Ko-so-a-do words like kono (this) and sono (that) can also be considered attributives, since they are used only as modifiers. Two such adjectives are ookina (big) and chiisana (small), which mean the same thing as the i-adjectives ookii and chiisai. ![]() These adjectives can only be used to modify nouns, never to predicate a sentence. The final group of adjectives are the attributives (rentaishi), which are few in number. ![]() Rather, the term is a convenient way to describe nouns whose meaning is more in line with what we think of as an adjective. HiraganaĮssentially, the only difference between no-adjectives and na-adjectives is the particle used when they appear as modifiers.Īs for the difference between no-adjectives and ordinary nouns, there really is none. These words are true nouns, and take the particle no when used as modifiers and use the copula to predicate a sentence. No-AdjectivesĪnother group is the no-adjectives. The result of this is that basic words like “big” and “good” tend to be i-adjectives, and more complex or abstract words are almost always na-adjectives. And for whatever reason, Japanese allows new na-adjectives to be created, but not new i-adjectives. I-adjectives come directly from Old Japanese, while na-adjectives are derived from Chinese roots (i.e., they’re Kanji compounds). The reason for this division is mainly historical. But why have two classes in the first place? The vast majority of Japanese adjectives are either i-adjectives or na-adjectives. Because of these complications, I will always use the unambiguous terms “i-adjective” and “na-adjective”. Even more confusing, “adjectival verb” is also sometimes used to refer to da/desu itself, although in this case the term actually makes a bit of sense. Note: You may also hear i-adjectives referred to simply as “adjectives” (keiyoushi) and na-adjectives referred to as “adjectival verbs” (keiyou doushi), both terms from traditional Japanese grammar. とくべつなįor this reason na-adjectives are also known as adjectival nouns. The root of a na-adjective also functions as a noun. The result of this is that in formal speech, both i- and na-adjectives will be followed by desu in the predicate position, though the reasons in each case are different. In formal speech, da in the predicate is replaced with desu. The second group, the na-adjectives, are followed by な ‘na’ when used to modify nouns, and by the copula when used to predicate a sentence. In this case, desu is serving its usual function. This is one of the cases where desu is not actually a copula, since the adjective already includes the meaning of “to be”. When using an i-adjective for the predicate function in formal speech, simply add desu afterward to make the sentence polite. In the case of the last example, the past tense of nureru (to get wet) is in fact the only way to say the equivalent of the English adjective “wet”. This makes a lot of sense considering that normal Japanese verbs also become modifiers when placed in front of a noun. When an i-adjective is placed in front of a noun, it modifies the noun directly, and when placed at the end of the sentence, it becomes a predicate. These adjectives are a specialized class of verbs, each with a meaning of “to be “, and for this reason they are also called adjectival verbs. This first group is the i-adjectives, so called because they all end with an い ‘i’. ![]() English adjectives also inflect, but only two a very limited extent: -er (more) and -est (most), and only certain adjectives can use these suffixes anyway. Japanese is interesting in that it has multiple distinct classes with a function similar to English adjectives, and all but one inflect to show characteristics like tense and negation. In either case, the basic purpose of the adjective is to give a property to the noun. As predicates to a sentence (giving a property to the subject) – where the adjective takes the verb position of the sentence, possibly requiring a copula.As noun modifiers – where the adjective is adjacent to the noun.Either way, they serve two main functions: Linguistically, adjectives are not as fundamental as nouns and verbs, and depending on the language, might behave more like one or the other. The Sentence Ending Particles “Ne” and “Yo”Įxcept for “Questions and Negation”, these topics are not strictly necessary in order to understand this lesson, but the following lessons will assume that you are familiar with all of them.This lesson is an introduction to the different classes of Japanese adjectives and how to use them as predicates and modifiers.
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