JLPT N5 Grammar い-adjectives (i-adjectives)

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.

い-adjective (present negative)

い-adjective (past)

い-adjective (past negative)

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

• 多い 　(ooi) many, numerous, much
• 少ない 　(sukunai) few, little, limited, scarce

Cost

• 高い 　(takai) expensive, tall
• 安い 　(yasui) cheap

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

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