In Japanese, adjectives are called Keiyoushi (形容詞、けいようし). In any language, I believe that the more adjectives you know, the easier you can communicate.  In Japanese, this is also true. Even though you might not know how to describe things in a complete sentence, if you know one key adjective, you can easily let the other person know how you are feeling or what you are trying to describe. Below, I have collected some of the most useful Japanese adjectives. The important thing to note here is that in Japanese, we have two main types of adjectives: the ones that end with “I(い)” & also the ones that end with “NA(な)”. Part 1 of the adjective lesson is based on the い Adjectives.

 

大きい(おおきい、OOKII) – BIG

大きい　体（おおきい　からだ）－Ookii karada, Big Body

小さい(ちいさい、CHIISAI) – SMALL

小さい　体（ちいさい　からだ）－Chiisai karada, Small Body

暑い(あつい、ATSUI)　－HOT

暑い夏　（あつい　なつ）-Atsui natsu. Hot Summer

寒い(さむい、SAMUI)　－COLD

寒い冬　（さむい　ふゆ）-Samui fuyu. Cold Winter

高い(たかい、TAKAI)　－EXPENSIVE

高い宝石　（たかい　ほうせき）－Takai houseki. Expensive jewelry

安い(やすい、YASUI)　－CHEAP

安い服　（やすい　ふく）－Yasui fuku. Cheap Clothes

新しい(あたらしい、ATARASHII)　－NEW

新しい机　（あたらしい　つくえ）－Atarashii tsukue. New Desk

古い(ふるい、FURUI)　－OLD

古い家　（ふるい　いえ）－Furui ie. Old House

甘い(あまい、AMAI)　－SWEET

甘いデザート　（あまい　デザート）－Amai　Dezart,　Sweet　Dessert

辛い(からい、KARAI)　－SPICY

辛いラーメン　（からい　ラーメン）－Karai　Ramen,　Spicy　Noodle

強い（つよい、TSUYOI)　－STRONG

強いチーム　（つよい　チーム）　－Tsuyoi　Chi-mu、Strong Team

弱い（よわい、YOWAI)　－WEAK

弱いチーム　（よわい　ちーむ）　－Yowai Chi-mu,　Week Team

柔らかい（やわらかい、YAWARAKAI) -SOFT

柔らかい毛布　（やわらかい　もうふ）－Yawarakai　Mo-fu,　Soft Blanket

固い（かたい、KATAI)　－HARD

固いケーキ　（かたい　ケーキ）－Katai　Ke-ki,　Hard Cake

The above adjectives are very useful ones to remember. 🙂 It will be a good exercise to create your own short sentence with these adjectives.  For example, you can create a sentence, such as ” I like ~” 私は、辛いうどんが好きです。（わたしは、からいうどんが　すきです。Watashiwa karai udon ga suki desu）－I like spicy noodles. You can make variety of sentences, using “I like + the adjectives + noun.” Enjoy learning! and remember if you have any questions at all, please feel free to let me know anytime.