Adjective forms and conjugations

Types of adjectives

Adjectives modify nouns and predicates or can be used for predicates.
They represent the nature, state, emotions, sensations, etc. of the subject.

I-Adjective

All of the I-Adjectives are end with the “i” sound when modifying a noun.
They are original Japanese adjectives.

Na-Adjective

All of the Na-Adjectives are end with the “na” sound when modifying a noun.
These came from Chinese, English, or other languages.

Attributive adjectives

They represent the nature, state, etc of the subject.

Emotional adjectives

They represent the emotions, sensations, etc. of the subject.

I-Adjective

Attributive adjectives

Size-related I-Adjectives

Japanese	English	Opposite JP	Opposite EN
大おおきい/でかい	big, large	小ちいさい/ちっちゃい	small
長ながい	long	短みじかい	short
高たかい	high, tall, expensive	低ひくい/安やすい	low/cheap
広ひろい	wide, spacious	狭せまい	narrow, small
深ふかい	deep	浅あさい	shallow
遠とおい	far	近ちかい	near
厚あつい	thick, kind	薄うすい	thin, weak
太ふとい	bold, thick, fat	細ほそい	fine, thin, slender

Other physical quantity related I-Adjectives

Japanese	English	Opposite JP	Opposite EN
多おおい	many, much	少すくない	a few, little
速はやい/早はやい	fast/early	遅おそい	slow, late
重おもい	heavy, serious	軽かるい	light
固かたい	hard	柔やわらかい	soft
明あかるい	bright	暗くらい	dark
熱あつい/暑あつい	hot(thing)/hot(weather)	冷つめたい/寒さむい	cold(thing)/hot(weather)
暖あたたかい	warm	涼すずしい	cool(weather)
うるさい	noisy	静しずか(Na-Adj)	quiet
強つよい	strong	弱よわい	weak
丸まるい	round	四角しかくい	square, rectangular
新あたらしい	new	古ふるい	old

Color I-Adjectives

Noun(Japanese)	I-Adjective(Japanese)	English
白しろ	白しろい	white
黒くろ	黒くろい	black
赤あか	赤あかい	red
青あお	青あおい	blue
黄色きいろ	黄色きいろい	yellow
茶色ちゃいろ	茶色ちゃいろい	brown

Taste related I-Adjectives

Japanese	English
甘あまい	sweet
辛からい	spicy
苦にがい	bitter
酸すっぱい	sour
しょっぱい	salty

Other attributive I-Adjectives

Japanese	English	Opposite JP	Opposite EN
良よい(いい)	good	悪わるい	bad
凄すごい	great	酷ひどい	awful, terrible
汚きたない	dirty	綺麗きれい(Na-Adj)	clean, beautiful
かっこいい	cool, good looking	ダサい	daggy
可愛かわいい	cute, pretty, adorable	不細工ぶさいく(Na-Adj)	clumsy, ugly
優やさしい	gentle, nice	厳きびしい	strict, severe
素晴すばらしい	wonderful	下くだらない	worthless
ない	there is no, not	ある(Verb)	there is, exist, be
やばい	terrific, crazy, dangerous

Emotional adjectives

Emotional I-Adjectives

Japanese	English	Opposite JP	Opposite EN
面白おもしろい	interesting, humorous	つまらない	boring
嬉うれしい	happy	悲かなしい	sad
楽たのしい	fun	怖こわい	scary
美味おいしい	delicious, tasty	不味まずい	terrible
恥はずかしい	embarrassing	誇ほこらしい	proud
羨うらやましい	jealous, envious
寂さみしい	lonely
辛つらい	tough, bitter
怠だるい	languid, listless
眠ねむい	sleepy
痒かゆい	itchy
痛いたい	hurt, painful

Conjugations

Representative example	大おおきい	甘あまい	可愛かわいい	楽たのしい
Core	ooki	ama	kawai	tanoshi
Dictionary form, When modifying a noun	ooki-i	ama-i	kawai-i	tanoshi-i
Conjunctive form	ooki-ku	ama-ku	kawai-ku	tanoshi-ku
Nai form	ooki-ku-nai	ama-ku-nai	kawai-ku-nai	tanoshi-ku-nai
Te form	ooki-ku-te	ama-ku-te	kawai-ku-te	tanoshi-ku-te
Ta form	ooki-katta	ama-katta	kawai-katta	tanoshi-katta
Ba form	ooki-kereba	ama-kereba	kawai-kereba	tanoshi-kereba

I-Adjective can be transformed to a noun by changing the end of the word from “i” to “sa”.
e.g. 大きい [I-adjective] –> 大きさ [noun], 甘い [I-adjective] –> 甘さ [noun]

Examples

Dictionary form

This is mainly used as a predicate.

e.g. タケシは大おおきいです。

Takeshi is tall.

When modifying a noun

This is mainly used when modifying a noun.

e.g. 大おおきいタケシは歩あるきます。

Tall Takeshi walks.

Conjunctive form

This is mainly used when modifying a predicate.

e.g. 砂糖さとうを加くわえて甘あまくします。

Add sugar to sweeten it.

砂糖さとう [noun] sugar
加くわえる [verb] add, blend in, mix in
する [verb] make, change

Nai form

This is mainly used when denying or incomplete.

e.g そのキャラクターは可愛かわいくないです。

The character is not cute.

キャラクター [noun] character

Te form

This is mainly used when connecting simple sentences and making a compound sentence.

e.g. 楽たのしくてもっとやりたい。

It’s fun and I want to do more.

もっと [adverb] more, further
やる [verb] do, play, try

Ta form

This is mainly used to indicate the past or completion.

e.g. 彼女かのじょの腕うでは細ほそかった。

Her arms were thin.

腕うで [noun] arm

Ba form

This is mainly used to make assumptions.

e.g. 1000円えん安やすければ買かいます。

I will buy it if it is 1000 yen cheaper.

買かう [verb] buy

Practice

Put a conjugation form of I-Adjective in the underlined part.

Na-Adjective

Vocabulary

Japanese	English	Opposite JP	Opposite EN
好すき	like, favorite	嫌きらい	hate
上手じょうず	good at, skillful	下手へた	poor, unskillful
大変たいへん	tough	楽らく	easy, comfortable
安全あんぜん	safe	危険きけん	dangerous
安心あんしん	secure	心配しんぱい	worried, anxious
便利べんり	convenient, useful	不便ふべん	inconvenient
賑にぎやか	lively	静しずか	quiet
丁寧ていねい	polite, careful	失礼しつれい/雑ざつ	rude/careless
親切しんせつ	kind, nice	意地悪いじわる	mean
複雑ふくざつ	complicated	単純たんじゅん	simple
暇ひま	leisure, free, time	忙いそがしい(I-Adj)	busy
馬鹿ばか	stupid, fool	賢かしこい(I-Adj)	smart, clever
簡単かんたん	easy, light	難むずかしい(I-Adj)	difficult
素敵すてき	fantastic
大切たいせつ, 大事だいじ	important
元気げんき	healthy, vigorous
有名ゆうめい	famous
変へん	strange
駄目だめ	no good, hopeless
ケチ	stingy
めちゃくちゃ	incoherent, chaotic

Conjugations

Representative example	好すき	便利べんり	親切しんせつ	有名ゆうめい
Core	suki	benri	shinsetsu	yuumei
Dictionary form,	suki-da (desu)	benri-da (desu)	shinsetsu-da (desu)	yuumei-da (desu)
When modifying a noun	suki-na	benri-na	shinsetsu-na	yuumei-na
Conjunctive form	suki-ni	benri-ni	shinsetsu-ni	yuumei-ni
Nai form	suki-denai suki-janai	benri-denai benri-janai	shinsetsu-denai shinsetsu-janai	yuumei-denai yuumei-janai
Te form	suki-de	benri-de	shinsetsu-de	yuumei-de
Ta form	suki-datta	benri-datta	shinsetsu-datta	yuumei-datta
Ba form	suki-deareba	benri-deareba	shinsetsu-deareba	yuumei-deareba

Examples

Dictionary form

This is mainly used as a predicate.

e.g. あなたが好すきだ。 or あながた好すきです。 (私わたしは is omitted)

I like you.

When modifying anoun

This is mainly used when modifying a noun.

e.g. 好すきなものを選えらんでください。 (あなたが is omitted)

Please choose the one you like.

選えらぶ [verb] choose

Conjunctive form

This is mainly used when modifying a predicate.

e.g. 近所きんじょにコンビニができて、便利べんりになった。

A convenience store was opened in the neighborhood, which became convenient.

近所 [noun] neighborhood
コンビニ [noun] convenience store
できる [verb] be made, be ready
なる [verb] result in, turn out, become

Nai form

This is mainly used when denying or incomplete.

e.g 彼かれは親切しんせつでないと思おもいます。 (私わたしは is omitted)

I don’t think he is kind.

思おもう [verb] think

Te form

This is mainly used when connecting simple sentences and making a compound sentence.

e.g. 彼女かのじょは有名ゆうめいで人気にんきがあります。

She is famous and popular.

人気+が+ある [noun+particle+verb] be popular

Ta form

This is mainly used to indicate the past or completion.

e.g. 暇ひまだったので来きました。

I came because I was free.

来る [verb] come

Ba form

This is mainly used to make assumptions.

e.g. 大変たいへんであれば手伝てつだいます。

I will help you if it is difficult.

手伝てつだう [verb] help

Practice

Put a conjugation form of Na-Adjective in the underlined part.