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Adjectives

Adjectives are divided into two groups, i-adjectives and na-adjectives. Depending on which group they belong to they are modified differently.

Unlike many other languages adjectives in Japanese are modified when it's past tense.

Example

"interesting" is different in the following two sentences:

This book is interesting.この本はおもしろい。
This book was interesting.この本はおもしろかった。

Adjectives not only contains time reference, but also positive or negative status.

Example

This book is interesting.この本はおもしろい。
This book is not interesting.この本はおもしろくない。

i-adjectives

This is a group of adjectives that ends with -ai, -ii, -ui, -oi.

Table of different adjective conjugations
Nonpastこのくるまはあおい
This car is blue.
Pastこのくるまはあおかった
This car was blue.
Negativeこのくるまはあおくない
This car is not blue.
Past negativeこのくるまはあおくなかった
This car was not blue.

The last "i" is changed to any of the endings shown above in i-adjectives.

Table of different adjective conjugations, polite forms
Nonpastこのくるまはあおい です
This car is blue.
Pastこのくるまはあおかった です
This car was blue.
Negativeこのくるまはあおくない です
このくるまはあおくありません
This car is not blue.
Past negativeこのくるまはあおくなかった です
このくるまはあおくありませんでした
This car was not blue.

There are different choices for the last two forms, but the easiest way to make an adjective polite is to add です at the ending of the normal conjugation of that adjective.


na-adjectives

Table of different adjective conjugations
Nonpast田中さんはげんきだ
Tanaka is healthy.
Past田中さんはげんきだった
Tanaka was healthy.
Negative田中さんはげんきじゃない
Tanaka is not healthy.
Past negative田中さんはげんきじゃなかった
Tanaka was not healthy.


Table of different adjective conjugations, polite forms
Nonpast田中さんはげんきだ です
Tanaka is healthy.
Past田中さんはげんきだった でした
Tanaka was healthy.
Negative田中さんはげんきじゃない です
田中さんはげんきじゃありません
Tanaka is not healthy.
Past negative田中さんはげんきじゃなかった です
田中さんはげんきじゃありません でした
Tanaka was not healthy.

 

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