Unit 6 - Section 2: na-adjectives

Practice Quiz

i-adjectives (い-adjectives)

i-adjectives end in い and conjugate according to specific patterns. They are very common in Japanese and essential for describing things.

Basic Characteristics

Pattern: All i-adjectives end in い
  • 大きい (ookii) - big
  • 小さい (chiisai) - small
  • 新しい (atarashii) - new
  • 古い (furui) - old
  • 高い (takai) - tall/expensive
  • 安い (yasui) - cheap

i-adjective Conjugation

Form Pattern Example (新しい) Translation
Present (+) い (as is) 新しいです is new
Present (-) い → くない 新しくないです is not new
Past (+) い → かった 新しかったです was new
Past (-) い → くなかった 新しくなかったです was not new

i-adjectives Modifying Nouns

Pattern: [i-adjective] + [Noun]

i-adjectives can directly modify nouns without any grammatical changes

大おおきい犬いぬ
[Ookii inu]
Translation: big dog
新あたらしい家いえ
[Atarashii ie]
Translation: new house

Common i-adjectives

Size & Appearance:
大きい
big (ookii)
小さい
small (chiisai)
長い
long (nagai)
Quality:
美しい
beautiful (utsukushii)
きれい
clean/beautiful (kirei) - na-adjective!
Value:
高い
high/expensive (takai)
安い
cheap/safe (yasui)
Time:
新しい
new (atarashii)
古い
old (furui)
Emotion:
楽しい
fun/enjoyable (tanoshii)
悲しい
sad (kanashii)

Example Sentences

大おおきい犬いぬが好すきです。
[Ookii inu ga sukidesu]
Translation: I like big dogs.
この本ほんは新あたらしくないです。
[Kono hon wa atarashikunai desu]
Translation: This book is not new.
昨日きのうの映画えいがは楽たのしかったです。
[Kinou no eiga wa tanoshikatta desu]
Translation: Yesterday's movie was fun.

Study Tips

Master i-adjectives:
  • All end in い: This is the key characteristic
  • Regular conjugation: い → くない (negative), い → かった (past)
  • Direct modification: No special form needed for noun modification
  • Create lists: Group adjectives by meaning (size, value, time, emotion)
  • Practice: Describe 10 objects using i-adjectives
Course Navigation
Study Tips
  • Read each example carefully
  • Practice pronunciation aloud
  • Create your own sentences to reinforce memory
  • Finish the section quiz