(jap) adjectives

8/7/2019 (JAP) ADJECTIVES

1/24

Japanese Adjectives http://www.timwerx.net/language/jpadj/jp_adjectives.pdf

1

Japanese Adjectives

Introduction

This is a companion tutorial to my Japanese Verbs, and I trust that it will also become a

concise and convenient resource for those learning or reviewing Japanese.

Please have an English-Japanese/Japanese-English dictionary and notebook handy as youstudy. As new words are introduced, use your dictionary to learn or check their meanings,and make a word list in your notebook to add new vocabulary to. It's a proven fact thatthe process of looking up and writing vocabulary will help the learning process, alongwith regular reviewing.

Please see A Bit of the Language for pronunciation guides and other relevant information

about basic Japanese.

Please note: In order to avoid technical explanations, only the simplest and most generaltranslations of words are given. Also, romaji (romanized Japanese words) used hereinare written in their true, romanized form: elongated vowels are shown as such, etc.

2003 - 2006 Tim R. Matheson

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Japanese Adjectives 22. Plain Positive and Plain Negative 73. Colors 124. Adjectives suki, kirai, hoshii, jouzu and heta 145. Adverbial Forms 176. Conditional Forms 187. The Te Form + mo 188. Plain Past 199. Adjectives with sou and sugiru 20

10. Adjective Modifiers 22


2/24


2

1. Introduction to Japanese Adjectives

Japanese adjectives come in two basic flavors: true and quasi. In some circles they

are also known as iadjectives and na adjectives because those are the suffixes theyget when they're followed by a noun. Nevertheless, I prefer calling them true andquasi and will do so throughout these lessons.

Some examples of true adjectives are:

(ii) good (yoi) good (warui) bad (takai) expensive; high; tall (yasui) cheap (hikui) low (nagai) long (mijikai) short (katai) hard (yawarakai) soft (atsui) hot (used for weather or room temperature) (atsui) hot (used for tangible objects: food, drinks, etc.) (samui) cold (used for weather or room temperature) (tsumetai) cold (used for tangible objects, food, drinks, and

unfriendly feelings between people: a cold look, a coldreply, etc.)

(hiroi) wide; spacious (semai) narrow; cramped (tsuyoi) strong (used for things which are powerful or sturdy,

etc.)

(yowai) weak (used for the opposite of the above) (kitsui) strong (usually used for too strong, as in flavors,

medicines, personalities, etc.)

(abunai) dangerous (akarui) bright (kurai) dark (karui) light (omoi) heavy (furui) old (not used with people or animals) (hayai) fast; early (osoi) slow; late (omoshiroi) interesting

Many true adjectives end in shii:

(oishii) delicious (muzukashii) difficult (utsukushii) beautiful


3/24


3

(tanoshii) fun (ureshii) happy (kanashii) sad (kurushii) hard; painful (isogashii) busy (This is Japan's most popular adjective you'll

hear it used several times an hour.)

(kibishii) strict; severe (yakamashii) noisy (mabushii) too bright; glaring (sabishii) lonely; desolate (hazukashii) ashamed; shy (atarashii) new

The basic colors are often used as true adjectives:

(akai) red (aoi) blue (kiiroi) yellow (shiroi) white (kuroi) black

And now let's look at some good quasi-adjectives:

(kantan na) easy, as in easy to do (raku na) easy, as in an easy situation; comfortable (kara na) empty (kirei na) pretty; clean (kechi na) stingy (not generous) (binbou na) poor; destitute (hinpan na) frequent (benri na) convenient (fuben na) inconvenient (busaiku na) clumsy; awkward (tanki na) impatient; quick-tempered (ganko na) stubborn (byouki na) sick (genki na) healthy; to be feeling well (shizen na) natural, proper (yutaka na) full; abundant (anzen na) safe (kanzen na) perfect

As you can see, there are quasis that end in iwhen the na is omitted, which is why Iavoid calling them iadjectives and na adjectives. It could be too confusing at first.


4/24


4

There are even a few adjectives that can be used as true orquasi, like:

(ookii / oki na) big (chiisai / chiisa na) small

Many quasi-adjectives are made by adding teki na to a noun:

(kokusaiteki na) international (kagakuteki na) scientific (rekishiteki na) historical (ippanteki na) general (rakkanteki na) optimistic

It's time for some examples. From a grammatical angle, adjective use in Japanese is very

similar to English. With both true and quasi you include the final ior na when placing

them before a noun. Here are some with true adjectives:

(Sore wa iihon desu.)That's a good book.

(Douzo, tsumetaigyuunyuu o nonde kudasai.)

Please, have some cold milk.

(Omoihako desu ne.)This is a heavy box, isn't it. (with dropping intonation)

And here are some examples using quasi-adjectives:

(Sore wa kirei na inu desu.)That's a pretty dog.

(Kare wa ganko na hito desu.)

He's a stubborn person.

(Ichiban kantan na houhou o oshiete ageru.)I'll show you the easiest way to do it.

Now, when a true adjective comes after the noun it modifies it usually does not change:

(Sono hon wa iidesu yo.)That book is good.

(Kono gyuunyuu wa tsumetaidesu ka.)

Is this milk cold?


5/24


5

(Kono hako wa omoidesu ne.)This box is heavy, isn't it. (with dropping intonation)

But, when a quasi-adjective comes after its noun, leave off the na:

(Sono inu wa kireidesu ne.)That dog is pretty, isn't it. (with dropping intonation)

(Kare wa ganko!)He's stubborn!

(Kore wa kantan.)

This is easy.

Now it's time to introduce the quirks. First, there are some strange quasi- (quasi-quasi?)adjectives that, according to the dictionaries and grammar books, use the multi-purposeno particle instead ofna:

(tokubetsu no) special (tokutei no) specific (fumei no) unclear; vague

However, I have heard native speakers use na with these. When I ask about the

discrepancy, I am told that na is normal. So, while it's true that the books say no, andofficial documents use no, in everyday unofficial life it is perfectly acceptable evenpreferred to use na, so don't concern yourself with it until you have to be official.

There are, however, colors which use no and never na after them when modifying a

noun:

(midori no kasa) a green umbrella (murasaki no hana) a purple flower (nezumiiro no boushi) a gray hat

It's only natural to think that adjectives which exist in English should exist in Japanese.Sure, most do, but many don't. In these, the adjectival idea is conveyed through verbs.Some examples of these are:

(o-naka [ga] suita) hungry (nodo [ga] kawaita) thirsty

Naka literally means middle, and suku means to be empty, so you're saying my

middle is empty when you put these together. Nodo is throat, and kawaku means tobe dry, so these together equal I'm thirsty. Here, the ta form of the verb is used forthe present, which will be a bit confusing to beginners because this form is normally usedfor the plain past. Just do what I do: think of this as a verb in an adjective's role, and,

as such, the rules slightly change.


6/24


6

Using hungry, let's take a look at the different popular tenses. Note the verb changes:

(O-naka [ga] suku deshou.)

We'll probably get hungry. (Base 3 for infinitives and the future tense)

(O-naka [ga] suita deshou.)You're hungry, right? (Ta Form for the present)

(O-naka [ga] suite inai.)I'm not hungry. (Te Form + inai / imasen for the present negative)

(O-naka [ga] suite ita.)

I was hungry. (Te Form + ita for the past)

(O-naka [ga] suite inakatta.)

I wasn't hungry. (Te Form + inakatta / imasen deshita for the negative past)

The ga is optional, and is usually omitted in familiar situations.

Note also how naka gets the honorable o- prefix and nodo doesn't. I guess our throatsaren't as honorable as our stomachs. The next time you're at a party with nativespeakers and run out of topics to discuss, ask about this. It will keep them hemming and

hawing for a while.

Here are two more that are often used:

(yaseru) to lose weight; become thin (futoru) to gain weight; become fat

There are true adjectives for fat and thin (futoiand hosoi), but they, like their Englishcounterparts, have to be used carefully because they can be offensive. Whencommenting about others, use the verbs:

(Sukoshifutotta mitai.)Looks like you've put on a little weight.

(Yasemashita ka.)Have you lost weight?

There are a couple of strange, colloquial -taiadjectives that I should mention: nemutaiand omotai. Actually, they are:

(nemui) sleepy (omoi) heavy


7/24


7

However, nemutaiand omotaiare used often in daily conversation. As far as I know,these are the only adjectives that can do this. By the way, this -taiending on these twoadjectives has nothing to do with the want to do -taiending used on Base 2 verbs.Want to sleep is netai.

Finally, when used as simple exclamations, native speakers will often leave the final ioffof some adjectives:

(Samu!)It's cold!

(Atsu!)It's hot!

(Uma!)It's delicious!

(Mazu!)It's nasty!

(Ita!)Ouch!

2. Plain Positive and Plain Negative

As in English, using Japanese adjectives in plain positive statements is simple just saythe adjective. Here are some true adjectives:

(Oishii.)It's good. (delicious)

(Atsui.)It's hot.

(Muzukashii.)It's difficult.

And here are some quasi-adjectives:

(Benri.)It's convenient.

(Raku.)It's comfortable.

(Kantan.)

It's easy.


8/24


8

Now let's make all these negative. Like the verbs, adjectives use nai to do this. Trueadjectives drop their final iand add ku before adding nai:

(Oishiku nai.)It's not good. (not delicious)

(Atsuku nai.)It's not hot.

(Muzukashiku nai.)It's not difficult.

Note: The exception is ii(good). It is always used as it is and never conjugated.

Quasis add de and then nai:

(Benride nai.)It's not convenient.

(Raku de nai.)It's not comfortable.

(Kantan de nai.)

It's not easy.

Note: Although de is standard after quasis in negative constructions, dewa or ja can beused instead. Use ja only in familiar settings.

Now let's look at some endings and combinations which can be added to plain adjectives.(There are others, but these are the most used in my opinion.) If you've already beenthrough my Japanese Verbs, these should look familiar.

Group A

(deshou?) ..., right? (request for agreement) (deshou.) it probably is (ka dou ka) whether or not it is (kamo shirenai / shiremasen) it may be (nara) if it is (rashii) it seems to be; I hear it is

Group B

(hazu) it is supposed to be (hou ga ii) it would be better if it were (no) one(s) (used in place of nouns when they are known)


9/24


9

(node) because it is (noni) in spite of the fact that it is

Group C

(kara) because it is (keredomo / kedo) although it is (to omou) I / We think it is

You may want to call the above three groups quasi handling groups because they onlyapply to quasi-adjectives. We'll get to those a little later.

First, some positive examples. Any add-on from any group above can be added after atrue adjective without changing it:

(Oishiideshou?)It's good, isn't it?

(Muzukashiirashii.)I hear it's difficult.

(Shiroihazu.)

It's supposed to be white.

(Yoika dou ka wakaranai.)I don't know if it's good or not.

(Mari no kaban wa ookiito omou. Chiisaino wa Keiko no.)I think Mari's bag is big. The small one is Keiko's.

(Yasuikara katta.)I bought it because it was cheap.

With quasis, it gets a bit trickier. Those in Group A are added without any particle:

(Kara deshou.)It's probably empty.

(Benrikamo shirenai.)It might be convenient.

(Byoukinara byouin ni ikinasai.)If you're sick, go to the hospital.


10/24


10

Note: In Japan you don't go see a doctor, you go to the hospital.

Those in Group B are added after first adding na:

(Motto kantan na hazu.)

It's supposed to be easier.

(Ryokou wa raku na hou ga ii.)A relaxing trip is best.

(Carl wa byoukina nonigakkou ni kita.)Carl came to school even though he's sick.

And add da before adding those in Group C:

(Kireida kara, kanojo wa ninkimono desu.)She's popular because she's pretty.

(Ron wa ganko da kedo, seikaku ga ii.)Ron's stubborn, but he has a good personality.

(Kono mondai wa kantan da to omou.)I think this problem is easy.

Da is actually the plain form ofdesu, which could be used with kara or kedo (keredomo)instead ofda to make it more polite. For more about desu, please see Lesson 7 of myJapanese Verbs.

Now let's do some negative ones. First some with true adjectives:

(Oishikunai deshou.)It's not very good, is it. (with dropping intonation)

(Shirokunai hou ga iideshou.)It would probably be best if it weren't white.

(Muzukashikunai rashii.)

I hear it's not difficult.

(Mari no kaban wa ookikunai to omou.)I don't think Mari's bag is big.


11/24


11

(Yasukunai kamo shirenai.)It might not be cheap.

And here are some with quasi-adjectives:

(Kara de nai deshou.)It's probably not empty.

(Benride nai kamo shirenai.)It might not be convenient.

(Kantan de nai hazu.)It's not supposed to be easy.

(Bob wa byoukide nai nonigakkou ni konakatta.)Bob didn't come to school even though he's not sick.

(Joe wa ganko de nai kedo, seikaku ga muzukashii.)Joe's not stubborn, but he has a difficult personality.

There are two more handy negative add-ons that I'd like to introduce here. They are:

(nakereba naranai) it must be (literally, if it's not..., itwon't do)

(nakutemo ii) it doesn't need to be (literally, evenif it's not..., it's good)

Here they are with a true adjective:

(Ookiku nakereba naranai.)It has to be big.

(Ookiku nakutemo ii.)It doesn't have to be big.

And with a quasi:

(Kantan de nakereba naranai.)It has to be simple.

(Kantan de nakutemo ii.)It doesn't have to be simple.


12/24


12

Note: In written Japanese there are no spaces between words. In my lessons I usuallyuse what is most common for romanized Japanese, but may add spaces for clarificationin long constructions. This is why there will sometimes be inconsistencies.

3. Colors

Because colors are usually used as adjectives, and because Japanese colors have theirown strange set of rules, I thought I'd make a separate lesson out of them.

Here are ten popular colors as they are used when notpreceding a noun, which is mostof the time:

(aka) red (ao) blue

(kiiro) yellow (midori) green (murasaki) purple (daidaiiro) orange (chairo) brown (shiro) white (kuro) black (nezumiiro) gray

Please keep in mind that iro () means color, and that four of the above are made by

adding iro to a noun:

kiiro: yellow (ki[sulfur] + iro [color]) daidaiiro: orange (daidai[a kind of orange] + iro [color]) chairo: brown (cha [tea] + iro [color]) nezumiiro: gray (nezumi[mouse] + iro [color])

While it is possible to leave off the iro in some instances, this is how these colors areused most of the time. It is also possible to add iro to the others which usually don't useit: midori iro (green, greenish); shiro iro (white, whitish); etc.

Here are a few examples where the color comes after the noun it modifies:

(Rick no kuruma wa aka.)

Rick's car is red.

(Watashi no inu wa shiro to chairo.)My dog's white and brown.

(Kondo jitensha o kattara ao ga ii.)The next time I buy a bicycle I want a blue one.


13/24


13

Again, most of the time the color of something is mentioned in Japanese, it's after thesubject or object in question, like in the above examples. When you want to put a colordirectly before the object, add ito aka, ao, shiro and kuro; add no not na to midori,murasaki, daidaiiro and nezumiiro; and you can add either ior no to kiiro and chairo:

(Kanojo no utsukushiikuroikami o mite.)Look at her beautiful black hair.

(Watashi wa shiroikutsu o kaitai.)I want to buy some white shoes.

(Junko wa kiiroikasa o motte iru.)Junko's holding a yellow umbrella.

(Kono akaijisho wa dare no?)Whose red dictionary is this?

(Kono murasaki no fuusen wa mise de moratta.)I got this purple balloon at the store.

(Bob wa ooki na nezumiiro no tsukue o katta.)Bob bought a big gray desk.

Colors with i added become and behave the same as true adjectives; those with nobehave like quasis.

There's a handy prefix that works especially well with three colors. It's ma, and it meanstrue. Note how the pronunciation changes with ma added:

(makka) bright red (masshiro) pure white (makkuro) jet black

Strangely, you never add i to these; nor do you add no. They are regular quasi-adjectives, and use na:

(Ano makka na hana ga kirei desu ne.)That bright red flower is pretty, isn't it?

And here's a useful suffix: -ppoi. It works like -ish in English, and comes in handywhen you don't know what to call a color. All colors become true adjectives with itattached:

(Kanojo wa midorippoiboushi o kabutta.)She wore a greenish hat.


14/24


14

(Sono kiiroppoisushi wa mazui.)That yellowish sushiis nasty.

By the way, you will find that the names for colors in Japanese, especially the primaryones, have a more abstract role than their English counterparts. Aka can mean anything

from dark orange to copper or reddish purple; ao from green to bluish purple; and kiirofrom light orange to pale yellow. In Japan, you stop when the light's aka, and go whenit's ao.

4. Adjectives suki, kirai, hoshii, jouzu and heta

These five adjectives play by their own set of rules. Since they are used regularly, I think

it would be good to get used to their weird ways as soon as possible.

Sukimeans to like and kiraimeans to dislike. Yes, that's right just as there areideas conveyed through verbs in Japanese where adjectives would be used in English, asmentioned in Lesson 1, the reverse is also true. If you'll check your dictionary, you'll seethat both of these exist in verb form: suku and kirau; but the chances are very slimthat you'll ever hear them used that way. You will, however, hear them used in passive

constructions, like:

(Kazuko wa doko ni itte mo sukareru.)Kazuko is liked wherever she goes.

(Nattou wa takusan no hito kara kirawarete iru.)Nattou (fermented soybeans) is disliked by many people.

For regular, straightforward talk about what you and others like and don't like, use sukiand kiraiin quasi-adjective form:

(Nihon no aki ga suki.)I like autumn in Japan.

(Nihon no natsu wa mushiatsui kara sukidewa nai.)I don't like summers in Japan because they're hot and humid.

(Mina gokiburi ga kirai.)Everyone hates cockroaches.

Note that ga is used to link sukior kiraito their object when there is no other necessaryelement between them.

You can put dai(a lot; very much) before sukior kiraito emphasize them:

(Linda wa ichigo ga dai suki.)


15/24


15

Linda loves strawberries.

(Beth wa kumo ga dai kirai.)

Beth really hates spiders.

When you put the object in question after sukior kirai, use the quasi indicator na:

(Sore wa boku no suki na ongaku.)That's the music that I like.

(Tanaka-san wa boku no kirai na tabemono bakari tsukuru.)All the food Mrs. Tanaka makes is the stuff I don't like.

Interestingly, and mainly colloquially, these can also be used to modify the indirectobject:

(Yasai no suki na kodomo ga sukunai.)There are few kids that like vegetables.

(Sashimi ga kirai na hito ga takusan imasu.)There are many people that don't like raw fish.

While hoshii is a true adjective, it's used to represent the English verb want. It also

uses ga when following its object, but remains alone when preceding it:

(Fuusen ga hoshii!)I want a balloon!

(Watashi no hoshiiiro ga nai.)They don't have the color I want.

(Akai fuusen no hoshiikodomo ga ooi.)There are many kids who want a red balloon.

Although hoshii isn't necessarily a kid's word, outside of familiar circles it could makeyou sound like one when expressing your own desires, so you'll want to be careful with it.

I should mention here that hoshiican be used with verbs in the Te Form to imply "want(someone) to...," just like -te moraitai. It's not used on yourself. It's used like this:

(Boku wa ima kono heya o souji shitai. Soshite kimi ni tetsudatte hoshii.)

I want to clean this room now, and I want you to help.


16/24


16

(Motto eigo o benkyou shite hoshii.)I want you to study English more.

(Kore o yonde hoshii.)I want you to read this.

This is very plain and familiar, however. Be sure to upgrade to something like -te kudasaior -te itadakitaiwhen necessary. (See Japanese Verbs Lessons 55 and 61.)

Like suki and kirai, jouzu and heta are quasi-adjective opposites that fill the role ofideas usually expressed by verbs in English. They also use ga before or na after in thesame manner. Jouzu means to be good at; well done, and heta means the exact

opposite:

(Kanojo wa ryouri ga jouzu desu ne.)She's a good cook, isn't she. (with falling intonation)

(Sore wa jouzu na e.)That's a nicely done painting.

(Watashi wa piano ga hontou niheta desu.)

I'm really bad at playing the piano.

(Heta na uta!)What a poorly done song!

(Karaoke ga jouzu na hito ga sukunai.)There aren't many people who are good at karaoke.

There are a few expressions with jouzu where the ga is often omitted:

(Kare wa eigo jouzu.)

He speaks English well.

(Sachi wa ryourijouzu deshou?)Sachi's a great cook, isn't she?


17/24


17

5. Adverbial Forms

Making adverbs from adjectives is quite easy. With true adjectives, just replace the final i

with ku before adding the verb. With quasis, just add ni:

(Ojii-san wa itsumo osoku taberu.)Grampa always eats slowly.

(Hayaku shinasai!)Do it quickly!

(Kazuya wa e o jouzu nikakeru.)Kazuya can draw pictures well.

(Kono shigoto wa kantan nidekiru yo.)You'll be able to do this job easily.

The verb naru (to become) is often used with adverbs:

(Shinpai shinaide! Dandan jouzu ni naru yo.)Don't worry! You'll gradually become better at it.

(Mai toshi boku no shigoto wa muzukashiku narimasu.)My job gets more difficult every year.

(Lisa wa kaigai kara kaeru to, itsumo byouki ni naru.)Lisa always gets sick after returning from overseas.

Use suru with descriptive adverbs for to make:

(Ookiku shite kureru?)

Would you make it bigger?

(Atatakaku shite agemashou.)I'll make it warmer for you.

(Watashitachi wa anzen ni shinakereba naranai.)

We must make it safe.


18/24


18

6. Conditional Forms

To make positive conditionals, replace the final iwith kereba in true adjectives, and add

nara to quasis:

(Yasukereba kaimashou.)If it's inexpensive, let's buy it.

(Soto wa atsukereba detakunai.)I don't want to go out if it's hot outside.

(Inu wa byouki nara, juui ni tsurete ikou.)If the dog's sick, let's take him to the vet.

Note: Naraba can also be used after quasi-adjectives, but nara is more common.

For negative conditionals, use ku nakereba (the negative-forming ku nai+ kereba) withtrue adjectives, and de nakereba (the negative-forming de nai+ kereba) with quasis:

(Ashita wa samuku nakereba ikimashou.)

If it's not cold tomorrow, let's go.

(Kono pasokon ga hoshiku nakereba, betsu no mise ni ikimashou.)If you don't want this computer, let's go to another store.

(Mise no basho wa benri de nakereba, kyaku ga sukunai deshou.)If the store isn't in a convenient location, it probably won't get many customers.

Please see Lesson 2 for more about negative structures.

7. The Te Form + mo

There are just two adjective te form endings that I hear used often enough to mention.The first is mo ii, which means it's okay if..., and the second is mo kamawanai, a

similar ending meaning I don't mind if....

To convert true adjectives to the te form, remove the final iand add kute; quasis justneed a de. Here are a few examples:

(Ookikute mo ii.)If it's large that's okay.

(Sukoshifurukute mo ii.)It's all right if it's a little old.


19/24


19

(Kare wa heta de mo ii.)It's okay if he's not good at it.

(Johnson sensei wa kibishikute mo kamawanai.)I don't mind if Mr. Johnson's strict.

Note: Senseiis the name suffix for teacher.

(Sono mise wa fuben de mo kamawanaino?)Don't you mind that store being inconveniently located?

To make these polite, add desu to iiand use kamaimasen instead ofkamawanai:

(Sukoshifuben de mo ii desu.)

It's okay if it's a bit inconvenient.

(Soto wa samukute mo kamaimasen.)I don't mind if it's cold out.

The negative forms of-kute mo iiand de mo iiwere covered at the bottom of Lesson 2.

8. Plain Past

Use katta and datta to make adjectives plain and past. Datta is the universal plain form

ofdeshita, and can be used at the end of many sentences to make them plain and past.Katta is for true adjectives only, however, and is added after removing the final i.

Here are a few true adjective examples:

(Kyou wa atsukatta!)It was hot today!

(Suugaku no shiken wa totemo muzukashikatta.)

The math test was very difficult.

(Kinou no ryokou wa tanoshikatta.)Yesterday's trip was fun.

And here are some quasi examples:

(Kinou byouki datta.)I was sick yesterday.


20/24


20

(Juu nen mae ni John wa binbou datta.)Ten years ago John was poor.

(Rekishi no shukudai wa kantan datta.)The history homework was easy.

Now, having done this, you can further conjugate using the endings and combinationsapplicable to other plain forms, like those in Lesson 2:

(Samukatta deshou?)It was cold, wasn't it?

(Chiisakatta hazu.)It was supposed to be small.

(Kare wa totemo ganko datta rashii.)It seems he was very stubborn.

Finally, if you're ending a sentence with an adjective and want to make it past and polite,just add desu after katta in true adjectives, and use deshita instead of datta withquasis:

(Kaigi wa nagakatta desu.)

The meeting was long.

(Shokuji wa kanzen deshita.)The meal was perfect.

Note: The adjective ii(good) is not conjugated into the past tense. Use yokatta to saythat something was good.

9. Adjectives with sou and sugiru

This lesson should clarify sou (I hear that [something] is [adjective]) and sou([something] looks/sounds/seems [adjective]).

Here's how they work: Sou (I hear that [something] is [adjective]) is basically used toreport hearsay or the reports of others without the involvement of your personal sensesor opinion. It is added after both true and quasi-adjectives with no change to theadjective itself:

(Ano daigaku no nyuugaku shiken wa muzukashii sou desu.)

I hear that that university's entrance exam is difficult.


21/24


21

(Sono hon wa takai sou desu.)I hear that book's expensive.

(Ano atarashii mise no basho wa fuben sou desu.)I hear that the new store is in an inconvenient location.

The other sou ([something] looks/sounds/seems [adjective]) is used to express yourown impression of something based on hearsay, seeing a picture, etc. This one takes theplace of the final iin true adjectives, and is added after quasis, just like the other sou:

(Oishisou!)Sounds delicious!

(Sono jitensha wa takasou.)

That bicycle looks expensive.

(Kare wa ganko sou na ojii-san desu ne.)He seems like a hard-headed old man, doesn't he?

Thanks to various unwritten rules, these two sous are fairly easy to keep straight. In thefirst sou outlined above, sou is said without stress, in a matter-of-fact kind of way. Also,I've noticed that native speakers will usually add desu or da after it. (That's why I added

desu in the examples.) The second sou is stressed and drawn out, and said with at least

a little excitement if it's describing something good. It doesn't need desu or da, and isoften used as a simple exclamation:

(Tanoshisou!)Sounds fun!

(Samusou!)Looks cold! (as one might say while watching a program about Alaska)

(Mazusou!)Sounds nasty! (not good to eat)

(Kantan sou!)Looks easy!

(Raku sou!)Looks comfortable!

Note: The adjective yoiis an exception with this sou. You need to add sa first: yosasou(sounds good). This, by the way, is how you add sou to the negative naias well, for


22/24


22

example: yoi(good) + nai= yokunai(not good) + sou = yokunasasou (doesn't soundgood).

Sugiru means too (much of something), and is also used a lot. It works like the second

sou above, meaning it replaces the final iof true adjectives:

(Kono o-cha wa atsusugiru!)This tea is too hot!

(Ano hako wa omosugiru!)That box is too heavy!

(Kyou no shiken wa muzukashisugita.)

Today's test was too difficult.

(Kore wa kantan sugiru!)This is too easy!

(Kanojo wa kechi sugiru kara, tomodachi ga inai.)She doesn't have any friends because she's too stingy.

10. Adjective Modifiers

In this last lesson we will look at the bits and pieces needed to adjust the meaning ofadjectives so they convey exactly what we want. Everything here applies to both trueand quasi-adjectives.

Comparatives

In sentences where an adjective is used to compare two things, use yoriafter the objectwhich is used for comparison. Note how the compared object (underlined) sits betweenthe subject and adjective of the main idea:

(Ken no inu wa Shizuka no inu yoriookii.)Ken's dog is bigger than Shizuka's dog.

(Kyou no shiken wa kinou no yorikantan datta.)Today's exam was easier than yesterday's.

...but how it comes before other objects which are not a part of the subject:

(Watashi wa yakisoba yoriyakimeshi ga suki.)I like fried rice more than fried noodles.


23/24


23

Alternately, yorican be placed after the subject in structures that follow other finalizedstatements:

(Shizuka no inu wa ookii desu ga, Ken no inu wa yoriookii.)Shizuka's dog is big, but Ken's dog is bigger.

(Kyou wa atsukatta kedo, ashita wa yoriatsukunaru sou desu.)Today was hot, but they say it's going to be hotter tomorrow.

Note: Mo is sometimes added to yori yorimo. It's completely optional and does notchange the meaning of the sentence.

Another popular way to compare things is to use motto, which is roughly the equivalentof more in English. It is placed directly before the adjective it modifies, and could be

used to replace yoriin the last set of examples above:

(Shizuka no inu wa ookii desu ga, Ken no inu wa motto ookii.)Shizuka's dog is big, but Ken's dog is bigger.

(Kyou wa atsukatta kedo, ashita wa motto atsukunaru sou desu.)Today was hot, but they say it's going to be hotter tomorrow.

Superlatives

Mottomo or the well-known ichiban (number one) can be placed before adjectives tomake them superlative. Ichiban without an adjective can be used to simply mean thebest:

(Kore wa kono mise no mottomo yasui pasokon desu.)This is the cheapest computer in this store.

(Sore wa boku no ichiban suki na hon desu.)That's my favorite book.

(Nakajima-san no ramen wa ichiban!)The ramen Ms. Nakajima makes is the best!

Negative Comparatives and Superlatives

Negative comparatives and superlatives are not used that much in Japanese. In fact,there is no equivalent to the least. To convey something in a negative superlative way,

just use an adjective with that meaning, or make the adjective negative, as in:

(Kore wa mottomo warui.)This is the worst.


24/24


(Kore wa ichiban oishikunai.)This is the least delicious.

For negative comparatives where less is implied, you can put hodo, which means tothe extent of, after the object of comparison. You must also make the adjective negative.

Let's do this to the first two examples used in the Comparatives section above. Notehow the subject and compared object change places in order to convey the samemeaning:

(Shizuka no inu wa Ken no inu hodo ookikunai.)Shizuka's dog isn't as big as Ken's dog.

(Kinou no shiken wa kyou no hodo kantan dewa nakatta.)

Yesterday's exam wasn't as easy as today's.

Two More

There are two other handy modifiers I'll mention here because they're used a lot: tokuniand amari. Toku nimeans especially and amarimeans about the opposite of that.Here's how they're used:

(Kyou wa toku niisogashikatta.)Today was especially busy.

(Ano eiga wa amariomoshirokunai.)That movie is not really that interesting.

(Kenji no seiseki wa toku niwarui.)Kenji's grades are particularly bad.

(Kyou wa amariatsukunai ne.)Today's not that hot, is it. (with dropping intonation)

(jap) adjectives

Documents