{"id":504,"date":"2025-09-10T08:59:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T23:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jlpt-japanese-study.com\/?p=504"},"modified":"2025-09-10T12:43:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T03:43:24","slug":"adjective-conjugation-for-beginners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jlpt-japanese-study.com\/?p=504","title":{"rendered":"Adjective Conjugation for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tget the app for 60% off through this site<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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In Japanese, there are two types of adjectives: <\/span>“i-adjectives” (\u3044\u5f62\u5bb9\u8a5e)<\/b> and <\/span>“na-adjectives” (\u306a\u5f62\u5bb9\u8a5e)<\/b>. They have different conjugation rules, which are essential for forming negative and past tense sentences.<\/span><\/p>

1. I-adjectives (\u3044\u5f62\u5bb9\u8a5e)<\/b><\/h3>

I-adjectives always end with the syllable <\/span>“\u3044”<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>

Conjugation Rules<\/b><\/h4>

Form<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Rule<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Usage<\/span><\/p><\/td>

Example: \u5bd2\u3044 (samui) – cold<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Present Affirmative<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Use as is<\/span><\/p><\/td>

To describe a present state<\/span><\/p><\/td>

\u4eca\u65e5\u306f<\/span>\u5bd2\u3044<\/b>\u3067\u3059\u3002 (Ky\u014d wa <\/span>samui<\/b> desu.) – It’s cold today.<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Negative<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Change the final “\u3044” to “\u304f\u306a\u3044” (kunai)<\/span><\/p><\/td>

To negate a state<\/span><\/p><\/td>

\u4eca\u65e5\u306f<\/span>\u5bd2\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/b>\u3067\u3059\u3002 (Ky\u014d wa <\/span>samukunai<\/b> desu.) – It’s not cold today.<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Past Affirmative<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Change the final “\u3044” to “\u304b\u3063\u305f” (katta)<\/span><\/p><\/td>

To describe a past state<\/span><\/p><\/td>

\u6628\u65e5\u306f\u3068\u3066\u3082<\/span>\u5bd2\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/b>\u3067\u3059\u3002 (Kin\u014d wa totemo <\/span>samukatta<\/b> desu.) – It was very cold yesterday.<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Past Negative<\/b><\/p><\/td>

Change the final “\u3044” to “\u304f\u306a\u304b\u3063\u305f” (kunakatta)<\/span><\/p><\/td>

To negate a past state<\/span><\/p><\/td>

\u6628\u65e5\u306f\u305d\u3093\u306a\u306b<\/span>\u5bd2\u304f\u306a\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/b>\u3067\u3059\u3002 (Kin\u014d wa sonna ni <\/span>samukunakatta<\/b> desu.) – It wasn’t that cold yesterday.<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Special Case:<\/span><\/p>

The adjective \u3044\u3044 (ii) – good is an exception. Its negative form is \u3088\u304f\u306a\u3044 (yokunai).<\/span><\/p>