In this lesson, you will learn noun
adjectives , which origin is Chinese nouns.
This kind of adjectives has no inflection itself, which
is different from true adjectives.
You will learn the past tense forms in this lesson as
well.
A, Basic noun adjective usages
Let's see the examples. ( Please click here to listen to these sentences )
Example word : "Kantan(かん たん) "(easy)
*Attributive usage
Positive form: Kantan-na shiken
かんたんな試験 (easy test) *試験＝しけん
<Please add "na"sound after
adjective word.>
Negative form: Kantan-denai shiken かんたんでな
い試験 (not-easy test)
<Please add "denai"after
adjective word. >
*Predicative usage
Positive form: Eigo no shiken
wa kantan
desu. 英語の試験はかんたんです。
( English test is easy. )
Negative form: Eigo no shiken
wa kantan
dewaarimasen. 英語の試験はかんたんではありません。
( English test is not easy.)
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<Grammatical notes>
* Negative form of predicative usage is possible
to say "kantan-dewanai desu " as well.
*As you see the
above example, adjective "kantan "itself has no inflection.
( True
adjectives has inflection at final "-i " sound )
Exercise 1,
Let's make sentences as in the example.
*Example これは ( easy test) です。.( This is an easy test) -> これは（かんたんなテスト）です。.
1, あなたは ( clever man )
です。(You are a clever man)
*clever= りこう=利口
2, かれは ( honest man )
です。 (He is a honest man)
* honest= しょうじき ＝正直
3, かれらは ( kind people) です。.
( They are kind people)
* かれら＝they, *kind= しんせつ＝親切, *people=ひとびと、ひとたち
4, これは ( not-important
thing) です。(This is an unimportant thing)
* important =たいせつ、じゅうよう , *thing= こと、もの
5, わたしの体は ( not-healthy body) です。. ( My body
is not healthy body)
*
体（からだ）=body, *healthy= けんこう＝健康
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Exercise 2 Please make sentences of answer as in the example
Example:
あなたは 健康（けんこう）ですか。
(Hai) はい、わたしは 健康です。
(Iie) いいえ、わたしは 健康ではありません。
1, この本は たいせつですか。
(Hai)
(Iie)
2, あの店は べんりですか。 *店（みせ)=shop,
*べんり=convenient
(Hai)
(Iie)
3, かれの生活は しあわせですか。 *生活( せいかつ)=life,
*しあわせ=happy
(Hai)
(Iie)
4, あなたの息子は しょうじきですか。 * 息子（むすこ）=son
(Hai)
(Iie)
5, 今日のかのじょの服は はでですか。*今日（きょう）=today
*服（ふく）=clothes *はで= colorful
(Hai)
(Iie)
< "very","a little" and "not-so much" expressions>
Like
true adjectives, modifying words for noun adjectives
such as " very "
"a
little ""not- so much" are possible to be put immediately
before noun adjectives.
<examples> ( Please click here to listen to
these sentences.)
Watashi
no sobo wa taihen kenkou desu. ( My grandmother
is very healthy )
( わたしの祖母は たいへん健康です。)
* 祖母（そぼ）=grandmother ( sofu=grandfather)
Koko
wa chotto fuben na basho
desu. (
This place is a little bit incovenient place)
( ここは ちょっと不便な場所です。)
* 不便（ふべん）= uncovienient ( benri=convienient ) *場所（ばしょ）＝place,
location
Ano
kodomo wa amari rikou dewaarimasen. (That child is
not so clever )
( あの子どもは あまり利口ではありません。)
* 子ども= child ( kodomotachi= children)
<Grammatical notes>
* Please note the combination of "amari + negative
form of adjective ".
"sonnani" is possible to use instead
of "amari"
* "totemo "or
" hijooni " is possible to
say instead of "taihen "
* "sukoshi " is possible to
say instead of "chotto "
Exercise 3, Please translate the following sentences into Japanese.
A, Is your family happy ? * family=家族 （か
ぞく）
B, Yes it is. My family is very
happy.
C. You are very smart, aren't
you ?
*smart=利口（りこう)
D, Thanks, but, I am not so
serious man. *serious= 真面目（まじめ） (noun adj)
E, It is a little hot today,
isn't it ? *
hot=暑い（あつい） (true adj)
F, Yes, And this is a little
strange weather. * strange=へん(noun adj) * and =そして (conjunction) * weather=
天気 （てんき）
====================================================================================
<How to
distinguish true adjectives from noun adjectives >
As I mentioned before, noun adjectives are
originally chinese noun. True adjectives ,which is real
Japanese original adjectives, end in "-i "
sound. But, some noun adjectives end in "-i "sound as
well.
How can you distinguish true adjectives
from noun adjectives at this case ?
To do that, you need to read one spelling
before "-i "
At first , if the previous letter
before "-i" is a consonant, it is a noun adjective, and if it
is a vowel ,
please apply the following rule.
1, If the adjective
ends in "-ii
", "-ui","-oi", such adjective is true adjective.
examples: oishii = delicious, ookii =big, yasui =cheap, omoshiroi = interesting
2, If the adjective ends in "-ei",
such adjective is noun adjective.
examples: kirei = pretty,
beatiful , yuumei = famous , teinei = polite
3, If the adjective ends in" -ai",such
adjective is mostly true adjective,but there are few
exceptions.
examples: (true adjectives- mostly) itai = painful, akai =red, fukai = deep
( noun
adjectives- few words ) idai(na) =great, yakkai(na)=
troublesome
=====================================================================================
Exercise
4: Please substitute a new word for the adequate one
and please change form of
sentence according to the request like example.
Ex. kyoo wa samui desu.
（今日は寒いです。）
->(
soto=outside) soto wa samui desu
（そとは寒いです。）
->( atsui)
soto wa atsui desu. （そとは暑いです。）
->(shizuka=quiet ) soto wa shizuka desu （そとはしずかです。）
->(
negative) soto wa shizuka dewaarimasen.
（そとはしずかではありません。）
Note! Please change
only adequate part in each sentence.
1, Anata wa shoujiki-na hito
desu.あなたはしょうじきな人です。 ( You are a honest man.)
-->( kare)
-->(negative form)
-->(majime=serious)
-->(otonashii=gentle,quiet)
-->(positive form)
2. Nihongo no benkyou
wa omoshiroi desu.日本語の勉強はおもしろいです。 ( The study of Japanese is
interesting.)
-->(muzukashii)
-->(negative form)
-->( muda=useless)
-->( konpyuutaa no
benkyou)
-->( yasashii=
easy)
-->( positive
form)
So far, you have learned the present forms
of predicative usages of adjectives.
When
you say in the past tense, copula verb"desu" changes
to "deshita "
How to say in the past tense is as follows,
*True adjectives
(present /positive) Kono eiga wa omoshiroidesu.
（この映画は おもしろいです。）
( This movie is interesting)
(past /positive) Kono eiga wa omoshiroi deshita.（この映画は
おもしろいでした。）
( This movie was interesting)
(present /negative) Kono eiga wa omoshirokunai
desu （この映画は おもしろくないです。）
Kono eiga wa omoshiro-kuwaarimasen (この映画は おもしろく
はありません。）
(This movie is not interesting.)
(past /negative) Kono eiga wa omoshirokunai
deshita.(この映画は おもしろくないでした。）
Kono eiga wa omoshiro-kuwaarimasendeshita.（この
映画は おもしろくは ありませんでした。）
(This
movie was not interesting.)
* Noun adjectives
( present / positive) Kono hito wa shinsetsu
desu. ( この人は しんせつです。）
( This man is kind)
( past / positive) Kono hito wa shinsetsu
deshita. （この人は しんせつでした。）
( This man was kind)
( present / negative)Kono hito wa shinsetsu
dewanai-desu. （この人は しんせつではないです。）
Kono hito wa shinsetsu
dewaarimasen. ( この人は しんせつではありません。）
（This man is not kind.)
( past / negative)Kono hito wa shinsetsu
dewanai-deshita. (この人は しんせつではないでした。）
Kono hito wa shinsetsu dewaarimasen-deshita.( この人は しんせつではありませんでした。）
（This man was not kind.)
Exercise 5,
Please substitute a new word for the adequate one and please change form of
sentence
according to the request like example.
Ex. Sono
hon wa muzukashii deshita その本は難しいです。
=>(negative form ) Sono hon wa muzukashikunai deshita.その本は難しくないでした。
=>(kantan) Sono hon wa kantan
dewaarimasen deshita. その本はかんたんではありませんでし
た。
=>(positive form) Sono hon wa kantan
deshita.その 本はかんたんでした。
=>(present form) Sono hon wa kantan desu. その本はかんたんです。
1, kyou no asa wa
samui deshita.今日の朝は寒いでした。( Today's morning was cold) =>
=> (negative form)
=> (atsui)
=> (shizuka)
=> (positive form)
=> (present form)
2, Kanojo
wa utsukushii desu. 彼女（かのじょ）は美しいです。( She is beautiful)=>
=> ( past form)
=> ( negative form)
=> ( genki =fine,well)
=> ( present form)
=> ( positive form)
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