Learn Japanese grammar: い-adjectives (i-adjectives), also known as い形容詞 (i keiyoushi).
There are two kinds of adjectives in Japanese, i-adjectives (い形容詞) and na-adjectives (な形容詞).
Unlike na-adjectives, i-adjectives have unique conjugation rules that you must learn. Let’s start with a basic example.
How to conjugate i-adjectives
い-adjective (present)
Let’s start with a basic adjective, あつい (atsui) which means hot.
今日はあついです。
kyou wa atsui desu.
It is hot today.
い-adjective (present negative)
今日はあつくないです。
kyou wa atsukunai desu.
It isn’t hot today.
い-adjective (past)
昨日はあつかった。
kinou wa atsukatta.
It was hot yesterday.
い-adjective (past negative)
昨日はあつくなかった。
kinou wa atsukunakatta.
It was not hot yesterday.
Other common i-adjectives
Temperature
- 熱い (atsui) hot (thing)
- 暑い (atsui) hot (weather)
- 温かい (atatakai) warm
- 温い (nurui) lukewarm, not hot enough
- 寒い (samui) cold (weather)
- 涼しい (suzushii) cool
- 冷たい (tsumetai) cold (to the touch)
Amount
Cost
Size/Area
- 大きい (ookii) big
- 小さい (chiisai) small
- 長い (nagai) long
- 短い (mijikai) short
- 広い (hiroi) wide, broad, spacious
- 狭い (semai) narrow, small, restricted, cramped
- 遠い (tooi) far, distant
- 近い (chikai) close, near
- 太い (futoi) thick, broad
- 細い (hosoi) thin, fine, slender, narrow
See more N5 adjectives and more N4 adjectives.
Also see lesson on な-adjectives (な形容詞).
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