🏝️ Trip to Okinawa — Adjectives
In this chapter, we focus on adjectives to describe our experiences, like a trip to Okinawa. We’ll also learn how to express preferences and suggest actions to others.
Adjectives: The Two Types
Japanese has two distinct types of adjectives. Knowing the difference is critical because they conjugate differently.
い-Adjectives (i-adjectives)
Always end in the hiragana い (i).
- さむい (samui) - Cold usually for weather
- あつい (atsui) - Hot
- たのしい (tanoshii) - Fun
- おいしい (oishii) - Delicious
な-Adjectives (na-adjectives)
Behave like nouns. The “na” appears when modifying a noun.
- しずか (shizuka) - Quiet
- げんき (genki) - Healthy/Energetic
- きれい (kirei) - Beautiful/Clean
- ひま (hima) - Free time/Not busy
Caution: “Kirei” ends in “i” but is a na-adjective!
Conjugation Rules
1. い-Adjectives
To conjugate, you usually drop the final い and add a suffix.
| Tense | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Present | さむい です | さむくない です |
| Past | さむかった です | さむくなかった です |
Exception (Irregular): いい (Good) conugates from its older form yoi.
- Present Neg: よくない です
- Past Aff: よかった です
- Past Neg: よくなかった です
2. な-Adjectives (Same as Nouns)
| Tense | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Present | しずか です | しずか じゃない です |
| Past | しずか でした | しずか じゃなかった です |
Noun Modification
When you place an adjective before a noun to describe it:
- i-adjective: Just place it in front.
- おもしろい えいが (Interesting movie)
- na-adjective: Add な (na) between them.
- きれいな うみ (Beautiful sea)
- げんきな せんせい (Energetic teacher)
Expressing Preferences: 好き and きらい
In English, “like” is a verb. In Japanese, it’s an adjective meaning “likable” or “desirable”. This means we use the particle が (ga) instead of o.
[Topic] wa [Thing] ga Suki/Kirai desu.
- わたしは おきなわが すきです。
- Watashi wa Okinawa ga suki desu.
- (I like Okinawa.)
- たけしさんは トマトが きらいです。
- Takeshi-san wa tomato ga kirai desu.
- (Takeshi dislikes tomatoes.)
Degrees of Preference:
- だいすき (Daisuki) = Love / Like a lot
- だいきらい (Daikirai) = Hate / Dislike a lot
Suggestions: ~Mashou
To suggest doing something with someone else:
-
~ましょう (Mashou) — “Let’s…”
- Use when you are sure the other person will agree, or simply urging action.
- いきましょう！ (Let’s go!)
- たべましょう。 (Let’s eat.)
-
~ましょうか (Mashou ka) — “Shall we…?”
- Use when proposing an idea, or asking for agreement.
- テニスを しましょうか。 (Shall we play tennis?)
Counting Guide
Japanese uses “counters” based on shape.
The General Counter (Native Japanese)
Use this for small objects or things with no specific counter.
| Number | Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ひとつ | Hitotsu |
| 2 | ふたつ | Futatsu |
| 3 | みっつ | Mittsu |
| 4 | よっつ | Yottsu |
| 5 | いつつ | Itsutsu |
| 6 | むっつ | Muttsu |
| 7 | ななつ | Nanatsu |
| 8 | やっつ | Yattsu |
| 9 | ここのつ | Kokonotsu |
| 10 | とお | Too |
People Counter
| Number | Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | ひとり | Hitori |
| 2 people | ふたり | Futari |
| 3 people | さんにん | San-nin |
| 4 people | よにん | Yo-nin |
Cultural Note: 沖縄 (Okinawa)
Okinawa is Japan’s tropical prefecture, distinct from the mainland (Honshu).
- Climate: Subtropical, warm year-round.
- Dialect: Okinawan (Uchinaaguchi) is traditional, though standard Japanese is spoken.
- Food: Famous for Goya Chanpuru (bitter melon stir fry) and Soki Soba (pork rib noodles).
- History: Formerly the Ryukyu Kingdom, it has unique architecture and music (sanshin).
Test Your Knowledge
Chapter Quiz
Which particle is used with 'Suki' (to like)?