Describing Things: Basic Adjectives (な-adjectives)
Lesson 8: Describing Things — Basic Adjectives (な-adjectives)
In this lesson, we'll learn how to describe things in Japanese using な-adjectives (na-keiyoushi – な形容詞). These are essential for expressing qualities, feelings, and states about people, places, and things. Understanding how to use them correctly will significantly improve your ability to express yourself in Japanese.
1. What Are な-adjectives?
Japanese adjectives are broadly categorized into two main types: い-adjectives (i-keiyoushi – い形容詞) and な-adjectives (na-keiyoushi – な形容詞). Today, we are focusing on な-adjectives.
Key characteristics of な-adjectives:
- "な" connection: な-adjectives require the particle "な" when they directly modify a noun. This is the key defining characteristic. Think of the "な" as acting like a connector between the adjective and the noun it describes.
- Descriptive function: They function just like adjectives in English, describing qualities like "happy," "quiet," "famous," or "simple."
Examples:
- しずか（静か） – shizuka – quiet
- きれい（綺麗） – kirei – pretty/clean/beautiful
- ゆうめい（有名） – yuumei – famous
- べんり（便利） – benri – convenient
- にぎやか（賑やか） – nigiyaka – lively/bustling
2. Using な-adjectives
There are two primary ways to use な-adjectives: before a noun (to directly modify it) and at the end of a sentence (as a predicate). Let's explore each in detail.
A. Before a Noun (Attributive Use)
When a な-adjective comes before a noun to directly describe it, you must add "な" between the adjective and the noun. This is non-negotiable!
Pattern:
[な-adjective] + な + [noun]
Examples:
- しずかな へや（静かな部屋） – shizuka na heya – a quiet room
- 静かな (shizuka na) modifies 部屋 (heya – room).
- きれいな ひと（綺麗な人） – kirei na hito – a pretty/beautiful person
- 綺麗な (kirei na) modifies 人 (hito – person).
- ゆうめいな がっこう（有名な学校） – yuumei na gakkou – a famous school
- 有名な (yuumei na) modifies 学校 (gakkou – school).
- べんりな コンビニ（便利なコンビニ） – benri na konbini – a convenient convenience store
- 便利な (benri na) modifies コンビニ (konbini – convenience store).
- にぎやかな まち（賑やかな町）– nigiyaka na machi – a lively town
- 賑やかな (nigiyaka na) modifies 町 (machi – town)
Important Note: Forgetting the "な" in this context is a common mistake for beginners. Always double-check!
B. At the End of a Sentence (Predicative Use)
When using a な-adjective to describe the subject of a sentence, you use the adjective without "な" and add です (desu) for politeness. です (desu) functions as a copula (a linking verb like "is" or "are").
Pattern:
[noun] は [な-adjective] です。
Examples:
- この へや は しずか です。(この部屋は静かです。) – Kono heya wa shizuka desu. – This room is quiet.
- The subject is "this room" (この部屋 – kono heya), and it is described as "quiet" (静か – shizuka).
- その まち は ゆうめい です。(その町は有名です。) – Sono machi wa yuumei desu. – That town is famous.
- The subject is "that town" (その町 – sono machi), and it is described as "famous" (有名 – yuumei).
- この レストラン は きれい です。(このレストランは綺麗です。) – Kono resutoran wa kirei desu. – This restaurant is pretty/clean.
- The subject is "this restaurant" (このレストラン – kono resutoran), and it is described as "pretty/clean" (綺麗 – kirei).
- あの ひと は ていねい です。(あの人は丁寧です。) – Ano hito wa teinei desu. – That person is polite.
- The subject is "that person" (あの人 – ano hito), and it is described as "polite" (丁寧 – teinei).
- わたし は げんき です。(私は元気です。) – Watashi wa genki desu. – I am well/fine.
- The subject is "I" (私 – watashi), and I am described as "well/fine" (元気 – genki).
3. Common な-adjectives
Here's an expanded list of common な-adjectives to help you build your vocabulary:
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| しずか（静か） | shizuka | quiet | このとしょかんはしずかです。(この図書館は静かです。) – Kono toshokan wa shizuka desu. – This library is quiet. |
| きれい（綺麗） | kirei | pretty/clean/beautiful | あの はな は きれい です。(あの花は綺麗です。) – Ano hana wa kirei desu. – That flower is beautiful. |
| ゆうめい（有名） | yuumei | famous | きんかくじ は ゆうめい です。(金閣寺は有名です。) – Kinkakuji wa yuumei desu. – Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) is famous. |
| べんり（便利） | benri | convenient | この スーパー は べんり です。(このスーパーは便利です。) – Kono suupaa wa benri desu. – This supermarket is convenient. |
| ていねい（丁寧） | teinei | polite/courteous | あの せんせい は ていねい です。(あの先生は丁寧です。) – Ano sensei wa teinei desu. – That teacher is polite. |
| すき（好き） | suki | liked/favorite (used with "が") | わたし は いぬ が すき です。(私は犬が好きです。) – Watashi wa inu ga suki desu. – I like dogs. (Note the use of "が" instead of "は") |
| にぎやか（賑やか） | nigiyaka | lively/bustling | おまつり は にぎやか です。(お祭りは賑やかです。) – Omatsuri wa nigiyaka desu. – Festivals are lively. |
| だいじょうぶ（大丈夫） | daijoubu | okay/alright/safe | けが は だいじょうぶ ですか。(怪我は大丈夫ですか。) – Kega wa daijoubu desu ka? – Are you alright? (lit. Is your injury okay?) |
| へた（下手） | heta | unskilled/bad at (used with "が") | わたし は りょうり が へた です。(私は料理が下手です。) – Watashi wa ryouri ga heta desu. – I am bad at cooking. (Note the use of "が" instead of "は") |
| じょうず（上手） | jouzu | skilled/good at (used with "が") | わたし は え が じょうず です。(私は絵が上手です。) – Watashi wa e ga jouzu desu. – I am good at drawing. (Note the use of "が" instead of "は") |
| しんせつ（親切） | shinsetsu | kind/friendly | 彼女はとても親切です。(かのじょはとてもしんせつです。) – Kanojo wa totemo shinsetsu desu. – She is very kind. |
| げんき（元気） | genki | healthy/energetic/fine | おげんき ですか。(お元気ですか。) – Ogenki desu ka? – How are you? (lit. Are you healthy?) |
| ひま（暇） | hima | free (time)/not busy | 今日は暇です。(きょうはひまです。) – Kyou wa hima desu. – I am free today. |
Important Note on suki, heta, and jouzu: Notice that suki (liked/favorite), heta (unskilled/bad at), and jouzu (skilled/good at) take the particle が (ga) instead of は (wa) to mark the object of your liking or skill level. This is a key grammatical difference.
4. Practice
Let's solidify your understanding with some translation exercises:
Translate to Japanese:
A convenient store
Answer
べんりな みせ（便利な店）- benri na miseThat person is famous.
Answer
その ひと は ゆうめい です。(その人は有名です。) - Sono hito wa yuumei desu.A clean room
Answer
きれいな へや（綺麗な部屋）- kirei na heyaThis town is lively.
Answer
この まち は にぎやか です。(この町は賑やかです。) - Kono machi wa nigiyaka desu.I am not good at sports.
Answer
わたし は スポーツ が へた です。(私はスポーツが下手です。) - Watashi wa supootsu ga heta desu.
5. Try It Yourself!
Describe these in Japanese:
A quiet library
Answer
しずかな としょかん (静かな図書館) - shizuka na toshokanMy favorite food
Answer
わたし の すきな たべもの (私の好きな食べ物) - watashi no suki na tabemono. *Note: You can also say わたし は [food] が すきです, but the prompt asked to describe a food.*A polite teacher
Answer
ていねいな せんせい (丁寧な先生) - teinei na senseiA bustling city
Answer
にぎやかな とし (賑やかな都市) - nigiyaka na toshiA kind doctor
Answer
しんせつな いしゃ (親切な医者) - shinsetsu na isha
6. Expanding Your Knowledge: な-adjectives and Negation
While we won't delve too deeply into negation just yet (that's for a future lesson!), it's helpful to know that you can negate な-adjectives. However, the negation often involves more complex grammar points we haven't covered yet. Therefore, we will focus on the basics.
Simple Negative Form (Less common, but useful for understanding):
A simple (though less common) way to express "is not" for な-adjectives is using ではありません (dewa arimasen). This is the polite negative form of です (desu).
Pattern:
[noun] は [な-adjective] ではありません。
Examples:
- この へや は しずか ではありません。(この部屋は静かではありません。) – Kono heya wa shizuka dewa arimasen. – This room is not quiet.
- その まち は ゆうめい ではありません。(その町は有名ではありません。) – Sono machi wa yuumei dewa arimasen. – That town is not famous.
Important Note: You might hear (and eventually learn) other ways to negate な-adjectives. This is just a very basic introduction. Also, でわ (dewa) is often shortened to じゃ (ja) in speech (じゃありません).
Homework (宿題 - Shukudai):
- Write 5 sentences using different な-adjectives to describe things around you. Try to use at least 3 different nouns.
- Practice saying all the example sentences in this lesson out loud. Pay close attention to your pronunciation and intonation.
- Find at least 5 more な-adjectives (beyond those listed in this lesson) and try using them in your own sentences. Look them up in a dictionary and ensure you understand their meaning and nuance!
- Using what you've learned about negation, write 2 sentences using the
ではありませんform to negate な-adjectives.