JLPT N5 Class 9: Adjectives in Japanese

Class 9: Adjectives in Japanese

Goal: Learn how to use adjectives in Japanese to describe objects, people, and situations.

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1. Types of Adjectives in Japanese

There are two main types of adjectives in Japanese:

1. い-adjectives (い形容詞, i-keiyoushi)
2. な-adjectives (な形容詞, na-keiyoushi)

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2. い-Adjectives

These adjectives typically end with い and can be used to describe nouns directly or in sentences.

Examples:

Usage in Sentences:

• おおきいくるまです。 (Ookii kuruma desu.) – It is a big car.
• あたらしいほんをよみます。 (Atarashii hon wo yomimasu.) – I will read a new book.

Changing the Form of い-Adjectives:

1. Negative form: To say something is not a certain way, replace the い with くない.

   • Example: 大きい → 大きくない (ookii → ookikunai) – It is not big.

2. Past form: To say something was a certain way, replace the い with かった.

   • Example: 大きい → 大きかった (ookii → ookikatta) – It was big.

3. Negative Past form: Replace い with くなかった to say something was not a certain way.

   • Example: 大きい → 大きくなかった (ookii → ookikunakatta) – It was not big.

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3. な-Adjectives

These adjectives are followed by な when directly describing a noun, but they don’t change much otherwise.

Examples:

Usage in Sentences:

• しずかなまちです。 (Shizuka na machi desu.) – It is a quiet town.
• ゆうめいなひとです。 (Yuumei na hito desu.) – They are a famous person.

Changing the Form of な-Adjectives:

1. Negative form: To say something is not a certain way, add じゃない.

   • Example: 静か → 静かじゃない (shizuka → shizuka janai) – It is not quiet.

2. Past form: To say something was a certain way, add でした.

   • Example: 静か → 静かでした (shizuka → shizuka deshita) – It was quiet.

3. Negative Past form: To say something was not a certain way, add じゃなかった.

   • Example: 静か → 静かじゃなかった (shizuka → shizuka janakatta) – It was not quiet.

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4. Examples of Sentences with Adjectives

• このりんごはおいしいです。 (Kono ringo wa oishii desu.) – This apple is delicious.
• あついひです。 (Atsui hi desu.) – It’s a hot day.
• あのレストランはしずかです。 (Ano resutoran wa shizuka desu.) – That restaurant is quiet.
• かれはゆうめいじゃないです。 (Kare wa yuumei janai desu.) – He is not famous.

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5. Adjective Placement

1. Before the noun:

   • Example: おおきいいぬ (ookii inu) – A big dog
   • Example: しずかなへや (shizuka na heya) – A quiet room

2. At the end of the sentence:

   • Example: いぬはおおきいです。 (Inu wa ookii desu.) – The dog is big.
   • Example: へやはしずかです。 (Heya wa shizuka desu.) – The room is quiet.

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6. Kanji (5 More Kanji)

Here are 5 kanji related to adjectives and descriptions:

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7. Practice Questions

Translate the following sentences into Japanese using adjectives:

1. The car is big.
2. This book is interesting.
3. That person is famous.
4. The room is not quiet.
5. Yesterday was cold.

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8. Listening Practice

Find audio resources or practice with recordings that involve conversations using adjectives. Try to identify the adjectives used and how they change in different contexts.

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9. Homework

1. Write 5 sentences using both い-adjectives and な-adjectives.
2. Memorize the 5 new kanji (大, 小, 暑, 新, 静).
3. Practice changing the forms of adjectives (negative, past, negative past).

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In the next class, we will focus on verbs in Japanese and their conjugations. Let me know if you have any questions about adjectives!