LESSON 17
What Kind?

Phrases
What kind of thing was it?	Donna mono desh'ta ka? (or Dō-yū mono desh'ta ka?)
Was it a big thing?	Ōkii mono desh'ta ka?
Was it a big one?	Ōkii no desh'ta ka?
Was it a little thing?	Chiisai mono desh'ta ka?
Was it a good thing?	Ii mono desh'ta ka?
Was it a bad (no-good) thing?	Warui (or Dame na) mono desh'ta ka?
Was it an interesting movie?	Omoshiroi eiga desh'-ta ka?
Was it a dull story (or lecture)?	Tsumaranai hanashi desh'ta ka?
Was it a dull person?	Tsumaranai hito desh'ta ka?
Was it a young person?	Wakai hito desh'ta ka?
Was it Grandfather? (or Was it an old man?)	Ojii-san desh'ta ka?
Was it Uncle? (or Was it a middle-aged man?)	Oji-san desh'ta ka?
Was it Grand-mother? (or Was it an old woman?)	Obā-san desh'ta ka?
Was it Aunt? (or Was it a middle-aged woman?)	Oba-san desh'ta ka?
white paper	shiroi kami
black shoes	kuroi kutsu
green socks	midori no kutsu-shita
a sick person	byōki no hito
a person in good spirits	genki na hito
Are you sick?	Byōki des' ka?
Are you in good health?	Genki des' ka?
a pretty girl	kirei na musume-san
a pretty room (or clean room)	kirei na heya
The girl is pretty.	Musume—kirei des'.
The room is clean (or pretty).	Heya—kirei des'.
I like this.	Kore s'ki des'.
This is something I like.	Kore—s'ki na mono des'.
I dislike this.	Kore—iya des'. (or kirai des')
This is something I dislike.	Kore—iya na (or kirai na) mono des'.

Practice
1.	A: Anata no uchi ōkii des' ne. Kirei des' ne.	B: Dō itashimash'te. Chiisai tokoro des'. Kitanai ("dirty") tokoro des'. Gomen nasai ne.
	A: Kore—omoshiroi mono des' ne. Nan deshō ka?	B: Sore—midori no za-buton ("seat-cushion") des'. Kanai kaimash'ta ne. Kanai—midori— s'ki des'. Anata—s'ki des' ka?
	A: Watashi—s'ki des', midori. Midori no mono—s'ki des'. Akai mono—chotto iya des' ne. Anata— donna mono s'ki des' ka?	B: Sō des' ne. Watashi— kiiroi ("yellow") mono s'ki des' ne. Sore—chi-isai mono des' ne. Ōkii mono—kuroi mono s'ki des'. Kuroi kuru-ma s'ki des'.
	A: Sō des' ka. Watashi no kuruma—kuroi des'.
2.	A: Sakuban kirei na musume-san ni aimash'ta.	B: Sōdes' ka? Sore— omoshiroi des' ne. Doko desh'ta ka?
	A: Tomodachi no uchi desh'ta. Sono tomodachi no imōto des'. Sono namae ("her name")—Fumiko des'.	B: Omoshiroi deshō ne. sore. Ato de. mata ("again") aimas' ka?
	A: Hai, mata aimas'. Raishū deshō ne.	B: Watashi—kirei na musume-san, s'ki des' Issho-ni sono musume-san ni aimashō ka?
	A: Iie, iie. Sumimasen ga ("but") ne, hitori—ii des', futari—dame des'.	B: Shitsurei. Gomen nasai.

Tips

English adjectives correspond to three different kinds of words in Japanese. One kind, Japanese adjectives, can be used right in front of a noun like English adjectives: ōkii des’ “is big” and ōkii uchi “big house,” kuroi des’ “is black” and kuroi kutsu “black shoes.” Others, Japanese nouns (despite their meaning), need the word no to link them with the following noun: midori des’ “is green”; but midori no zabuton; “a green seat-cushion” byōki des’ “is sick” but byōki no hito “a sick person.” The third kind use the word na to link with a noun: genki des’ “is in good health” but genki na hito “a person in good health” kirei des’ “is pretty (or clean)” but kirei na musume-san “a pretty girl.” We call the third kind copular nouns, but you may find it simpler to think of them as “na-words.”

1.	A: Your house is big, isn'it. It's nice (pretty).	B: Not at all. It's a small place. It's a dirty place. Excuse me (for its being in such a mess).
	A: This is an interesting thing. What could it be?	B: That's a green seat-cushion. My wife bought it. My wife likes green. Do you like it?
	A: Yes, I like it, green. Green things I like. Red things I'm not too fond of. What sort of thing do you like?	B: Well, let's see. I like yellow things, you know. That (is)—(if) it's a little thing. (if it is) a big thing—I like black things. I like black cars.
	A: Oh? My car is black.
2.	A: Last night I met a pretty girl.	B: You did? That's interesting. Where was it?
	A: It was at a friend's house. She's the younger sister of my friend. Her name is Fumiko.	B: That must have been fun. Will you see her again sometime (in the future)?
	A: Yes, I'll see her again. It'll be next week.	B: I like pretty girls. Shall we see that girl together?
	A: No, no. I'm sorry, but, you know, one is fine, but two—it's no good.	B: I've been rude. Excuse me.