2. To change to te-form for na-adjectives, append " で " (de) at the end.
example: kirei na - kirei de ( clean, beautiful)
 Sample Sentences with two adjectives:
1. With I-adjectives
このりょうりはおいしくてやすいです。
kono ryouri wa oishikute yasui desu. Oishii – drop the second I and add kute
This dish is delicious and cheap.

2. With Na-Adjectives
たなかさんはきれいでしんせつです。
Tanaka san wa kirei de shinsetsu desu
Ms Tanaka is beautiful and kind.
 Combined I-adjective with Na-
adjective

1. Yamada san wa omoshirokute genki na hito desu omoshirokute

(i-adjective) (na-adjective)
Mr Yamada is an interesting and energetic person.

2. Yamada san wa genki de omoshiroi hito desu

(na-adjective) ( I-adjective)
Mr Yamada is an energetic and interesting person
Caution: Do not combine two contradicting adjectives using te
form

Example:
Wrong: kono heya wa furukute hiroi desu X

This room is old and wide.

Correct: kono heya wa atarashikute hiroi desu 

This room is new and wide.

 Practice Exercises
The food is cheap and delicious.
Vocabulary: tabemono – food
yasui - cheap
oishii - delicious.

Tabemono wa yasukute oishii desu.