This chapter shows you how to describe people and things using adjectives in a variety of contexts. You’ll learn how to describe buildings and rooms, a person’s character and appearance, places and seasons, meals and flavors, and clothing. You’ll also learn about adverbs derived from adjectives and comparisons.
Every Japanese adjective ends in 
i or 
na when placed before a noun. The adjectives that end in 
i are called i adjectives and those that end in 
na are called na adjectives. For example, 
takai hon and 
k
ka na hon both mean an expensive book, but 
is an i adjective and 
is a na adjective. The part of the adjective without the ending 
i or 
na (e.g., 
taka and 
kka) is called the stem. 
kii and 
ch
sai are slightly exceptional. They are i adjectives, but when used before a noun, they have additional forms: 
ki na and 
chsa na.
Adjectives can also be used to end a sentence. For i adjectives, keep the 
i and add 
desu. For na adjectives, add 
desu right after the stem, without 
na before 
desu.
In each of the following sentences, drop the noun and make the appropriate changes to the adjective, as shown in the examples.
1. 
Atarashii kuruma desu. (It’s a new car.)
2. 
Kirei na hito desu. (She is a pretty person.)
3. 
Nigiyaka na tokoro desu. (It’s a crowded and lively place.)
4. 
Muzukashii kanji desu. (It’s a difficult kanji character.)
5. 
Oishii k
ki desu. (It’s a delicious cake.)
Here you will learn how to use adjectives to describe buildings and rooms, and you’ll learn what to say when you enter someone’s house or apartment.
See how adjectives pattern in a non-past neutral-polite context in the following table:
The negative form of 
ii desu (is good) is 
yoku arimasen or 
yoku nai desu (isn’t good).
______________
* 
ja in negative forms can be 
de wa.
The following adjectives are useful for describing the appearance of buildings:
Remember that 
furui (old) is used only for things and not for people or animals to mean their age.
The following adjectives are useful for describing a room:
dōzo
dzo is an adverb used to encourage a person to do an action. It means Please or Please go ahead and do (it). For example:
D
Please come in.
D
Please sit down.
D
Please take ( literally receive) it.
Often when you’re encouraging someone to do something, you use gestures or hold out something to the person, so there’s no need to complete the sentence: You can simply say 
dzo.
ojamashimasuWhen you enter someone’s house or apartment room, say 
ojamashimasu as you walk in or right before you step in the room. Its literal meaning is I will disturb you, but it is understood as I’m coming in! rather than something negative.
Write the phrase that means the opposite of each of the following, as shown in the example.
1. 
atarashii desu (is new) ________________________
2. 
kirei desu (is pretty) ________________________
3. 
hikui desu (is low) ___________________________
4. 
kurai desu (is dark) __________________________
5. 
chsai desu (is small) _________________________
Answer the following questions negatively, as shown in the example.
1. 
Tanaka-san no ap
to wa atarashii desu ka.
Is Mr. Tanaka’s apartment new?
2. 
Ano resutoran wa shizuka desu ka.
Is that restaurant quiet?
3. 
Ry no heya wa hiroi desu ka.
Is the dormitory room big?
Emiko is entering Alison’s apartment for the first time. Complete their dialog with the appropriate words.
This section introduces many useful adjectives for describing a person’s character and personality. You will also learn degree adverbs that can be used along with them as well as question words that can ask about such properties.
The following adjectives are useful for describing a person’s character and personality:
donna and 
dōTo ask the state of someone or something, use 
donna (what kind of) or 
d (how). Before a noun, use donna; otherwise, use d. For example:
Atarashii r
mumto wa d desu ka.
How is the new roommate?
Atarashii rmumto wa donna hito desu ka.
What kind of person is the new roommate?
Commonly used degree adverbs are listed here:
amari and 
zenzen must be used with a negative form of an adjective, regardless of the meaning of the adjective. By contrast, 
chotto and 
mm must be used with an affirmative form of an adjective, but chotto must be used with an adjective that has an unpleasant or unfavorable meaning, and mm must be used with an adjective that has a pleasant or favorable meaning.
For each of the following, choose the correct answer from the options in parentheses.
1. 
Tanaka-san no kanojo wa (donna, d) hito desu ka.
What kind of person is Mr. Tanaka’s girlfriend?
2. 
Atarashii manj wa (donna, d) desu ka.
How is the new manager?
(
manj means manager)
3. (
(Donna, D) hito to kekkon-shi-tai desu ka.
What kind of person do you want to get married to?
(… 
to kekkon-suru means to get married to …)
Answer the following questions negatively, as shown in the example.
1. 
Shinsetsu desu ka. Is (he/she) kind?
2. 
Yasashii desu ka. Is (he/she) kind?
3. 
Majime desu ka. Is (he/she) serious?
4. 
Shizuka desu ka. Is (he/she) quiet?
For each of the following, choose the correct answer from the options in parentheses.
1. 
Chichi wa (mm, chotto) yasashii desu.
2. 
Haha wa (zenzen, chotto) kowaku arimasen.
3. 
Ani wa (mm, chotto, amari) wagamama desu.
4. 
Ane wa (totemo, amari) majime desu.
Describe the character of your family members as much as you can.
This section introduces useful adjectives for describing a person’s appearance. You can describe a person very generally, as in She is pretty, or more specifically, as in She has pretty eyes. So, you need to know both ways.
You may need to narrow down the scope of the adjective a little bit when describing someone’s appearance. For example, say that you do not think a person is pretty in general, but you think she has beautiful eyes. In this case, say … 
wa me ga kirei desu. It is as if there are two subjects: One is treated as the topic and is marked by 
wa, and the other appears after it, with the particle 
ga. For example, you can say:
Michiko-san wa me ga kirei desu.
Michiko has beautiful eyes.
The previous sentence has basically the same meaning as the following sentence:
Michiko-san no me wa kirei desu.
Michiko’s eyes are pretty.
However, these two sentences differ in terms of what the speaker is talking about. The first one is about Michiko. The speaker is probably trying to describe what kind of person Michiko is. The second sentence is about Michiko’s eyes. The speaker is talking about Michiko’s eyes for some reason.
The appearance of people can sometimes be expressed using simple adjectives, but it may require a complex adjective phrase (… wa … ga … desu) or a complex verb phrase that ends in the auxiliary verb 
iru, even if the same state can be expressed by a single English word. (See Chapter 5 for more about the auxiliary verb iru.)
The following words and phrases are useful for describing someone’s appearance:
Complete the following sentences appropriately.
1. 
Sachiko-san wa __________________ desu.
Sachiko is tall.
2. 
Deibiddo-san wa ____________.
David is skinny.
3. 
Mear-san wa _______________.
Mary has short hair.
4. 
Jji-san wa ______________.
George is short.
Describe the appearance of your family members as much as you can.
Choose the appropriate answer from the options in parentheses in the following dialog between George and Mike.
Here you’ll learn how to describe learning. You’ll learn how to express degree of difficulty, paying attention to specific aspects of learning in a variety of learning contexts. In addition, you’ll learn the conjunctions 
soreni to provide a thorough and objective description of learning.
nikui and … 
yasuiTo say that something is difficult or easy to do, use the verb in the stem form (pre-masu form) and add 
nikui if it is difficult or 
yasui if it is easy. For example, 
kaki-nikui desu means it is difficult to write, and 
kaki-yasui desu means it is easy to write. The combination of the verb stem and nikui or yasui can be treated as a complex i-adjective. So, you can conjugate it just like an i-adjective. For example:
Kaki-yasuku arimasen.
It is not easy to write.
Kore wa kaki-yasui kanji desu ne.
This one is an easy-to-write kanji.
Some people learn languages in a classroom, and others learn by themselves, using books and audiovisual materials. To describe courses or learning experiences, use the following words and phrases:
Do not use 
i and 
sukunai as a modifier placed right before a noun (prenominal modifier). Rather, use them only at the end of the sentence, as a sentence predicates. For example, do not say 
i shiken ga arimasu, but say 
Shiken ga i desu to mean There are a lot of exams.
soreniWhen you are providing additional information about the idea you’ve been talking about, use 
soreni. For example:
Nihongo wa kantan desu. Soreni, omoshiroi desu.
Japanese is easy. In addition, it is interesting.
To add information that contrasts with what you’ve been talking about, use 
demo instead of 
soreni. (See Chapter 5 for more about demo.)
The following was written by Alison, who is taking Chinese and Japanese at her college. Read it and answer the questions that follow.
Watashi wa ima daigaku de Chgokugo no kurasu to Nihongo no kurasu o totte imasu. Chgokugo no kurasu wa shukudai ga i desu. Yomikaki ga totemo muzukashii desu. Soreni sensei ga kibishii desu. Demo, shiken ga kantan desu. Nihongo no kurasu mo shukudai ga i desu. Kanji no shtesuto mo i desu. Demo sensei ga yasashii desu. Soreni shiken ga kantan desu.
1. Is there a lot of homework in Alison’s Japanese class? _________________________
2. Are the exams in her Chinese class difficult? _________________________________
3. Which course has a strict instructor? _______________________________________
Complete the following sentences creatively, based on your own experience of studying Japanese.
Nihongo wa _____________ ga muzukashii desu. Demo _____________ ga kantan desu.
When deciding on where to travel, you will probably want to think about what you can see, what you can do, and what the weather is likely to be. Here you’ll learn words and phrases that will help you talk about these things.
Here are some terms you might use to talk about the sightseeing options at a travel destination:
Here are some terms you might use to describe a travel destination:
Here are some terms you might use to talk about the seasons and climate at a travel destination:
yaYou can list some items as examples by using the particle 
ya. Like 
to, ya can be used only with nouns. For example:
Tera ya jinja ga arimasu.
There are things like temples and shrines.
Shunkeringu ya suij-suk ga dekimasu.
You can do snorkeling, water skiing, etc.
Here are the names of some travel destinations in Japan:
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
Hokkaid wa tabemono ga oishii desu. Onsen ga arimasu. Soreni suk mo dekimasu. Natsu wa suzushii desu. Fuyu wa samui desu. Demo fuyu wa Sapporo de ymei na yukimatsuri ga miraremasu. Okinawa wa umi ga kirei desu. Itsumo atsui desu. Desukara, itsumo oyogemasu. Kyto wa furui tera ya jinja ga takusan arimasu. Tky to saka wa hito ga i desu.
(
tabemono means food; 
yuki matsuri means Snow Festival)
1. What kind of place is Hokkaiddo?
2. Is it hot in Okinawa?
3. What sightseeing attractions will you find in Kyoto?
Describe the places you have visited in the past.
When talking about your experience of dining at a restaurant, you describe it with adjectives in the past tense. Here you’ll learn how to form them, along with some terms that help you describe different cuisines and tastes.
See how adjectives pattern in a past neutral-polite context in the following table:
Here are some terms you might use to talk about ethnic cuisine:
Here are some terms you might use to talk about tastes:
Rewrite the following phrases in the past tense.
1. 
oishii desu is delicious _____________________
2. 
mazui desu is bad taste ______________________
3. 
amai desu is sweet ____________________________
4. 
shiokarai desu is salty _____________________
5. 
kaori ga ii desu has nice aroma ________
Rewrite the following phrases in the past tense.
1. 
oishiku arimasen _________________
2. 
mazuku arimasen _________________
3. 
suppaku arimasen _________________
4. 
nigaku arimasen _______________________
5. 
karaku arimasen _______________________
In the following dialog, Yukiko is telling Takeshi about her experience of dining at an Italian restaurant. Fill in the blanks in this dialog appropriately. Refer to Chapter 8 on … 
n desu (It is the case that …).
Here you will learn to express your preferences and your skills. You will learn how to indicate what you like and dislike and what you like or dislike doing. You’ll learn what words to use to express preferences and to talk about a person’s skills.
gaUnlike in English, in Japanese, preferences are usually expressed by adjectives although their English translations have a verb like to like and to hate. So, the item being liked or hated has to be marked by the particle 
ga rather than 
o because o can be used only to mark the direct object noun of a verb. For example, if you like dogs, say:
Watashi wa inu ga suki desu.
I like dogs.
The following words and phrases help you express preferences:
noTo say that you like or dislike “doing” something, use the verb in the dictionary form and add 
no. This makes the verb like a noun, and such a nominalized verb, or the sequence of the verb and no, can be then marked by the particle ga in a sentence that describes what one likes or dislikes. (
koto may be used instead of no, but no is preferred for mentioning one’s likes and dislikes.) For example:
Watashi wa taberu no ga suki desu.
I like eating.
To talk about a person’s skills, use the following words and phrases:
As with likes and dislikes, you can use ga to mark the noun or to mark the nominalized verb with the particle no. When expressing skills, it is better to use 
tokui desu than 
jzu desu or 
umai desu. They all mean to be good at, but 
tokui desu is more subjective and has more emphasis on fondness than the other two. Accordingly, it helps you avoid sounding arrogant. For example:
Watashi wa tenisu ga tokui desu.
I’m good at tennis.
Watashi wa kuruma o shri suru no ga tokui desu.
I’m good at repairing a car.
Translate the following sentences into English.
1. 
Watashi wa yasai ga kirai desu. Demo ane wa yasai ga daisuki desu.
2. 
Yamada-san wa piano o hiku no ga jzu desu.
3. 
Ani wa hito to hanasu no ga heta desu.
4. 
Ane wa tenisu ga tokui desu. Maiasa tomodachi to tenisu o shite imasu.
State what you like and dislike, as well as what you are good at and what you are not good at, in Japanese.
There are a couple ways to express desire in Japanese: using 
hoshii and … 
tai.
hoshiiTo say what you want, use the adjective hoshii (to want) and mark the item with the particle ga.
Watashi wa atarashii kuruma ga hoshii desu.
I want a new car.
taiTo say what you want to do, create a complex adjective by adding 
tai (to want to do …) after the stem form (i.e., pre-masu form) of the verb. For example, the stem form of 
nomu (drink) is 
nomi, so by adding tai, you get 
nomi-tai (want to drink). The item is now marked by the particle that the original verb would assign, but if it is o, it may be changed to ga. The difference is very subtle. For example:
B
I want to drink beer. (What I want to do is to drink beer.)
B
I want to drink beer. (What I want to drink is beer.)
Other particles stay the same. For example:
Nihon ni iki-tai desu.
I want to go to Japan.
Read the following passage written by Minoru and answer the questions that follow.
Boku wa kuruma ga hoshii desu. Ima wa kuruma ga arimasen. Desukara itsumo tomodachi no kuruma de daigaku ni itte imasu. Totemo fuben desu. Sorekara atarashii sumtohon ga hoshii desu. Ima no wa tsukai-nikui desu. Demo o-kane ga arimasen. Ima Makudonarudo de baito o shite imasu.
(
baito o suru means to work part-time)
1. What are the two things Minoru wants to get now?
2. How does he commute to his college?
3. Where does he work part time now?
When you go shopping for clothing, you describe it by using adjectives for attributes such as color and size. Here you’ll learn such adjectives, as well as words for clothing and accessories, verbs for wearing, and how to talk about trying on clothes.
Colors in Japanese have different forms depending on whether they are used as nouns or modifiers. The following table shows these forms:
The following list gives some words for clothing size:
The following are some words that will help you describe clothing:
sugiruTo say too, as in too small or too big, add 
sugiru after the adjective in the stem form. For example:
Kono shatsu wa
This shirt is too big.
You can also use sugiru for excessive actions, such as ate too much. Use a verb in the stem form in this case. For example:
Yfuku o kai-sugimashita.
I bought too many clothes.
The following are some words that refer to clothing and accessories:
The term 
zubon is not a fashionable term in modern Japanese, but it is still used as a generic term that refers to all sorts of bottoms, including the bottoms of pajamas and sweat suits. Alternatives include 
surakkusu (slacks), 
torauzzu (trousers), and 
pantsu (pants).
The Japanese use different verbs to mean to put on or to wear. For items below the waist, such as pants, skirts, socks, and shoes, use 
haku. For items for your head, such as caps and hats, use 
kaburu. For accessories such as necklaces, eyeglasses, earrings, watches, and belts, use 
suru. For eyeglasses, 
kakeru is also possible. For other clothing items, such as jackets, dresses, kimonos, and shirts, use 
kiru. Use all these verbs in the … 
te iru construction once the item is worn. (See Chapter 5 for the … te iru construction.) For example:
Ano hito wa suteki na kto o kite imasu ne.
That person is wearing a nice coat, isn’t he?
miruTo express doing something as a trial, you use the verb in the te form and add the auxiliary verb 
miru (to see). For example:
kite mimasu
to try putting on some clothes
gozaimasuAt stores, sales representatives use very polite business-like language. For example, they say 
gozaimasu as opposed to 
arimasu to mean We have. For example:
Emu-saizu wa kuro ga gozaimasu.
We have one black (item) in medium.
Write your favorite colors and the favorite colors of your family members.
In each of the following, choose the appropriate answer from the options in parentheses.
1. 
Jaketto o (kite, haite, kabutte, shite) imasu.
(She) is wearing a jacket.
2. 
Sunk o (kite, haite, kabutte, shite) imasu.
(She) is wearing sneakers.
3. 
Bshi o (kite, haite, kabutte, shite) imasu.
(She) is wearing a hat.
4. 
Nekkuresu o (kite, haite, kabutte, shite) imasu.
(She) is wearing a necklace.
Translate the following sentences into Japanese.
1. This coat is too long.
2. This dress is too conservative.
3. This necklace is too expensive.
Translate the following sentences into Japanese.
1. I like black and red.
2. I tried this dress.
3. Please try this skirt.
4. I bought too many sweaters.
Read the following dialog between Mary and a sales representative at a store and translate the underlined parts.
Whereas adjectives describe things and people (nouns), adverbs describe manners of actions (verbs). For example, 
yukkuri (slowly) is an adverb. There are many adverbs that were derived from adjectives.
In English you can turn an adjective into an adverb by adding -ly. Similarly, in Japanese, you can create adverbs from adjectives by adding 
ni to the stem of a na adjective as in 
shizuka ni (quietly), or by adding 
ku to the stem of an i adjective as in 
hayaku (quickly). The adverb version of 
ii is 
yoku.
suruIf you use 
suru (do) after an adverb, it means to change something or someone in a certain way. For example, 
heya o kirei ni suru means to make the room clean and 
shizuka ni suru means to make oneself quiet. It is often used with 
m sukoshi (a little bit) to ask someone to make some change.
Convert the following adjectives into adverbs.
1. 
jzu na (skillful) ________________
2. 
shizuka na (quiet) ________________
3. 
hayai (early) ________________
4. 
majima na (serious) ________________
5. 
ii (good) ________________
Translate the following sentences into English.
1. 
Chotto urusai desu yo. M sukoshi shizuka ni benky shite kudasai.
2. 
Yomemasen. Kirei ni kaite kudasai. Sorekara m sukoshi kiku kaite kudasai.
3. 
Kurasu wa ku-ji kara desu. M sukoshi hayaku kite kudasai.
4. 
Yoku kangaemashita. Demo kono shigoto wa shinai tsumori desu.
(
kangaeru means to think about)
5. 
M sukoshi majime ni shite kudasai.
Translate the following sentences into Japanese.
1. Could you be quiet, please?
2. Could you make the room clean?
3. Could you come here early tomorrow?
4. Please read it carefully.
In Japanese as in English, a number of comparisons are possible. Here you’ll learn to compare two items to each other and to compare multiple items in the same group or category.
To say A is more … than B, just add B 
B yori (than B) in the statement sentence that says A is… . For example:
Inu wa kawaii desu.
Dogs are cute.
Inu wa neko yori kawaii desu.
Dogs are cuter than cats.
To ask a question that involves comparing two items, such as Which is more …, X or Y? place X
X to Y to, at the beginning of the sentence and use 
dochira no h (which one) to create a question sentence. For example:
Inu to neko to, dochira no h ga kawaii desu ka.
Which are cuter, dogs or cats?
To show equivalence, use … 
… to onaji gurai (as … as …). For example, 
Inu wa neko to onaji gurai kawaii desu means Dogs are as cute as cats. By contrast, to express non-equivalence, use the particle 
hodo ((not as …) as) along with a negative adjective or verb. For example:
Inu wa neko hodo kawaiku arimasen,
Dogs are not as cute as cats.
To express the superlative comparison, use the adverb 
ichiban, which literally means the first, the best, or the most. For example:
Haha ga ichiban yasashii desu.
My mom is the kindest.
If the basis of superlative comparison is a list of items, list them, as in 
X to Y to Z no naka de or 
X to Y to Z to de. For a class of items, add 
no naka de after the name of the class. For example:
Neko to inu to usagi no naka de neko ga ichiban suki desu.
Among cats, dogs, and rabbits, I like cats the best.
D
Among animals, I like cats the best.
For superlative questions, never use 
dochira (which one) because it is only used for comparing two items. Instead, use regular question words such as 
dare (who), 
doko (where), 
itsu (when), and 
nani (what). But note that nani is replaced with 
dore (which one) if the question is based on a list of items rather than a class of items. For example:
Kudamono no naka de nani ga ichiban suki desu ka.
Among fruit, what do you like the best?
Momo to ichigo to ringo no naka de dore ga ichiban suki desu ka.
Among peaches, strawberries, and apples, which do you like the best?
These are some words that will help you describe classes of items:
Complete each of the following sentences with the appropriate word or phrase.
1. 
Inu to neko to, _____________ ga suki desu ka.
Which do you like better, dogs or cats?
2. 
Kurasu no naka de ____________ ga ichiban yoku benky shimasu ka.
Who studies the most in class?
3. 
Dbutsu no naka de ____________ ga ichiban suki desu ka.
Among animals, what do you like the best?
4. 
Inu to neko to usagi no naka de _____________ ga ichiban suki desu ka.
Which do you like the best among dogs, cats, and rabbits?
5. 
Inu wa neko ___________ kawaii desu yo.
Dogs are cuter than cats.
6. 
Inu wa neko _____________ kawaiku arimasen yo.
Dogs are not as cute as cats.
7. 
Inu wa neko ___________ kawaii desu yo.
Dogs are as cute as cats.
Answer the following questions in Japanese.
1. 
Kudamono no naka de nani ga ichiban suki desu ka.
Among fruits, what do you like the best?
2. 
Suptsu no naka de nani o ichiban yoku shimasu ka.
Among sports, what do you play the most?
3. 
Sushi to sashimi to, dochira no h ga suki desu ka.
Between sushi and sashimi, which one do you like better?
4. 
Nihon-ryri to Chka-ryri to Kankoku-ryri no naka de dore ga ichiban suki desu ka.
Among Japanese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, and Korean cuisine, which do you like the best?
Translate the following sentences into Japanese.
1. My father is not as kind as my mother.
2. Which is easier, Chinese or Japanese?
3. Which is safer: cars or planes?
(
anzen na means safe)
4. Katakana is as easy as hiragana.
5. I’m taller than my father.
