Descriptive Words In Japanese (Adjectives And Adverbs)

Japanese adjectives and adverbs

There are two different types of Japanese words that can be used to modify nouns (adjectives) and verbs (adverbs).

One group is much like what we would call an adjective but they can also be conjugated to modify verbs as well. We will refer to these as “dv” (for “descriptive verb”). These are often referred to as true adjectives or i-adjectives.

The other group can, in most cases, stand alone like a noun but can also be used to modify nouns and verbs. We will refer to these as “dn” (for “descriptive noun”). These are often referred to as quasi adjectives or na-adjectives.

All adjectives in the “dv” group always end with い (i). No exceptions.

These are placed in front of a noun in order to modify it. For example:

These adjectives can be conjugated to form different tenses, turned into adverbs (modify verbs), etc. The conjugation rules for “true” Japanese adjectives are as follows:

It’s not as easy to recognize “dn” adjectives but I will point them out in the vocabulary lists. Sometimes you’ll even find a “dn” that ends in い (i) (ex. kirei - pretty).

As mentioned before, these words can, in most cases, be used by themselves like a noun (ex. shizen - nature). By adding a な (na) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a noun (ex. shizen na kankyou -> a natural environment). And by adding a に (ni) to the end of these words they can be used to modify a verb as an adverb (ex. shizen ni aruku -> to walk naturally).

Japanese adjective list

Here’s a list of some commonly used “dv” and “dn” adjectives: