7.5. Adjectives


7.5.1. Present forms


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

All the Japanese adjectives end with the hiragana (i) /i/ if they are in the present form. An adjective consists of a root and a suffix as verbs do, and the root never changes while suffixes can change. The final /i/ in the present form of an adjective is the suffix, and the rest is the root. Please be sure that the suffix for the present form of verbs is /u/, and that of adjectives is /i/.

Here are some adjectives:

HiraganaPhonemesRootSuffixMeaning
(yo)(i)/yo'i//yo//i/good
(a)(tu)(i)/atu'i//atu/hot
(u)(re)(si)(i)/uresi'i//uresi/glad
(o)(i)(si)(i)/oisi'i//oisi/tasty

Since adjectives always end with the hiragana (i) /i/, the root 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:

Hiragana: (su)(si)(ha) (o)(i)(si)(i) (period)
Phonemes: su'siwa (space)oisi'i
Structure: noun
(sushi)		topic
marker 		adjective
(tasty)

Hiragana: (ki)(mo)(no)(ha) (u)(tu)(ku)(si)(i) (period)
Phonemes: kimonowa (space)utukusi'i
Structure: noun
(kimono)		topic
marker 		adjective
(beautiful)

The first example means "Sushi is tasty." and the second one means "Kimonos are beautiful."

7.5.2. Past forms


To create the past form of an adjective, add the suffix (ka)(small tu)(ta) /kaQta/ to its root.

Present formPast form
HiraganaMeaningPhonemesMeaning
(yo)(i)
yo'i
 is good
(yo)(ka)(small tu)(ta)
yo'kaQta
 was good
(a)(tu)(i)
atu'i
 is hot
(a)(tu)(ka)(small tu)(ta)
atu'kaQta
 was hot
(u)(re)(si)(i)
uresi'i
 is glad
(u)(re)(si)(ka)(small tu)(ta)
uresi'kaQta
 was glad
(o)(i)(si)(i)
oisi'i
 is tasty
(o)(i)(si)(ka)(small tu)(ta)
oisi'kaQta
 was tasty

This is an example of the past form of adjectives:

Hiragana: (su)(si)(ha) (o)(i)(si)(ka)(small tu)(ta) (period)
Phonemes: su'siwa (space)oisi'kaQta
Structure: noun
(sushi)		topic
marker 		adjective
(was tasty)

This sentence means "The sushi was tasty."

7.5.3. Polite forms


Adjectives don't have a politeness suffix like verbs' politeness suffix (ma)(su) /ma'su/, so you have to add the polite copula (de)(su) /desu/ to the end of an adjective in order to make it polite. To make the polite past form of an adjective, make it the past form first, then add (de)(su) /desu/ to it.

Examples:

Hiragana: (su)(si)(ha) (o)(i)(si)(i)(de)(su) (period)
Phonemes: su'siwa (space)oisi'idesu
Structure: noun
(sushi)		topic
marker 		adjective
(tasty)		suffix for
politeness

Hiragana: (su)(si)(ha) (o)(i)(si)(ka)(small tu)(ta)(de)(su) (period)
Phonemes: su'siwa (space)oisi'kaQtadesu
Structure: noun
(sushi)		topic
marker 		adjective
(was tasty)		suffix for
politeness

The polite past form of adjectives don't end with (ta) /ta/ because of the politeness suffix. Making the polite form before making the past form is not allowed for adjectives, which would produce (o)(i)(si)(i)(de)(si)(ta) /oisi'idesita/ in the case of the second example shown above.


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