Do you know how to describe and write the position of something in Japanese using directions?
We have a new unit for your Kanji practice and studies! This features N5 Kanji that deal with directions such as up, down, north, south, etc.
This is the fifth unit in a series of free Kanji writing practice sheets that you can download and print. It features N5 Kanji that will appear on the JLPT N5, and mastering these kanji is an important step to passing the test!
This is the third in a series of free Kanji writing practice sheets that you can download and print.
This series deals with kanji related to the human body. If you want to learn Japanese Kanji that relates to the human body, then you can download these excerpts for free.
We will be releasing more over the coming weeks – so stay tuned to this page as we will update it with new links.
Learning kanji is one of the first big steps in mastering Japanese, and numbers are a great place to start. This free JLPT N5 Kanji Worksheet (Unit 1: Numbers) focuses on essential number-related kanji you’ll encounter early in your studies — perfect for beginners preparing for the JLPT N5. Download the PDF, practice writing each character, and build a strong foundation for your Japanese journey!
Getting ready for the JLPT? Boost your chances of passing with Coto Academy’s JLPT Prep Course — designed for busy learners. This class is perfect for students who plan to take the JLPT exam and work optimally towards their objectives. It covers exam practices and explanations of essentials such as Japanese grammar, vocabulary, kanji, and more!
These are the most basic kanji in Japanese — and they’re also the easiest to learn! Mastering numbers 1 to 10 will help you with counting, dates, prices, time, and more.
Number
Kanji
Kana
Meaning
1
一
いち
One
2
二
に
Two
3
三
さん
Three
4
四
し / よん
Four
5
五
ご
Five
6
六
ろく
Six
7
七
しち / なな
Seven
8
八
はち
Eight
9
九
きゅう / く
Nine
10
十
じゅう
Ten
Free Kanji Number Worksheet
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What is the 日本漢字能力検定?
日本漢字能力検定(Nihon kanjinouryoku kentei), usually knowns as 漢検(Kanken) or the Kanji Kentei, is a test that examines the candidate’s kanji skill. It tests on the candidate’s reading and writing ability of kanji as well as the ability to understand and use them in different contexts. Like the JLPT, it is another good proof of your Japanese knowledge and is useful when applying for jobs in Japan. Although anyone can sit for Kanken, it is challenging for foreign Japanese learners. As such, if you are a foreigner looking for jobs in Japan, acquiring a Kanken certificate will make you stand out from your competitors.
How Difficult is Kanken?
There are in total of 12 levels of Kanken, Grade 10 being the easiest and grade 1 being the hardest. Each level is set for different educational levels starting from primary 1. The requirements and scope of each level are as follows.
Grade 10 (Primary 1 level) Detailed Areas of Focus: Reading & Writing –Ability to read and write kanjis from the first year of the小学校学年別漢字配当表 (list of Kanji by school year). Stroke Order – length of points and strokes. Joints and intersections, stroke order and number of strokes.
Grade 9 (Primary 2 level) Detailed Areas of Focus: Reading & Writing- able to read and write kanji from the second year of the学年別漢字配当表 (list of Kanji by school year). Stroke order – Aware of Length of points and strokes, Joints and intersections; stroke order and number of strokes. Grade 8 (Primary 3 level) Detailed Areas of Focus: Reading & Writing – able to read and write kanjis from the 3rd year of the学年別漢字配当表 (list of Kanji by school year).
Understand onyomi and kunyomi
Write correct kana endings
Roughly understand the concept of antonyms
Roughly understand the concept of homonyms
Stroke Order – know correct stroke orders and number of strokes. Radicals – able to recognize and understand basic radicals.
Grade 7(Primary 4 level) Detailed Areas of Focus Reading and Writing -Able to read and write kanjis from the fourth year of the学年別漢字配当表 (list of Kanji by school year).
Understand onyomi and kunyomi
Write correct kana endings
Roughly understand the concept of antonyms
Roughly understand the concept of homonyms
Know about the fundamental composition of Japanese idioms
Stroke order- know correct stroke orders and number of strokes. Radicals- able to recognize and understand radicals.
Grade 6 (Primary 5 level)
Detailed Areas of Focus: Reading& Writing: Able to read and write kanjis from up to the fifth year of the小学校学年別漢字配当表 (list of Kanji by school year).
Understand onyomi and kunyomi
Write correct kana endings and careful with the correct usage of kana
Know about the structure of idioms
understand the concept of antonyms and synonyms
understand the concept of homonyms
Stroke order -know correct stroke order and number of strokes. Radicals – able to recognize and understand radicals.
Grade 5 (Primary 6 level) Detailed Areas of Focus: Reading and writing: – Able to read and write kanjis from up to the sixth year of the小学校学年別漢字配当表 (list of Kanji by school year).
Understand onyomi and kunyomi
Write correct kana endings and careful with the proper use of kana
Know about the composition of idioms
understand antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms
Idioms – understand four-character idiomatic phrases Stroke order – know the correct stroke order total number of strokes. Radicals – able to understand and recognize radicals.
Grade 4 (Secondary school level) Detailed Areas of Focus Reading & Writing – Able to read and write all kanjis in the 小学校学年別漢字配当表 (list of kanji by school year) as well as about 300 frequently used kanji. Able to use them in a passage appropriately.
Understand onyomi and kunyomi
Write correct kana endings and careful with the proper use of kana
Understand the composition of idioms
understand antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms
Understand the concept of 熟語訓 (special kanji readings) and 当て字 (phonetic equivalents)
Idioms – able to understand the meaning of four-character idiomatic phrases. Radicals – able to recognize the radicals and understand their meanings.
Grade 3 (Secondary school graduate level) Detailed Areas of Focus: Reading & Writing – Able to read and write all kanjis in the 小学校学年別漢字配当表 (list of kanji by school year) as well as about 600 frequently used kanji. Able to use them in a passage appropriately.
Understand onyomi and kunyomi
Write correct kana endings and careful with the proper use of kana
Understand the composition of idioms
understand antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms
Understand 熟語訓 (special kanji readings) and 当て字 (phonetic equivalents)
Idioms – able to understand 4-word idioms. Radicals – able to recognize radicals and understand their meanings.
Grade Semi-2 (High school level)Number of Kanji: 1940 Detailed Areas of Focus Reading & writing – able to read and write about 1940 frequently used Kanji and use them in a passage appropriately.
Understand onyomi and kunyomi
Write correct kana endings and careful with the proper use of kana
Understand the composition of idioms
Understand antonyms, synonyms, and homonyms
Understand 熟語訓 (special kanji readings) and 当て字 (phonetic equivalents)
Idioms -understand 4-word idioms with traceable origins. Radicals – able to recognize radicals and understand the meanings in terms of the composition of kanji.
Grade 2 (High school graduate/ university/ general public level) Detailed Areas of Focus Reading & writing – Mastered the reading and writing of all frequently used Kanji and able to use them in a passage appropriately.
Understand onyomi and kunyomi
Write correct kana endings and careful with the proper use of kana
Understand the composition of idioms
Understand antonyms and synonyms
Understand homonyms
Understand 熟語訓 (special kanji readings) and 当て字 (phonetic equivalents)
Idioms – understand 4-word idioms with traceable origins. Radicals: able to recognize radicals and understand the meanings in terms of the composition of kanji.
Grade Semi-1 (University/general public level) Detailed Areas of Focus Reading and writing – mastered the reading and writing of the 3000 kanji and able to use them appropriately in a passage.
Understand 熟語訓 (special kanji readings) and 当て字 (phonetic equivalents)
Understand anonyms, synonyms, and homonyms
Understand 国字 (Japanese-made Chinese Characters)
Understand Kanji used to represent locations/nations (this is a type of 当て字)
Understand multiple Kanji Labels. (multiple kanji used to indicate the same meaning interchangeably e.g. 国 and 國)
Idioms -able to understand four-character idiomatic compounds, Proverbs, and 故事成語 (idioms derived from historical stories). Classical literature – able to understand kanji, Chinese characters from Japanese and Chinese literature. Grade 1 (University/General Public Level) Detailed Areas of Focus Reading and writing mastered reading and writing of the 6000 kanji and able to use them appropriately in a passage.
Understand 熟語訓 (special kanji readings) and 当て字 (phonetic equivalents)
Understand anonyms, synonyms, and homonyms
Understand 国字
Understand Kanji used to represent locations/nations
Understand multiple Kanji Labels
Idioms – able to understand four-character idiomatic phrases and proverbs. Classical Literature -able to understand kanji, Chinese characters from classical Japanese, Chinese literature.
Total Scores and Percentage to Pass
Grade 1 ~ 2: 200 full score, pass for scoring 80% and above
Grade semi-2 ~ 7: 200 full score, pass for scoring 70% and above
Grade 8 ~ 10: 150 full score, pass for scoring 80% and above
How to register for the Kanken:
The paper test takes place 3 times in a year, usually in February, June, and October. Registration opens 3 months prior to the test. You can simply register for Kanken online through a few simple steps. Click here to register for Kanken If you wish to take any level from Level 7 to Level 2, you can also register for Kanken CBT (Computer Based Testing). Few reasons why you should register for Kanken CBT
It is Much more convenient. You will be sitting for Kanken on a computer at a test venue on the date chosen by yourself. There are more than 150 test venues in the country. Select the one most convenient for you.
You will receive a physical certificate just like others taking the paper test.
You will get notified your test result much faster. Your result slip will be mailed to you in about 10 days after the test
The registration for Kanken CBT can also be done online. Click here for more registration information Registration fee The registration fees are as shown below. Grade 8 – 10: 1500 yen Grade 5 – 7: 2000 yen Grade Semi-2 – 4: 2500 yen Grade 2: 3500 yen Grade Semi-1: 4500 yen Grade 1: 5000 yen
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Have you started learning Japanese adjectives? Once you get the hang of basic Japanese grammar structure, you will want to form more complex sentences. What happens if you want to say that the dog is cute? Or short? Or friendly? This is where Japanese adjectives come in: to make you express more, rather than just stating the obvious. (Sure, that is a dog, but what about it?)
Japanese adjectives aren’t just used to describe physical appearance or behavior. They’re used as quantifiers — to express emotions and detail dimensions. They’re used to modify a noun. While they function similarly to English, the grammar rules of Japanese adjectives are a little bit complex, too.
This will be a self-study guide on Japanese adjectives, complete with example sentences. We’ll talk you through the two kinds of adjectives and how to use them, but if you want to get more support and direction from native instructors, we suggest you take a look at our online Japanese course.
Before we go further into the article, note that this article will mostly use hiragana, so prior knowledge of them is a must. If you’re still learning them, don’t worry — take a look at our hiragana chart to review them.
Also check out our video explaining い-adjectives and な-adjectives!
What are Adjectives in Japanese?
Adjectives in Japanese, or 形容詞 (keiyoushi), are descriptive words that add details to nouns by describing details about the noun. Adjectives in Japanese operate similarly to those in English, being used to describe the noun in the sentence. Adjectives come in many forms, including:
1. Descriptive adjectives
Describe physical characteristics such as color (blue or red), size (large or small), the materials of something (wooden or metal), and age (old or young). Here are some common descriptive adjectives in Japanese
Adjectives also describe the quantity of something, such as how many, how few, or a specific number of something. However, in Japanese, using numbers as an adjective would require using counters, which change based on what thing you are counting. For general objects, it’s common to use the 和語 (wago) or native Japanese counting system (e.g., hitotsu, futatsu, mitsu).
Similar to nouns, adjectives can also be proper, which can be the names of people, places, and things like products. In English, proper nouns are often conjugated into adjectives, but they will differ depending on the type of noun. In Japanese, it works similarly, but let’s explore how they differ:
Persons:
John → John’s
ジョン → ジョンの
Places:
Japan → Japanese
日本 (nihon) → 日本の (nihonno)
Things:
Nike → Nike’s (often the ‘s is omitted, e.g., Nike shoes)
ナイキ → ナイキの
In Japanese, you attach the particle の to nouns, whether they are proper or not, to transform it into an adjective.
4. Adjectives for Abstract Characteristics
Adjectives are also used to describe abstract characteristics such as the function, value, and quality of something or the behavior of someone. For example, a machine can be described as expensive or cheap, and a person can be described as smart or kind.
Japanese
Furigana
Romaji
English
うるさい
うるさい
akai
red
静か
しずか
shizuka
quiet
頭がいい
あたまがいい
atama ga ii
smart
難しい
むずかしい
muzukashii
difficult
優しい
やさしい
yasashii
easy/kind
意地悪
いじわる
ijiwaru
mean
厳しい
きびしい
kibishii
strict
すごい
すごい
sugoi
amazing
美味しい
おいしい
oishii
delicious
高い
たかい
takai
expensive
安い
やすい
yasui
cheap
危ない
あぶない
abunai
dangerous
安全
あんぜん
anzen
safe
早い
はやい
hayai
fast
遅い
おそい
osoi
slow
Just like in English, adjectives in Japanese are descriptors that modify nouns; however, there are 2 different types of grammatical Japanese adjectives to be aware of.
Types of Japanese Adjectives (And How to Use Them)
Japanese adjectives are categorized into two types: な-adjectives and い-adjectives. Their main function is to describe nouns, but these adjectives can also be transformed into nouns themselves.
The easiest way to separate な-adjectives and い-adjectives is by checking the adjective’s ending. More precisely, it is whether the word ends with い or not. For example, 大きい (ookii) is an i-adjective, but 静か is a na-adjective.
Of course, this is a rule of thumb, but there are exceptions you need to note as well. What you need to know are the grammar particles and the way they conjugate.
The い-adjective is easy to identify: they end in い. Some い-adjectives might also have a double い (いい), but their stem form will usually stay the same regardless of the form it takes.
In this case, we’ll be using the example 高い (たかい), which means high (height) or expensive (price). Briefly, this is how you will conjugate an い-adjective into different tenses and forms.
Form
Kanji
Hiragana
Meaning
Positive (Present)
高い
たかい
High
Negative (Present)
高くない
たかくない
Not high
Positive (Past)
高かった
たかかった
Was high
Negative (Present)
高くなかった
たかくなかった
Was not high
Present Tense for I-adjectives
To express an い-adjective in the present tense, simply let it take its original stem form and add an 〜い (already joined).
Keep in mind that Japanese does not clearly distinguish between the present and the future tense. A sentence in the present tense can also refer to the future, depending on the context. In other words, Japanese treats them as the same tense.
今日の天気はいいです。 Kyou no tenki wa ii desu. The weather is nice today.
明日の天気はいいです。 Ashita on tenki wa ii desu. The weather will be nice tomorrow.
Negative (Present) Tense for I-adjectives
To make a present-tense い-adjective negative, replace the 〜い with 〜くない.
Base Adjective
Rule
Negative Form
Meaning
〜い adjective
〜い → 〜くない
〜くない
not ~
今日は寒くないです。 Kyou wa samukunai desu. It is not cold today.
Past Tense for I-adjectives
To express an い-adjective in the present tense, you must omit the 〜い from the word’s stem form and join it with a 〜かった.
Base Adjective
Rule
Negative (Past)
Meaning
〜い adjective
〜い → 〜くなかった
〜くなかった
was not ~
あの車が高かったです。 Ano kuruma ga takakatta desu. That car was expensive.
Negative (Past) Tense for I-adjectives
For this, similar to negative and past adjectives, you can change the 〜い with a new conjugation, which is a combination of くない and かった: 〜くなかった.
Base Adjective
Rule
Negative (Past)
Meaning
〜い adjective
〜い → 〜くなかった
〜くなかった
was not ~
Exception for Adjective
1. 良い (Yoi): Good, well, great
Normally, the stem of an い-adjective stays the same regardless of tense or form. One important exception: いい (good).
Although it is commonly used as いい, the original form is よい (良い). In the present positive tense, both いい and よい can be used, with よい sounding more formal. However, when changing the adjective into negative or past forms, the stem changes to よ, not い.
This is why the correct forms are よくない (not good), よかった (was good), and よくなかった (was not good).
Form
Kanji
Hiragana
Meaning
Positive (Present)
良い
よい；いい
Good; well
Negative (Present)
良くない
よくない
Not good
Positive (Past)
良かった
よかった
Was good
Negative (Present)
良くなかった
よくなかった
Was not good
2. かっこい (Kakkoi): Cool
The same thing can be said with かっこいい (cool). When it becomes a negative form or past tense, the stem changes to よ. Instead of かっこいくない, change it to かっこよくない.
3. きれい (Kirei) and きらい (Kirai)
One last thing: also, it seems like it, きれい (pretty or clean) and きらい (hate or dislike) are actually na-adjectives even though the word ends with い, so be careful!
野菜がきらくない。 Yasai ga kirakunai. I don’t hate vegetables. (Wrong)
野菜がきらいじゃない。 Yasai ga kirai ja nai. I don’t hate vegetables. (Correct)
Casual Form for I-adjectives
For the polite form of い-adjective, you will need to add the auxiliary verb of です. For negative and past adjective forms, follow the same conjugational transformation as well.
Form
Casual Form
Polite form
Meaning
Positive (Present)
よい
よい；いいです
Good; well
Negative (Present)
よくない
よくないです
Not good
Positive (Past)
よかった
よかったです
Was good
Negative (Present)
よくなかった
よくなかったです
Was not good
Making it a casual form is easier; simply remove the です and leave it as it is. However, note that this only applies when the adjective is put at the end of the sentence.
A lot of Japanese people will even shorten the adjective and omit the い. For example, when talking with friends in a good mood, people will say すげー instead of すごい to express something amazing, or うまー instead of うまい to compliment a very delicious meal.
な-adjectives in Japanese
A な-adjective, or na keiyoushi (な形容詞), is a type of Japanese adjective that acts like a noun and needs な when directly describing a noun. Unlike い-adjectives, you can’t modify conjugations in な-adjectives directly to express tense or form. Instead, think of them as nouns (although they’re not, so be careful).
This is because the way you modify its value is the same as how you would with nouns. What you want to do instead is to change the auxiliary verb of the whole sentence or phrase：です、ではありません、 でした or ではありませんでした.
The way you can identify a な-adjective is by looking at the particle attached to it: な. For example, 元気な人 (genki na hito), which means a healthy (or happy, depending on the context) person. A lot of people find な-adjectives to be easier to learn because of their simple (and easy modification) rule.
Like い-adjectives, you can put a な-adjective before a noun. When you do so, the adjective-noun combination becomes the subject.
You can also put a な-adjective at the end of a sentence. When that happens, the form is like this:
Form
Structure
Meaning
Present Affirmative
Adjective + な + Noun + です
is ~
Present Negative
Adjective + な + Noun + ではありません
is not ~
Past Affirmative
Adjective + な + Noun + でした
was ~
Past Negative
Adjective + な + Noun + ではありませんでした
was not ~
In this case, we’ll be using the example 元気, which means happy or healthy. Briefly, this is how you will transform a な-adjective into different tenses and forms.
Present Tense for Na-adjectives
The most basic form of な-adjectives — meaning, positive value in the present tense — is followed by the auxiliary verb of です (polite) or だ (casual). Keep in mind that, similar to い-adjectives, the present and future tense use the same form. To describe a noun, you need to put the particle な in the middle of the adjective and the noun (hence, it’s called na-adjective). Take a look at the example below.
Form
Kanji
Hiragana
Meaning
Positive (Present)
元気だ
げんきだ
Healthy; lively
Negative (Present)
元気じゃない
げんきじゃない
Not healthy; lively
Positive (Past)
元気だった
げんきだった
Was healthy; lively
Negative (Present)
元気じゃなかった
げんきじゃなかった
Was not healthy; lively
好きな人は田中さんだ。 Suki na hito wa Tanaka-san da. The person I like is Tanaka-san.
As we mentioned before, the conjugation rules for な-adjectives are the same as nouns, so even when the adjective is put at the end of the sentence, you will still use だ.
田中さんが好きだ。 Tanaka-san ga suki da. I like Tanaka-san.
Negative (Present) Tense for Na-adjectives
Similarly, to conjugate the auxiliary verb to get to the negative form for な-adjective, add 〜じゃありません. You can also use 〜ではありません, which has the same meaning (negative value), but sounds more polite and is usually used in written Japanese.
To make it casual, you can shorten it into 〜じゃない or 〜ではない.
あのウェイターはお客さんに親切ではない。 Ano weitaa wa okyakusama ni shinsetsu dehanai. That waiter is not kind to guests.
あまり歌っていなくて、カラオケが上手じゃない。 Amari utte inakute, karaoke ga jouzu janai. Because I don’t sing so much, I’m not good at karaoke.
You can also put a negative な-adjective before a noun.
Past Tense for Na-adjectives
To indicate that something was true before (and is not now), you will need to add だった (casual) or でした (polite) at the end of the sentence or phrase with a な-adjective.
子供の頃、お風呂が嫌いだった。 Kodomo no koro, ofuro ga kirai datta. When I was a kid, I hated taking a bath.
Negative (Past) Tense for Na-adjectives
As with previous Japanese adjective modification, to make a na-adjective negative and in the past tense, simple add じゃありませんでした or ではありませんでした。
You can make it more casual by just transforming the auxiliary verb.
Style
Form
Structure
Example (きれい)
Polite
Standard
Adjective + ではありませんでした
きれいではありませんでした
Polite
Casual alt.
Adjective + じゃありませんでした
きれいじゃありませんでした
Casual
Plain
Adjective + ではなかった
きれいではなかった
Casual
Common
Adjective + じゃなかった
きれいじゃなかった
この街は静かじゃなかった。 Kono machi wa shizuka janakatta. This town wasn’t peaceful (before).
リノベーションの前に、ホテルはきれいではありませんでした。 Rinobeeshon no mae ni, hoteru wa kirei dewa arimasen deshita. Before the renovation, the hotel wasn’t pretty.
Casual Form for Na-adjectives
We’ve touched up how to change polite forms to casual forms for な-adjective, but we’ve made a table to sum it all up.
Form
Casual Form
Polite Form
Positive (Present)
元気だ
元気です
Negative (Present)
元気じゃない
元気じゃありません
Positive (Past)
元気だった
元気でした
Negative (Present)
元気じゃなかった
元気じゃありませんでした
Exceptions and What You Need to Know for Na-adjectives
You can immediately modify な-adjectives into a negative value, past tense, or both, and join it with a noun. However, keep in mind that this is only applicable if you use casual auxiliary verbs.
Here are a few examples:
元気じゃない人 Genki ja nai hito. (Correct)
元気じゃありません人 Genki ja arimasen hito. (Wrong)
元気だった人 Genki datta hito. (Correct)
元気でした人 Genki deshita hito. (Wrong)
Another thing to keep in mind is an exception: the Japanese adjective 同じ (onaji), which means “the same”. Even though it is technically a な-adjective, you will have to remove the な when you combine it with a noun.
君は僕と同じな背の高さです。(Wrong) Kimi wa boku to onaji na se no takasa desu. You are as tall as I am.
君は僕と同じ背の高さです。(Correct) Kimi wa boku to onaji na se no takasa desu.
Learning to use and modify Japanese adjectives can be tricky, especially with the exceptions and grammar rules to remember. However, mastering the distinction between い-adjectives and な-adjectives will help you add more color and detail to your sentences.
Once you’ve learned some Japanese adjectives, we recommend practicing them with immersive Japanese listening conversations. Our Japanese podcasts are a great way to do this. Additionally, the NHK World Japan Audio Shows offer excellent listening practice for learners at any level.
Turning Adjectives into Adverbs in Japanese
In Japanese, adjectives can turn into adverbs and are actually commonly used as adjectives. Conjugating adjectives into adverbs differs depending on whether it is an い-adjective or な-adjective. Let’s take a look at some examples to dive into how it works.
1. Using い-adjectives as Adverbs
To use い-adjectives as adverbs, you must conjugate い into く. For example, to use the adjective 早い (hayai), or quick, as an adverb, you conjugate it into 早く (hayaku) and place it before a verb. Here’s how it works:
早い (hayai) → 早く(hayaku)
Example:
もうすぐ会議があるので、早く食べないといけないです。
Sugu kaigi ga arunode, haraku tabenai to ikenai desu.
Because I have a meeting soon, I have to eat quickly.
2. Using な-adjectives as Adverbs
To use な-adjectives as adverbs, you don’t have to conjugate the word at all, and in many cases, you can just add the word right before the verb. For example, you can say たくさんを食べた (takusan tabeta) to say “I ate a lot.”
But in many other cases, you would need to attach the particle に to the adjective. For example, if you want to say “please go home safely,” you would say 安全にかえってください (anzen ni kaete kudasai), meaning please go home safely.
Using Adjectives as Nouns in Japanese
You can also use adjectives as nouns in Japanese, and it’s quite common; we do it quite often in English, like when we say “many will be there” or “few have visited.” In Japanese, using adjectives in this way might be even more flexible. So, let’s see how it works between い and な adjectives.
1. Using い-adjectives as a Noun
To use an い-adjective as a noun, you just need to conjugate the い into く, just like you would for adverbs. Then, the word can operate just like a noun and can be used as the subject or object of the sentence.
Example 1:
近い (chikai) → 近く(chikaku)
近くが見える
Chikaku ga mieru
I can see the close one.
Example 2
遅い (osoi) → 遅く(osoku)
いつも遅くのはジョンです。
Itsumo osokuno wa jon desu.
The one who is always late is John.
2. Using な-adjectives as a Noun
Using a な-adjective as a noun is quite simple and doesn’t need any conjugation. You would just simply need to attach the correct particle to have the adjective operate like a noun.
Example:
たくさんがパーティーに来ました。
Takusan ga paatii ni kimashita.
Many came to the party.
Conclusion: Adjectives are the Building Blocks of Japanese
Adjectives are what allow us to describe different things when we make sentences in Japanese. Whether you need to specify that something is blue, green, quiet, or loud, or if a person is sweet, strict, nice, or friendly, you need to use adjectives. In Japanese, they can be used very flexibly, even as adverbs or adjectives.
So, try to remember as many adjectives as you can to add to your Japanese arsenal to describe the world around you or give details when explaining an experience!
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FAQ
What’s the difference between い-adjectives and な-adjectives?
い-adjectives directly modify nouns and change form based on tense, while な-adjectives require the particle な before a noun and use auxiliary verbs to change tense.
Can I use い-adjectives and な-adjectives interchangeably?
No, they follow different grammatical rules. Make sure to use them appropriately based on the sentence structure.
What are the exceptions to na-adjectives?
While most な-adjectives follow a consistent rule, there are a few notable exceptions to keep in mind:
きれい (kirei) – Meaning “pretty” or “clean,” this adjective ends with い but is still considered a な-adjective. It requires the particle な when used before a noun (e.g., きれいな花 – a pretty flower.
きらい(kirai) – Meaning “hate” or “dislike,” this adjective also ends in い but functions as a な-adjective. It uses the な particle when modifying a noun (e.g., きらいな食べ物 – a disliked foods.
おなじ (onaji) – Meaning “same,” this adjective is usually a な-adjective, but when modifying a noun, the な particle is often omitted (e.g., 君は僕とおなじ背の高さです – You are the same height as me.
だめ (dame) – Meaning “no good” or “unacceptable,” this adjective doesn’t require な when used before a noun in many cases (e.g., だめなこと – “a bad thing”).
