Adjectives

7.5. Adjectives

7.5.1. Nonpast forms

English adjectives are more similar to nouns than to verbs, and they require the copula be to become predicators. On the other hand, Japanese adjectives are more similar to verbs, and they don't need a copula. They have inflection like verbs.

All Japanese adjectives end with the hiragana

"i" if they are in the nonpast form. An adjective consists of a stem and a suffix as verbs do, and the stem never changes while suffixes can change. The final /i/ in the nonpast form of an adjective is the suffix, and the rest is the stem. Please note that the suffix for the nonpast form of verbs is /u/, and that of adjectives is /i/.

Here are some adjectives:

Adjective

Stem

Suffix

Meaning


yo	i

-i

is good


a	tu	i

atu

is hot


u	re	si	i

uresi

is glad


o	i	si	i

oisi

is tasty

Since adjectives always end with the hiragana

, the stem of an adjective always ends with a vowel. Japanese adjectives are similar to verbs, so you can consider them to be a combination of the copula be and an adjective in English.

These are examples of adjectives:

Kana:
Romanization:	Su	si	wa	o	i	si	i	.
Structure:	noun (sushi)		topic marker	adjective (is tasty)
Meaning:	Sushi is tasty.

Kana:
Romanization:	Ki	mo	no	wa	u	tu	ku	si	i	.
Structure:	noun (kimono)			topic marker	adjective (is beautiful)
Meaning:	Kimonos are beautiful.

7.5.2. Past forms

Add the suffix

"-katta" to the stem of an adjective to create its past form.

Nonpast form

Past form

Adjective

Meaning

Adjective

Meaning


yo	i

is good


yo	ka	t	ta

was good


a	tu	i

is hot


a	tu	ka	t	ta

was hot


u	re	si	i

is glad


u	re	si	ka	t	ta

was glad


o	i	si	i

is tasty


o	i	si	ka	t	ta

was tasty

This is an example of the past form of adjectives:

Kana:
Romanization:	Su	si	wa	o	i	si	ka	t	ta	.
Structure:	noun (sushi)		topic marker	adjective (was tasty)
Meaning:	The sushi was tasty.

7.5.3. Polite forms

Adjectives don't have a politeness suffix like verbs' politeness suffix

"masu", so you have to add the polite copula

"desu" to the end of an adjective in order to make it polite. Make the past form of an adjective first, then add

"desu" to it to make its polite past form.

Examples:

Kana:
Romanization:	Su	si	wa	o	i	si	i	de	su	.
Structure:	noun (sushi)		topic marker	adjective (is tasty)				suffix (polite mode)

Kana:

Romanization:

Structure:

noun
(sushi)

topic
marker

adjective
(was tasty)

suffix
(polite mode)

The polite past-form adjectives don't end with

"ta" because of the politeness suffix. Making the polite form before making the past form is not allowed for adjectives, which would produce

"oisiidesita" in the case of the second example shown above.

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