Questions tagged [adjectives]

形容詞・形容動詞. Japanese doesn't technically have adjectives, but special types of nouns and verbs called na-adjectives and i-adjectives respectively have the same function.

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When do you add の after a country name? [duplicate]

For example, why is it アメリカの映画 for American movie and フランス料理 for French food?
language01's user avatar
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Can adjectives follow the に particle?

https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/verbparticles lead me to believe that the に particle should be used with a verb. However I have been reading some sentences that have noun + に + adjective. ...
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How is the adverb さっそく acting in this sentence?

別に今日だって約束してたわけじゃないし さっそく感が恥ずかしすぎる In the second part, it seems like she's saying it like.. "the feeling of impatience is too embarrassing?" I'm too embarrassed of my impatience?" Edit: ...
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Adding an adjective before a verb?

In this lyric "隣で歌う声怖がりな背中を押して" I'm confused how the がりな背中を押して works. I know how 背中を押して is used thanks to this post. But what does 怖がりな note. Is the person or the action 怖がりな?
Marie OP's user avatar
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い-adjectives derived from verbs

Some い-adjectives are derived somehow from verbs. For instance, 忙しい is related to 急ぐ according to Wiktionary. Are there many い-adjectives derived from verbs? If a given verb has an adjectival form, ...
Stumpy Joe Pete's user avatar
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Why is 'ordinary book' translated as 普通の本 and not 普通な本

I have trouble understanding why "no" is used here instead of "na". For example, on Tofugu they translate きれいな人 as "beautiful person" and きれいのヒント as "beauty hints&...
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Can aru be used as an adjective?

So I have this sentence すべての会社は、才能ある人材を育成すべきだ. I'm focusing on 才能ある人材. I'm guessing that 才能ある is short for 才能がある. But then aru is followed by 人材 which is another noun. The translation is "people ...
Rommel Bagasina's user avatar
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What is the exact function of たる?

恐怖が屈辱たる世界で あの家系に恐怖する人のなんと多いことか My understand of the sentence is this in word fear is a disgrace and then he points out many people fear that household Hover I don't understand how たる is being used ...
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Usage of っぺら and っぺらい

Are both っぺら and っぺらい used in the same way to emphazise an adjective? Is there any difference between them? For example: 薄っぺら/薄っぺらい Can you use っぺら and っぺらい to every adjective?
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What does おとなしく見える mean in this sentence?

借りてきた猫のようにおとなしく見えても、実は猫をかぶっているだけかも。 Without the おとなしく I understand the first half of sentence as meaning, "Looks like a cat that was borrowed". But I'm not sure what additional information ...
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Meaning of 途方もなくみすばらしい小屋 [closed]

その岩のてっぺんに、途方もなくみすばらしい小屋がちょこんと乗っている A preposterous, splendid shed is perched on top of that rock. (my literal TL) Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. (...
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How to say “I played well”?

How would you say “I played well”? I wrote よく 遊びました , which is よい (good) in the adverb form and then 遊ぶ (to play) in polite past but the translation comes out as “I played a lot”. What am i doing ...
deny's user avatar
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Can a city or a place be described as 便利?

I know 便利 means something convenient or handy but can it also be used to describe a place? Ex. 1 If City A is close to city B, can I say that city A is 便利 (because it is easy and fast to travel to ...
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Role of の and meaning in the sentence "その瞬間の自分の手に〇〇がにぎられている"

The complete sentence, although I don't think it is necessary, is the following: その瞬間の自分の手に、人類すべての運命を決定付けるような、重大なターニングポイントがにぎられているなんていうことは、分かるはずがないんた So, if the intended role of その瞬間 was to be "...
Gianni Trattore's user avatar
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When to use adjective+の over adjective+こと/もの?

In this anwser https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/39042/55243 it says that の after adjectives is interchangable with こと/もの. It gives an example: の after an adjective is mainly もの, but it can be こと ...
hyorogan's user avatar
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Onomatopoeia + と + した = Adjective?

むっちりとした太股 was translated as “plump thighs”. Can I make an onomatopoeia into an adjective by adding とした?
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Verb normalization of こだわらなさ [duplicate]

I'm confused about how I should parse こだわらなさすぎだ in this sentence. お前は 1つの問題に こだわらなさすぎだ 最後まで諦めんなよ From the context of the show I was watching, I'm pretty sure that this means "You focus too much ...
SIREN's user avatar
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は or が to describe something with an adjective

I know that は is used for general purposes when describing something with an adjective, and が is more suited for specific things, but in the examples below which sentence is correct? ...
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"うとましく思う" meaning?

Google gave me "disagreeable" for just "うとましく" and "to be shy" for "うとましく思う" These obviously don't have the same meaning. What's more, when I put the full ...
Marie OP's user avatar
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How to use two adjectives on a single noun?

e.g: 聞【き】いたところ、日本【にほん】は綺麗【きれい】な静【しず】かな国【くに】です。 Is the above correct, since 綺麗【きれい】な and 静【しず】かな are used together?
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Understanding 「35歳の男兎富士直樹容疑者が」

From the first episode of Death Note: 35歳の男兎富士(とふじ)直樹(なおき)容疑者が殺人の疑いで逮捕されました In the show, this sentence is spoken by a male news reporter, so I assume he would be extra careful to speak formally and ...
George's user avatar
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Understanding 書く人物

The sentence (from the first episode of Death Note) 書く人物の顔が 頭に入っていないと効果はない means something like If the written person’s face is not in your head, there will be no effect. For this post I'm ...
George's user avatar
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Difference between 同じ and 同じく(い)

For example: あっ!お金欲しいな! A: 同じです (I said) B: 同じくです (A native Japanese speaker said) The 終止形 of 同じく is 同じい, but it seems they have the same meaning Is there any difference between them, anything makes A ...
Iori's user avatar
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Color compound words

Is there a logic behind using color noun + noun rather than using color i-adjective + noun? For example, 黒ドレス and 黒タイツ seem to be more used than 黒いドレス and 黒いタイツ. Regardless, the i-adjective way seems ...
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Different ways to express the idea of something being "concrete" (see provided English example) in adjective form using Japanese?

In English, the noun "concrete" can be used as an adjective to describe other nouns. This usage implies something like "physical", "tangible", "legitimate", or ...
87sadao's user avatar
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What does 悲しいほど青い空 mean?

I'm kind of beginner so maybe I'm wrong, but I understand it as "The LATAM sky sadly blue" but I don't really get the meaning behind the words. Since Japanese language is a lot about context,...
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When does は imply contrast when describing something

I’ve learnt that は can have contrastive meaning and can offend people when used wrongly. E.g. Aさん: Bさんは目はきれいです This would imply Bさん’s eyes are pretty but the rest of his features are not or something ...
Parker's user avatar
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Does 悍ましい derive from a verb?

So I'm confused about おぞましい, because in 悍ましい, there's おくりがな. Atleast I'm sure of it, and as far as I know, おくりがな is added to a verb. So, I'd think that the ま in 悍ましい、is from the irrealis form of a ...
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Which noun is described by 大きな and 滑か in 「真珠貝は大きな滑かな縁の鋭い貝であった」

Is it 縁 or 貝? I have consulted two translations, and they both make different choices. The shell was big and smooth and sharp-edged. (Breaking into Japanese Literature; trans. Giles Murray) The ...
polygokko's user avatar
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そう、こう、ああ、どう confusion

So, I am confused with the こそあど adverbs. I saw そういう in a song used like this. 博愛とか慈愛とかそういうの大切に扱ってよ。I am confused about the sentence 博愛とか慈愛とかそういうの. Does it literally mean "the thing that is felt (...
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What's the origin of "さ", the nonsubjective (dunno how to call it nominalizer)

So, I know that the subjective nominalizer み comes from the imperfective/irrealis form of む, apparently the subjective particle that makes things into subjective verbs?? I just heard this on a website....
Star Peep's user avatar
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Can you link adjectives in past tense?

I know you can link adjectives in Japanese this way: using -KUTE for -I adjectives, and DE for -Na adjectives. For example: Kirei(na) + Wakai + Yasashii + Onna --> "Kireide, wakakute, yasashii ...
Daniel Sánchez's user avatar
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1 answer
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What are the proper usages and the meaning of くはある / くはない?

I recently learnt the contrastive usages of the は particle and I read the Tofogu article which has an interesting section which says I can use は contrast marker with the adjectives/nouns positive and ...
ZeroProcess's user avatar
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What's the difference between 正しく, 正に, 正確に, 丁度, きちんと and ぴたり?

Which ones are interchangeable? Also, what's the difference between their adjective version: 正しい, 正確な, きちんとする, ぴたりする? I don't know if the last two are correct. Please, add similar adverbs and ...
Haragurodanshi's user avatar
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What is the difference between 相応, 相当, 適当 and 適切

What is the difference between 相応, 相当, 適当 and 適切? All of them have the meaning suitable/appropriate but what is the difference and when do I use each of them?
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Why is it おいしかったです and not おいしかったでした? [duplicate]

There are a few other questions related to this, but they do not explain the why of the matter. As I understand it です is present tense while でした is past tense. As such, I would (wrongly) intuit to say ...
Mitchell van Zuylen's user avatar
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1 answer
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What is the meaning と in this sentence containing a たる adjective?

Just wondering what function と is performing in this sentence ごく淡々と、ダンボール箱に彼の私物をしまっていく I understand that 淡々 is a たる adjective but my understanding was that と could only be used with a verb after a ...
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Why is the い in 多い left out in 「本が多すぎる」?

The translation I was going for was "(there's) too many books." I wrote 「本が多いすぎる」but autocorrect changed it to 「本が多すぎる」. I then tried to use a na-adjective instead of an i-adjective, writing ...
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Rashii, Rashiku, and Rashisa

I know Rashii(らしい) is an i-adjective. What are the forms Rashiku(らしく) and Rashisa(らしさ) that I see often used?
Catdog's user avatar
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Can いそがしい mean busy as in 'crowded'

I know 'いそがしい' means busy as in 'having important things to do', but can it also mean busy as in crowded like 'busy street'
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わからないし vs わからねいし

I was watching some anime and realised that some character says わからねいし instead of わからないし. Is this just a slur kind situation where they change it so it's easier to pronounce, like how native speakers ...
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「仕方なくです」 形容詞の連用形 く+ copula です?

I am stumped by 「仕方なくです」 which I have heard/seen occasionally. 用があり仕方なく広島へ。。。仕方なくですね (source) 一年ぶりに来ました。友人に行きたいと言われて仕方なくですが、、、鶏皮は一人5本に減ってました。(source) 仕方なくです!(笑) (source) I know 形容詞の連用形 く, apart ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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How to tell when a na adjective is being used as a noun (as opposed to an adjective)

It is common knowledge that na-adjectives are in truth nouns that can be used as adjectives (edit: I now see this was a false generalization I was led into believing by some grammar sources); and the ...
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な with a な-adjective before another adjective

赤ちゃんも安全な温かい場所で大きく強くなる。 This sentence is from a book for young children. Why aren't the two adjectives connected with で (安全で温かい場所)? I'm not sure if it's important, but in the book the sentence is ...
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Subject of adjectives describing feelings

I think I have observed certain patterns regarding adjectives describing feelings. Are the following observations correct? Take うれしい as an example. The Wisdom English-Japanese Dictionary defines うれしい ...
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What does this paragraph mean in Wasabi's "Japanese Adjectives with Particle が" article?

I'm trying to understand this post on using Japanese adjectives and am stumped by this paragraph under the I-adjectives section When you use i-adjectives as a subject complement, you MUST NOT do the ...
holly's user avatar
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Tokyo Dialect, 東京弁 : 形容詞 vs 形容動詞

In Tokyo Dialect, they transform some i-adjectives so that they become sugoi - suggee/sugee yabai - yabee itai - ittee / is there any in na-adjectives? Like shizukana shizukka genkina - genkki
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What's the Grammar Form at Work Here and How to Use it? 「あまり難しく考えるなよ」

Looking at the Japanese lines of a game, and I came across this line...: あまり難しく考えるなよ。 ...which I believe translates to "Don't think about it too much" or the like. However, I don't ...
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Adjective rules

First and foremost, I am a beginner, and I have just started studying Japanese. At my university we use Shokyu Nihongo 1 as the main student, so let's get to the point. In chapter 2 there are rules ...
Adam's user avatar
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2 answers
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Using i-adjectives at the end of (Or really anywhere in...) a sentence?

For instance, if I wanted to ask if a food was tasty, I want to know all linguistic options that I have and, preferably, the nuances between them. These are all the short, potentially appropriate ...
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