Japanese adverb, otherwise known as fukushi ( 副詞・ふくし), is an important element in the Japanese language. In fact, it will feel off if you don’t include them. What happens if you want to make your conversation more interesting and descriptive? 

If you’re a beginner, it can be frustrating to only be able to explain something with little to no detail. When you’ve mastered the necessary grammar patterns, it’s time to move on to the complexities of using adverbs — although, with practice, you’ll realize that it’s actually not that hard. (See how we use an adverb there?) Really, the rules are simpler than how they sound. 

In this article, we’ll be walking you through how to use Japanese adverbs and change adjectives to adverbs. Along the way, we’ll be giving example sentences, too.

Want to learn Japanese from anywhere in the world? We have self-study courses (including a free 30-day hiragana challenge) made by our professional instructors. Browse them all here! 

How are English Adverbs Different from Japanese Adverbs?

Although their functions parallel English adverbs, there are a few distinctions between both languages. Japanese adverbs are boxed based on their characteristics. While you’ll find most English adverbs ending with a ~ly (commonly, effectively, fluently — just to name a few), Japanese adverbs are more varied (more of that later).

Another key difference is its placement. Unlike in English, Japanese adverbs can be placed anywhere in a sentence as long as they appear before the verb. 

Let’s get one thing straight: no matter which one, adverbs serve the purpose of giving context, and they’re generally used for verbs. 

Take a look at the example below.

No matter the adverb is placed, the meaning won’t change (“We are learning exam together“).

You can put the adverb before an object or a verb.

• Subject は + Object を + Adverb + Verb
• Subject は + Adverb + Object を + Verb

一緒に試験を勉強しています。
Issho ni shiken wo benkyou shite imasu.

試験を一緒に勉強しています。
Shiken wo issho ni wo benkyou shite imasu.

How to Use Japanese Adverbs

Of course, as you receive more advanced Japanese study materials, you’ll find that more complex sentence patterns. In fact, you don’t always have to pair an adverb with 「Object を + Verb」.

Unlike an adjective, which can only be paired with a noun, adverbs are more versatile. They can to be paired with a word, be it a verb or 動詞 (doshi), an adjective or 形容詞 (keiyōshi), or even another adverb.

• いつも電車で学校へ行きます。
  いつもでんしゃでがっこうへいきます。
  (I) always go to school by train.

• 彼女にとっては私が結局ただの友達だ。
  かのじょにとってはわたしがけっきょくただのともだちだ
  After all, I’m just a friend to her.

• ワクチンはほとんど痛くなかった。
  ワクチンはほとんどいたくなかった。
  The vaccine didn’t hurt very much.

In all of the examples above, all of the adverb are tailed by a verb, adjective or a noun. The word ‘barely’ (ほとんど) is put in front of the adjective ‘hurt’ (痛い).

Take a look at another example, where we use an adverb for another adverb.

• 先生は本当に優しく教えます。
  せんせいはほんとうにやさしくおしえます。
  The teacher teaches really kindly.

Turning Adjectives into Japanese Adverbs 

In the Japanese language, you can modify almost all of its adjectives (形容詞・けいようし) into adverbs. Most of them will share the same meaning — similar to English. The word ‘effective’ and ‘fluent’, for example, can be altered into ‘effectively’ and ‘fluently’.

How you change Japanese adjectives to adverbs is based on conjugation rules — which, again, depending on the type of adjective a word belongs to.

There are two classifications: 「い」adjectives and 「な」adjectives.

「い」Adjectives

You’ve probably heard popular words like「かっこい！」or「かわいい！」on anime, talk shows — or even manga. Notice how all of them end with an ‘i’? That’s how easy it is to identify an 「い」adjective.

By changing the final い (i) to く (ku), an adjective will turn into an adverb. It’s pretty similar to how you add ‘ly’ on adjectives to English.

い-adjectives + い (i) → い-adjectives ＋ く(ku)

There is an exception to the い-adjective: 良い・いい. Instead of いく, it will be transformed into よく. This is because the word’s original spelling is よい. Although the form has changed, all its derivations and conjugations remain the same.

「な」Adjectives

Although a bit trickier than the「い」adjective, but you can easily identify a「な」adjective when you hear the particle な (na) adjective before a noun (for example, 幸せ「しあわせ」な 人)

You don’t need to erase anything from the actual adjective word. Instead, replace な with に (ni) to convert a な (na) adjective into an adverb.

な-adjectives + な (na) → な-adjectives ＋ に(ni)

Although it seems that all adverbs are acquired from adjectives, that is not always the case. These adverbs do not have a specific form or rule to recognize them with, so you must learn each vocabulary word and they are just as important to remember. However, they are utilized in a similar way as all the other adverbs.

Non-adjectival Japanese Adverbs

Although most adjectives can be turned into adverbs, not all adverbs are related to adjectives. This is an important point because Japanese people will use a list of general adverbs that don’t have an original term. They don’t have any identifiable pattern, so you will have to remember each vocabulary alone.

Most non-adjectival adverbs are used to indicate frequency, time and place. Here are a few common examples of adverbs that don’t originate from a parent adjective.

A lot of these Japanese adverbs end with ~tto. Curious to know more about them? We’ve made a more in-depth guide on motto, chotto, kitto, zutto, and and more!

Types of Japanese Adverbs

We can divide Japanese adverbs into several categories, including time, frequency, place, manner and degree.

Adverbs of degree

Adding one adverb in a sentence can be the difference between making or ruining someone’s day. What if you say “You are not so beautiful” instead of “You are very beautiful?”

This is where adverbs of degree are used to stipulate the scale or extent of something. We’ll be listing some of the must-know adverbs in descending order.

Take a look at some examples below.

• 私は炊事が全然できない。
  わたしはすいじがぜんぜんできない。
  I can’t cook at all.

• 彼は非常に意識のある人です。
  かれはひじょうにいしきのあるひとです。
  He is a man of great knowledge.

The adverb とても is normally only used with positive sentences. If you want the opposite, opt for あまり or ぜんぜん. Both will need a negative sentence.

Adverbs based of frequency

How often do you do something? Is it always, sometimes — or never? This is when Japanese adverbs of frequency are used. They are usually placed before the main action word or another adverb.

Take a look at some examples below.

• めったに寿司を食べていません。
  めったにすしをたべていません。
  (I) rarely eat sushi.

• もうずっと忘れてた。
  もうずっとわすれてた。
  Ah, I’ve already forgotten about since ages ago.

Adverbs based on level of certainty

Adverbs of this kind are used to expand on the extent of how actions or adjectives (or even another adverb).

Take a look at some examples below.

• 絶対に諦めない。
  ぜったいにあきらめない。
  I shall never give up.

• 何事にも必ず終わりがある。
  なにごとにもかならずおわりがある。
  All things must have an end.

Adverbs based of time

Japanese adverbs of time indicate when something happens.

Take a look at some examples below.

• 最近虫が多くなった。
  ぜったいにあきらめない。
  I shall never give up.

• しばらくお待ちください。
  なにごとにもかならずおわりがある。
  All things must have an end.

Adverbs based of manner

Also called 方法の福祉・ほうほうのふくし, Japanese adverbs of manner describe how an action or thing happen. This is where you’ll find most adjective-derived adverbs being used.

Take a look at the example down below.

• 私は早く朝ご飯を食べます。
  わたしははやくあさごはんをたべます。
  I eat my breakfast quickly.

• 私は朝ご飯を早く食べます。
  わたしははやくあさごはんをたべます。
  I quickly eat my breakfast.

Japanese Adverbs: Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word that resembles the actual sound of the thing they refer to. In English, you’ll encounter words like “tick-tock” from a clock, or “vroom” from a car.

Although it falls under the same umbrella, Japanese onomatopoeia has a wider range of meanings. Not just sound sources, these words can also reflect a mood or emotion. This is why it’s hard to guess the meaning of the word just from the sound alone. For example, ペラペラ means fluent — but you probably don’t know about it.

The good news is this: common onomatopoeia are reduplications — meaning, the whole word is repeated exactly or with a slight change. They sound catchy (like ドキドキ or ペコペコ), so it’s not half as bad as memorizing, say, the whole N4 kanji unit. A lot of onomatopoeia is followed by the particle と (to).

俺はイライラと試験を復習しました。
おれはイライラとしけんをふくしゅうしました
I annoyingly reviewed the exam.

去年の冬がめちゃくちゃ寒かっただ。
きょねんのふゆがめちゃくちゃさむかっただ。
Last year’s winter was very cold.

Conclusion

Learning Japanese adverbs is the next step after you’ve mastered all the basic Japanese words and phrases. Instead of memorizing everything at once, we recommend going over them slowly.

If you want to learn more, we offer a variety of online, group, and private lessons — not to mention other free content on our blog, too.

Haven’t visited all of our must-read content? Check out our top 100 basic Japanese words and basic Japanese greetings.

Japanese Adverb FAQs

Learn “Real” Conversational Japanese at Coto Japanese Academy

Need help with learning different Japanese vocabulary about education? Check out the cheat sheet that we have created for the all the terminology that you need!

Here, we have included the vocabulary on the eight education levels, starting from nursery school to university.

People are always surprised to know just how different the Japanese school system is from the system in other countries.

The Japanese school system consists of six years of elementary school, three years of junior high school, three years of high school, and lastly, university.

Here is how the school years in Japan are divided :

• Nursery school from 3 to 6 years old.
• Elementary school from 6 to 12.
• Middle School from 12 to 15.
• High school from 15 to 18.
• University from a duration of 2 to 4 years.

The majority of Japan’s junior high and high schools students are also required to wear uniforms, or seifuku (せいふく), which play an important role in Japan’s culture.

The uniform also rotates seasonally and varies between one school and the other, with some schools known for their particular design. Students are taught to have a sense of discipline and community among youth by wearing uniforms.

This is part one of our Japanese education vocabulary series, so make sure to continue to part two.

Continue on below for more vocabulary and sentence examples.

Japanese Education Vocabulary Sentence Examples

Here is how you form basic sentences with the terminology:

Example 1:

おとうとはあしたのしょうがっこうのにゅうがくしきがたのしみでしかたないのだ。

otōto wa ashita no shōgakkō no nyūgakushiki ga tanoshimi de shikatanai noda.

My younger brother can’t help but look forward to his entrance ceremony of elementary school tomorrow.

Example 2 :

こうこうをそつぎょうしたら、だいがくにしんがくするよていです。

kōkō wo sotsugyō shitara, daigaku ni iku tsumoridesu.

When I graduate from high school, I plan to go to university.

Japanese Education Vocabulary –

If you wish to have a short-term study in Tokyo, Check out our 3-month intensive Japanese courses. Also, feel free to send us an inquiry if you have any questions!

Start taking Japanese lessons and master these terminology today!

Learning Japanese for beginner is a journey that appears to be terrifying. The process of understanding the grammar structure, building up a good vocabulary based, and strengthening communication skills may seem too much of a work to do.

Let’s be honest, learning a new language is not easy. But with endurance, a motivated attitude and with a determined goal, anything is possible.

How many times have you written “to learn a new language” or “to master the Japanese language” on your new year’s resolution? It is now almost halfway through the year, and how did that progress go?

If you have not even remotely gotten close to begin, don’t worry, many others are on the same boat as you.

In this article, we will introduce a number of ways to learn Japanese consistently, without getting side-tracked.

1.Study with mobile apps

If you have experience with studying with textbooks and this did not work out for you, why not try to study with Japanese language applications on your phone?

Just set a small starting goal of 5 minutes of studying on the Japanese language app, so that your goals are more achievable.

If you are struggling with memorizing kanji, we have compiled a few Kanji apps here in the blog post, recommending different type of learners.

The apps here help beginners to practice with remembering and understanding the Hiragana and Katakana writing system. The apps have a build-in tracing system, where you can practice writing Japanese letters.

Read more about kanji app and our review of the popular study app Duolingo here!

2. Study with social media,

If you have a habit of spending more than an hour on social media all together, why not use some of the time to allocate to your Japanese studies? Here we show you some ways to learn Japanese through social media.

Instagram

It is easy to get lost within the world of Instagram with so much content and inspiration out there. One way to get your Japanese study time while going on Instagram, is to follow some of the Japanese learning Instagram accounts.

We, Coto Academy, have our own Instagram account where we post every single day on Japanese vocabularies, phrases, and current events.

What to look forward to on our Instagram

• IG Stories of JLPT Kanji, Grammar, Vocabularies Quizzes
• Themed Japanese Vocabulary
• How to use onomatopoeia
• Kanji Vocabulary
• Japanese Phrases
• Grammar videos on IGTV

By following us, you would not have to specifically find the time in your day to study Japanese, but we provide the information for you on Instagram, where you can engage with.

YouTube

To get more accustomed to the Japanese language and to get used to native Japanese speaking in Japanese, using YouTube to study is the best method.

With a visual aid, it is easier to understand Japanese grammar particles and structures. We post weekly JLPT grammar videos, introducing new concepts. If your main source of social media is YouTube, this is the perfect method for you to squeeze in bits of studying time.

Additionally, listening to our Native teachers speak Japanese may help you to get used to the pronounciation of Japanese words.

Checkout our YouTube Channel here

Coto provides short educational videos, but if you would like to delve into longer videos, that thoroughly explains grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension, check out our list of 50 Youtube channels here.

The YouTube channels we have compiled here varries in learning formats. Ranging from traditional formats of explaining each grammar concept to you to channels that explains through a song so that the concepts are easier to remember to many vlog channels going through their daily life in Japan.

For Japanese learners that want to learn Japanese, learning videos is one of the best methods to do so, because the educational videos are delivered as if it is a personal lesson between the teacher and the student. Learning through Japanese vlogs

Following our blog

Our blog includes a variety of content you can highly benefit from, which contributes to learning Japanese!

We write blogs on topics such as grammar blog posts, tips on how to study Japanese, and how to pass each JLPT level. We also combine Japanese culture with Japanese learning, such as our blog post on teaching Japanese learners how to maximize their learning with using phrases from Japanese anime.

We also create our own Coto Kanji practice worksheets and provide them on our blog. Our Coto blog provides a wide array of Free Kanji practice worksheets ranging from JLPT N5~N2 Kanjis. This way, learners that are starting out can have easy access to resources to study Japanese straightaway.

3. Listen to podcasts and join clubhouse

Traditional methods of studying Japanese is great, but if you want to progress to another level, listening to Japanese podcasts and joining a clubhouse group is one way to do so.

Joining clubhouse Japanese language groups encourages Japanese learners to strengthen communication skills. The groups we have compiled allows members to practice the language together.

Why you should learn by listening to podcasts or Clubhouse:

• Easy to slot in time for it –
  • For when you often communte to work or school,
  • Exercise throughout the day
• Strengthen listening skills
• Gain communications skills for casual conversations
• Become friends with like minded people to encourage each other to study

Our blog on Japanese podcasts and Clubhouse

4. Study by watching shows

If you like to watch Japanese tv shows or anime, what better way to learn Japanese than to learn by continuously watching the shows? This way, you can learn natural phrases used for daily life, during your leisure time.

In this blog post, we have compiled popular Japanese tv shows on Netflix, you can watch to build your vocabulary.

Did you also know that by adding this extention on your google chrome, you can learn Japanese on Netflix? By installing this extention, you can hover words you are unfamiliar with in the subtitles, and save the words to review for later. This extention translates the words for you, and provides romaji on top of kanji so you can practice reading the Japanese subtitiles.

5. Learn through songs

Do you like listening to J-pop? Want to learn how to sing them, or understand what the song lyrics mean without having to search it up everytime? In our previous post, we have compiled Japanese songs and artists we recommend learning Japanese from!

By practicing sing the Japanese songs, this can improve your Japanese pronounciation, which can aid you in the future when you want to improve communication skills. Trying to understand the story behind the lyrics include understand vocabulary and grammar structure.

By accomplishing this, learning throught the lyrics also can link to strengthening reading comprehension skills.

6. Sign up to Coto Academy!

There are many free and affordable resources out there on the internet. Coto Academy provides many ways for people that are interested in learning Japnese.

Sign up to Coto online classes, affordable and consistent

Coto Academy provides Japanese lessons for anyone in the world. We have online group lessons, as well in-person group lessons. The classes we have arranged are very affordable, which makes students easier for them to continue the classes.

Consistency is a very key aspect in studying languages, so that your muscle memory does not forget what you have learnt.

Among the variety of classes we offer, we highly recommed the Japanese Crash Course for beginners with zero experience with Japanese.

Details of the Crash Course

• 4 weeks long
• Lessons on Hiragana, Katakana
• Greetings and introducing yourself
• Being able to order in a restaurant or shops
• Asking directions in the street or train station
• Talk about your impressions of Japan

Classes are from:

• Monday – Friday
• Offered in two different times
• 9:30~12:30
• 14:10~17:00

Are you struggling with stroke order? You’re not alone.
Some kanji have more than a few strokes to remember.
That is why we are so happy to share about this!
Kanjibro is a new tool for finding the stroke order of most common Kanji (Kanji that appear in open source Japanese dictionaries.)
Using Kanjibro to find stroke order is simple:

1. Visit https://kanjibro.ninja
2. Type your kanji in the search (You can also paste it)
3. The animated stroke order will pop up for each kanji.

It’s that simple.
One great thing about this tool and one that we’re very proud of – is that Kanjibro is made by one of our students.
Here is his message about the project:

When I started to learn Japanese a year and a half ago, the difficulty to take notes was the most frustrating bit while learning. (to take notes is probably the best way to process and retain information I think.) So after discussion with my Japanese pals and classmates, the idea of being able to take notes, and therefore writing kanji without making any mistakes, became a crucial need.
We checked google but there was no “simple” solution allowing us to paste a sentence, check how to write it, and then proceed out conversation in Japanese.
With this tool our classes or sessions started to be way much more productive. As we weren’t spending too much time trying to write kanji. Basically after class or a conversation session, we were able to study each kanji properly on our own.
I’m glad to hear this tool is useful! 😀

If you’re looking to learn how to practice writing kanji – you may also be interested in our kanji writing worksheets.
These worksheets provide an easy way to practice Japanese writing and also have stroke order diagrams that teach you the correct order of the strokes.

If you’d like to see all of the available JLPT Kanji Writing Workbooks – please visit Coto Kanji Writing Workbooks

If you are interested in studying Japanese in Tokyo, find out more about our school by filling out the form below.

Do you want to learn to type written Japanese? Are you looking for apps – websites and other tools that will improve your Japanese writing composition skill? 

You may never have the time to master the handwriting of each individual kanji – but thanks to computer input methods – you are now able to compose writing in Japanese without the need of a calligraphy brush.

This week we will share a list of tools that we recommend to our students studying with us at our Japanese language school in Tokyo.

• Question and Answer Sites (HiNative, Quora)
• Community Correction / Notebook Services
• Kanji Writing Apps and  PDF Worksheet Workbooks

With computers – it has never been easier to be able to compose writing in Japanese. In the old days – you would need to learn each individual kanji and write it by hand. 

But no longer! This has lead to many people being able to learn how to write articles and publish blogs in Japanese without having to have thousands of hours of classroom instruction in writing.

This article is all about how you can type written Japanese – and the tools that we recommend to get feedback on your writing and correction.

Japanese Question and Answer Websites

The first tool that we recommend is Question and Answer sites:

If you have been on the internet recently – you may have heard of the website called Quora or Yahoo answers. These websites specialize in crowdsourcing answers for general questions.

But did you know that Quora has a Japanese language specific section?

Below is a list of Q and A sites with where you can get answers about specific usage of Japanese. And at some of these site syou can even have your Japanese proofed by native speakers.

Hi Native

Hi Native is a platform to connect language learners with native speakers of that language so that they can get corrections on the language that they are learning. 

For example – I could type something in Japanese and on Hi Native – A native Japanese speaker can explain to me the correct usage or nuance of the statement that I am trying to make.
 

Quora: Japanese Learning Section

 

Quora is the largest question and answer site on the internet and their Japanese language section has around 250,000 followers on it.  You can ask questions here and also search for questions similar to yours. 

A big warning here is that the people answering the question can often be anonymous and might not be a native speaker.  So be careful to check the responses that you get with a native speaker.
 

italki.com community answers

italki.com has a question and answer section that is typically staffed by Japanese teachers that are willing to answer your questions for free!  This is a nice tool that you can use.
 

Community Notebook Tools

There are several websites online that offer a community sourced proofreading solution.

• Hinative
• Italki

On these websites – you have the ability to write something in Japanese and then have it proofread by native speakers where they will offer you the corrections.

This is different from a question and answer tool in the sense that it allows you to have free correction of your writing.  This is a powerful and free way to improve your Japanese writing ability.

Kanji Writing Applications / Workbooks

Many people can obtain a very high level of comprehension in Japanese listening, speaking, reading, and typing – without ever actually learning how to write Kanji characters for themselves. 

There are several applications that will help you to write in Japanese by learning the stroke order from scratch.

At Coto – we have also begun producing a series of Japanese Kanji writing workbooks that you can download and print for very low cost!

• Skritter
• Coto Academy JLPT N5 Kanji Writing Workbook