{"id":1699,"date":"2009-11-03T05:06:35","date_gmt":"2009-11-03T07:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/?p=1699"},"modified":"2026-08-11T14:35:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:35:58","slug":"types-of-adjectives-in-japanese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/tipos-de-adjetivos-em-japones\/","title":{"rendered":"How to distinguish i and na adjectives in Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To understand the <strong>difference between i and na adjectives<\/strong>, it is not enough to look at the last letter of the word. The most reliable test is to observe how the adjective appears before a noun and how it forms the negative and the past tense.<\/p>\n\n<p>In short, \u3044 adjectives keep <strong>\u3044<\/strong> before the noun, like <strong>\u9ad8\u3044\u672c<\/strong> (<em>takai hon<\/em>, expensive book). \u306a adjectives take <strong>\u306a<\/strong> in that position, like <strong>\u9759\u304b\u306a\u753a<\/strong> (<em>shizuka na machi<\/em>, quiet city). Words like <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044<\/strong> show why the isolated appearance can be deceiving: despite ending graphically in \u3044, it belongs to the \u306a group.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Difference between i and na adjectives: quick answer<\/h2>\n\n<table>\n<thead><tr><th>Test<\/th><th>\u3044 adjective<\/th><th>\u306a adjective<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Before the noun<\/td><td>\u9ad8\u3044\u672c<\/td><td>\u9759\u304b\u306a\u753a<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Polite predicate<\/td><td>\u672c\u306f\u9ad8\u3044\u3067\u3059<\/td><td>\u753a\u306f\u9759\u304b\u3067\u3059<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Simple negative<\/td><td>Not expensive<\/td><td>It is not quiet<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Simple past<\/td><td>\u9ad8\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/td><td>It was quiet<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Connection<\/td><td>\u9ad8\u304f\u3066<\/td><td>\u9759\u304b\u3067<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p>O <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irodori.jpf.go.jp\/assets\/data\/starter\/pdf\/X_L07.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Irodori from the Japan Foundation divides adjectives by the forms used to modify nouns<\/a> and draws attention to <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044<\/strong> as a \u306a adjective. The labels \u3044 and \u306a describe grammatical patterns; they do not mean that every word visually ending in \u3044 belongs to the first group, nor that \u306a is attached to the word in all sentences.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Test 1: observe the form before the noun<\/h2>\n\n<p>Use an affirmative construction in the non-past and place the word directly before a noun. This context makes the difference visible:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u65b0\u3057\u3044\u672c<\/strong> (<em>atarashii hon<\/em>) \u2014 new book: <strong>\u65b0\u3057\u3044<\/strong> is an \u3044 adjective;<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u304a\u3082\u3057\u308d\u3044\u6620\u753b<\/strong> (<em>omoshiroi eiga<\/em>) \u2014 interesting movie: <strong>\u304a\u3082\u3057\u308d\u3044<\/strong> is an \u3044 adjective;<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u4fbf\u5229\u306a\u9053\u5177<\/strong> (<em>benri na d\u014dgu<\/em>) \u2014 practical tool: <strong>\u4fbf\u5229<\/strong> is a \u306a adjective;<\/li>\n<li><strong>a clean room<\/strong> (<em>kirei na heya<\/em>) \u2014 pretty or clean room: <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044<\/strong> is a \u306a adjective.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>The official material also presents the contrast between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irodori.jpf.go.jp\/assets\/data\/starter\/pdf\/X_L14.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u30a4A-\u3044 N and \u30caA-\u306a N before nouns<\/a>. To study each pattern in more depth, refer to the guides on <a href=\"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/adjectives-i-in-japanese\/\">\u3044 adjectives<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/adjectives-in-japanese\/\">\u306a adjectives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Test 2: compare the negative and the past<\/h2>\n\n<p>When the form before the noun is not yet clear, observe how the word changes. The two classes follow different families:<\/p>\n\n<table>\n<thead><tr><th>Word<\/th><th>Class<\/th><th>Simple negative<\/th><th>Simple past<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>\u9ad8\u3044<\/td><td>\u3044<\/td><td>Not expensive<\/td><td>\u9ad8\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>\u304a\u3082\u3057\u308d\u3044<\/td><td>\u3044<\/td><td>\u304a\u3082\u3057\u308d\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/td><td>\u304a\u3082\u3057\u308d\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>\u9759\u304b<\/td><td>\u306a<\/td><td>It is not quiet<\/td><td>It was quiet<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>\u304d\u308c\u3044<\/td><td>\u306a<\/td><td>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044<\/td><td>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u3060\u3063\u305f<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p>THE <a href=\"https:\/\/a1.marugotoweb.jp\/en\/appendix_06.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marugoto conjugation table<\/a> shows side by side the four polite forms of the two classes. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irodori.jpf.go.jp\/assets\/data\/starter\/pdf\/X_L17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Irodori on the past of adjectives<\/a> confirms contrasts such as <strong>\u304a\u3044\u3057\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3067\u3059<\/strong> and <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u3067\u3057\u305f<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<p>This test is especially useful to avoid <strong>\u304d\u308c\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/strong>, which is incorrect. As <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044<\/strong> belongs to the \u306a group, its negative is <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044<\/strong> or, in a more formal register, <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u3067\u306f\u3042\u308a\u307e\u305b\u3093<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Why does ending in \u3044 not resolve the classification?<\/h2>\n\n<p>Many \u3044 adjectives do end in \u3044, such as <strong>\u9ad8\u3044<\/strong>, <strong>\u65b0\u3057\u3044<\/strong> and <strong>\u96e3\u3057\u3044<\/strong>. The problem is turning this clue into an absolute rule. In <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044<\/strong> and <strong>\u5acc\u3044<\/strong> (<em>kirai<\/em>, something one dislikes), the \u3044 is part of the word; it does not function as the inflected ending of \u3044 adjectives.<\/p>\n\n<p>Compare:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u96e3\u3057\u3044\u554f\u984c<\/strong> \u2014 difficult problem; negative: <strong>\u96e3\u3057\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/strong>;<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u306a\u666f\u8272<\/strong> \u2014 beautiful scenery; negative: <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044<\/strong>;<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u5acc\u3044\u306a\u98df\u3079\u7269<\/strong> \u2014 food one dislikes; negative: <strong>\u5acc\u3044\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>There is also the irregularity of <strong>\u3044\u3044<\/strong> (<em>ii<\/em>, good). It is an \u3044 adjective, but derived forms revert to the base <strong>\u3088\u3044<\/strong>: <strong>\u3088\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/strong>, <strong>\u3088\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/strong> and <strong>\u3088\u304f\u306a\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/strong>. The same happens in compounds like <strong>\u304b\u3063\u3053\u3044\u3044<\/strong>: <strong>\u304b\u3063\u3053\u3088\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/strong> and <strong>\u304b\u3063\u3053\u3088\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<!--Ads10-->\n\n<h2>A practical method in three steps<\/h2>\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Confirm the class in the dictionary.<\/strong> Look for indications such as \u30a4\u5f62\u5bb9\u8a5e, \u3044-adjective, \u30ca\u5f62\u5bb9\u8a5e, or \u306a-adjective. That is the safest option for a new word.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Observe an example before a noun.<\/strong> If it appears <strong>\u9ad8\u3044\u5c71<\/strong>, the pattern is \u3044; if it appears <strong>\u6709\u540d\u306a\u5c71<\/strong>, the pattern is \u306a.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Test a derived form.<\/strong> <strong>\uff5e\u304f\u306a\u3044\uff0f\uff5e\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/strong> points to the \u3044 group; <strong>\uff5e\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044\uff0f\uff5e\u3060\u3063\u305f<\/strong> points to the \u306a group.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>Don't invent the form to discover the class: first confirm a reliable example and then use the pattern to memorize. The <a href=\"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/how-to-use-adjectives-in-japanese\/\">general guide to Japanese adjectives<\/a> organizes the functions and inflections, while the <a href=\"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/fundamental-japanese-grammar\/\">Basics of Japanese Grammar<\/a> help you recognize noun, topic, and predicate.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Compare the two classes in the same sentence<\/h2>\n\n<p>Using the classes in parallel structures helps you see what changes:<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>\u3053\u306e\u753a\u306f\u65b0\u3057\u304f\u3066\u3001\u4fbf\u5229\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/strong><br \/>\u3053\u306e \u307e\u3061\u306f \u3042\u305f\u3089\u3057\u304f\u3066\u3001\u3079\u3093\u308a\u3067\u3059\u3002<br \/><em>Kono machi wa atarashikute, benri desu.<\/em><br \/>This city is new and practical.<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>\u3053\u306e\u753a\u306f\u9759\u304b\u3067\u3001\u4fbf\u5229\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/strong><br \/>This town is quiet and convenient.<br \/><em>Kono machi wa shizuka de, benri desu.<\/em><br \/>This city is quiet and practical.<\/p>\n\n<p>The first example connects an \u3044 adjective with <strong>\uff5e\u304f\u3066<\/strong>; the second connects a \u306a adjective with <strong>\uff5e\u3067<\/strong>. The Japan Foundation documents <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irodori.jpf.go.jp\/assets\/data\/elementary01\/pdf\/Y_L05.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the patterns \u30a4A-\u304f\u3066 and \u30caA-\u3067<\/a>. To review the complete assembly, use the method of <a href=\"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/how-to-form-sentence-in-japanese\/\">Japanese sentence formation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Common mistakes when distinguishing i and na adjectives<\/h2>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Classifying only by spelling:<\/strong> <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044<\/strong> and <strong>\u5acc\u3044<\/strong> end in \u3044, but they are \u306a adjectives.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Treating \u306a as a fixed part:<\/strong> say <strong>\u9759\u304b\u306a\u753a<\/strong>, but <strong>\u753a\u306f\u9759\u304b\u3067\u3059<\/strong>, without \u306a before \u3067\u3059.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Using the wrong class inflection:<\/strong> <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/strong> doesn't work; use <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Forgetting the irregularity of \u3044\u3044:<\/strong> the negative is <strong>\u3088\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/strong>, not <strong>\u3044\u304f\u306a\u3044<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Automatically translating \u597d\u304d as a verb:<\/strong> grammatically, <strong>\u597d\u304d<\/strong> follows the pattern of \u306a adjectives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2>Commented classification exercise<\/h2>\n\n<p>Classify each word as an \u3044 or \u306a adjective and complete the form before <strong>\u672c<\/strong> (book), <strong>\u753a<\/strong> (city) or another suitable noun:<\/p>\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>\u9ad8\u3044<\/strong> \u2192 \u3044 adjective: <strong>\u9ad8\u3044\u672c<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u9759\u304b<\/strong> \u2192 \u306a adjective: <strong>\u9759\u304b\u306a\u753a<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044<\/strong> \u2192 \u306a adjective: <strong>\u304d\u308c\u3044\u306a\u753a<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u96e3\u3057\u3044<\/strong> \u2192 \u3044 adjective: <strong>\u96e3\u3057\u3044\u672c<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u6709\u540d<\/strong> \u2192 \u306a adjective: <strong>\u6709\u540d\u306a\u753a<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u3044\u3044<\/strong> \u2192 \u3044 adjective: <strong>\u3044\u3044\u672c<\/strong>; in the past, <strong>\u3088\u304b\u3063\u305f<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>As a quick reference rule: check <strong>\uff5e\u3044 N<\/strong> or <strong>\uff5e\u306a N<\/strong>, confirm the negative and the past and memorize exceptions along with an example. The part of speech, not the last letter in isolation, determines the pattern.<\/p>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list\">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1c16ae74d520f\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Is every Japanese adjective ending in \u3044 an i-adjective?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>No. The ending is just a clue. Words like \u304d\u308c\u3044 and \u5acc\u3044 graphically end in \u3044, but they follow the pattern of \u306a-adjectives: \u304d\u308c\u3044\u306a\u90e8\u5c4b, \u304d\u308c\u3044\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044, and \u304d\u308c\u3044\u3060\u3063\u305f.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-6178b416e5fab\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Why is \u304d\u308c\u3044 a na-adjective?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Because its classification appears in grammatical behavior: before a noun, it uses \u306a, like \u304d\u308c\u3044\u306a\u90e8\u5c4b; in the negative, it uses \u304d\u308c\u3044\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044. The final \u3044 is part of the word and does not receive the inflections of the \u3044 group.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-916cde62887a3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Is \u306a part of the dictionary form of the adjective?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>In general, no. The \u306a appears when a \u306a-adjective directly modifies a noun in the affirmative non-past form, such as \u9759\u304b\u306a\u753a. In the polite predicate, say \u753a\u306f\u9759\u304b\u3067\u3059.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-b53b307971586\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">Is \u3044\u3044 an i-adjective or a na-adjective?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>\u3044\u3044 is an \u3044 adjective. It is irregular in derived forms, which use the base \u3088\u3044: \u3088\u304f\u306a\u3044, \u3088\u304b\u3063\u305f, and \u3088\u304f\u306a\u304b\u3063\u305f.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-3305b2727232f\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question\">What is the safest way to determine the class of an adjective?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer\">\n\n<p>Confirm the classification in a reliable dictionary and observe an example before a noun. Then check the negative: \uff5e\u304f\u306a\u3044 usually indicates the \u3044 group, while \uff5e\u3058\u3083\u306a\u3044 indicates the \u306a group.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn to differentiate i and na adjectives in Japanese by their form before the noun, by their inflections, and by exceptions like \u304d\u308c\u3044 and \u3044\u3044.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":1703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,76,70],"tags":[27,71,2,3],"class_list":["post-1699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curso-de-japones-gratis","category-adjetivos-japoneses","category-gramatica-japonesa","tag-gramatica","tag-gramatica-japonesa","tag-idioma-japones","tag-nihongo","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1699"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4415,"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1699\/revisions\/4415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/comoaprenderjapones.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}