イ形容詞とナ形容詞
Grammar meaning
Hi everyone!
Today, let’s learn about i-adjectives and na-adjectives in Japanese.
If you’ve only studied nouns and verbs so far, this might feel a little tricky at first.
But don’t worry — learning adjectives will help you say a lot more in conversations.
Let’s do our best together!
Both i-adjectives and na-adjectives are useful words for describing details like conditions or qualities.
They can also be used to modify other words.
We’ll learn more about how to use them for that another time,
so for now, let’s focus on how to tell them apart and how to change their tense.
I-adjectives always end with the sound “い” at the end of the word.
For example, the words below are i-adjectives.
・おおきい （big）
・あたらしい （new）
The conjugation for different tenses looks like the chart below.
If you’re not sure about verb tenses, you might want to check out our explanation here.
It could help you understand this part better.
Next, let’s talk about how to recognize na-adjectives.
However, na-adjectives look almost the same as regular nouns, so you can’t tell just by looking at the word alone.
When you learn how they modify other words, it becomes clearer:
na-adjectives connect to nouns using “な”, while regular nouns use “の”.
Let’s look at some examples of na-adjectives.
・きれいなけしき（a beautiful view）
・にぎやかなレストラン（a lively restaurant）
We explain how to connect nouns here, so feel free to check it out if you’re interested.
One tricky thing about na-adjectives is that some of them end with the hiragana “い”.
For example, the word “きれい” we mentioned earlier is one of them.
These kinds of na-adjectives can be easily confused with i-adjectives.
So when you learn new words, make sure to clearly remember which type they are.
The conjugation for different tenses looks like the chart below.
Example sentence
I-adjectives
・今日はあついですね。
It’s hot today.
・あのレストランはおいしくありません。
That restaurant is not delicious.
・きのうのえいがはおもしろかったです。
The movie yesterday was interesting.
・せんしゅうのテストはむずかしくありませんでした。
Last week’s test was not difficult.
Na-adjectives
・わたしは日本がすきです。
I like Japan.
・今、その話はたいせつじゃありません。
That topic isn’t important right now.
・田中さんはきのう元気でした。
Tanaka-san was well yesterday.
・きょねんまでこのかしゅはゆうめいじゃありませんでした。
This singer wasn’t famous until last year.
Additional notes
When using i-adjectives and na-adjectives in daily conversation, you’ll often come across the question words “どう” and “どんな”.
When someone asks “どう”, they’re usually asking about a situation or a condition.
In your answer, i-adjectives and na-adjectives are often used to describe it.
“どんな” also asks about situations or qualities, but your answer must include a noun after it.
We’ll learn more about how to connect adjectives to nouns another time.
For now, let’s look at some example conversations using “どう”.
Conversation example
友だち：日本はどうでしたか。
あなた：日本はとてもたのしかったですよ。
友だち：日本で何をしましたか。
あなた：日本でおてらへ行きました。
友だち：そのおてらはゆうめいですか。
あなた：いいえ、あんまりゆうめいじゃありません。
Friend: How was Japan?
You: Japan was a lot of fun.
Friend: What did you do in Japan?
You: I went to a temple in Japan.
Friend: Is that temple famous?
You: No, it’s not very famous.
For Japanese Teachers
In this lesson, we introduced i-adjectives and na-adjectives.
While the concept of adjectives exists in many languages, it seems that very few define them in the same systematic way as Japanese does.
In particular, the idea of na-adjectives is quite unique.
I-adjectives also have their own distinct conjugation patterns, which can sometimes cause learners to struggle in ways teachers might not expect.
Adjectives are very useful for expanding the range of expression in conversation,
so I personally believe it’s best to introduce them once students are already able to carry out basic conversations using nouns and verbs, and are ready to appreciate the practical value of adjectives.
