Picture
KAWAII IE DESU - IT'S A CUTE HOUSE

Adjective
​Review
Picture
DENTOUTEKI-NA IE DESU - IT'S A TRADITIONAL HOUSE
Adjectives are words like 'big', 'little', 'fast', etc, that are used to describe things.
In the pictures above, the adjectives are 'kawaii' (cute) and 'dentouteki-na' (traditional). 'Kawaii' is an
い-adjective, and 'dentouteki-na' is a な-adjective.
Let's review:
い-adjectives
  • ​い-adjectives all end in い. The い ending can be taken off and replaced with other endings to add to the meaning. e.g, to change to the negative or to the past tense.
e.g.
ちいさい まち です。
  • ​It's a small town.

まち が ちいさい です。
  • The town is small.​​

ちいさい まち じゃ ない です。
  • ​It isn't a small town.

​まち は ちいさく ない です。
  • The town is not small.
い-adjectives, positive and negative:
ちいさい
  • small
おおきい
  • big
おいしい
  • delicious
たのしい
  • fun
かわいい
  • cute
ちいさく ない
  • not small
おおきく ない
  • not big
おいしく ない
  • not delicious
たのしく ない 
  • not fun
かわいく ない
  • not cute
な-adjectives
  • ​な-adjectives have a な ending which is used to link the adjective to the noun that follows. However, we don't need to add な if there is no noun following the adjective.
    NB: Although きれい kirei ends in い, it is NOT an い-adjective. Isn't grammar fun! :-)
e.g.
きれいな まち です。
  • ​It's a pretty town.​
まち が きれい です。
  • The town is pretty.​​
e.g.
きれいな まち じゃないです。
  • ​It isn't a pretty town.
​まち は きれい じゃ ない です。
  • The town is not pretty.
な-adjectives, positive and negative:
きれい（な）
  • pretty
べんり（な）
  • convenient
ふべん（な）
  • inconvenient
しずか（な） 
  • quiet
でんとうてき（な）
  • traditional
きれい じゃ ない
  • not pretty
べんり じゃ ない
  • not convenient
ふべん じゃ ない
  • not inconvenient
しずか じゃ ない 
  • not quiet
でんとうてき じゃ ない
  • not traditional