Japanese 2: Basic Verbs & Adjectives

Continuing from part 1 on sentence structure (subject–object–predicate) and basic particles, we now move up a level.

Sentences come alive through “flavor” and “action”—that is the job of adjectives (keiyoushi) and verbs (doushi). In part 1 we could only say “I apple” (confusing). Here we learn “I eat a red, tasty apple”.

This article shows how to use adjectives and change verbs across time forms (present, past, negative).

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1. Adjectives (Keiyoushi 形容詞けいようし)

Unlike Indonesian, where adjectives (like “beautiful”) do not change form, Japanese adjectives conjugate like verbs to mark time or negation.

Adjectives split into two big groups: i-adjectives and na-adjectives.

A. i-Adjectives (い-形容詞けいようし)

They always end with plain hiragana i (い). Examples:

• 大おおきい (Ookii) - big
• 古ふるい (Furui) - old
• 暑あつい (Atsui) - hot
• 面白おもしろい (Omoshiroi) - interesting

How to use:

1. Modify a noun: Place it right before the noun.
   • 赤あかい車くるま (Akai Kuruma) = red car.
2. As predicate: Add desu for polite speech.
   • この車くるまは赤あかいです (Kono kuruma wa akai desu) = This car is red.

Full i-adjective conjugation:

All changes hit the final -i. Here is the table:

Form	Pattern	Example: 大おおきい (big)	Example: 暑あつい (hot)
Positive	~い	大おおきい (big)	暑あつい (hot)
Negative	~くない	大おおきくない (not big)	暑あつくない (not hot)
Past	~かった	大おおきかった (was big)	暑あつかった (was hot)
Past negative	~くなかった	大おおきくなかった (was not big)	暑あつくなかった (was not hot)

Important exception: The adjective 良よい (yoi / ii = good) is irregular: 良よい → 良よくない → 良よかった → 良よくなかった. The dictionary form can be read “ii” or “yoi”, but every conjugated form uses “yo-” (yokunai, yokatta, yokunakatta).

B. na-Adjectives (な-形容詞けいようし)

In the dictionary they do not end with “na”, but they need the particle na when they modify a noun. Examples:

• 綺麗きれい (Kirei) - pretty/clean. (Careful: ends in “i” but is a na-adjective!)
• 静しずか (Shizuka) - quiet.
• 有名ゆうめい (Yuumei) - famous.
• 親切しんせつ (Shinsetsu) - kind.

How to use:

1. Modify a noun: Must use na.
   • 静しずかな部屋へや (Shizuka na heya) = a quiet room.
2. As predicate: Drop na, go straight to desu.
   • この部屋へやは静しずかです (Kono heya wa shizuka desu) = This room is quiet.

Full na-adjective conjugation:

Unlike i-adjectives, na-adjectives conjugate like nouns—what changes is the desu / ja arimasen part.

Form	Pattern	Example: 静しずか (quiet)	Example: 綺麗きれい (pretty)
Positive	~です	静しずかです	綺麗きれいです
Negative	~じゃありません	静しずかじゃありません	綺麗きれいじゃありません
Past	~でした	静しずかでした	綺麗きれいでした
Past negative	~じゃありませんでした	静しずかじゃありませんでした	綺麗きれいじゃありませんでした

Tip: telling i- from na-adjectives Not every word ending in an “i” sound is an i-adjective! Memorize these famous traps:

• 嫌きらい (kirai = dislike) → na-adjective ✗
• 綺麗きれい (kirei = pretty) → na-adjective ✗
• 有名ゆうめい (yuumei = famous) → na-adjective ✗

Safest path: check a dictionary. It marks [い形] for i-adjectives and [な形] for na-adjectives.

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2. Verbs (Doushi 動詞どうし)

Japanese verbs fall into three groups by conjugation pattern. That grouping matters because each group has different rules. Before conjugating, learn the dictionary form (jisho-kei)—the base form listed in dictionaries.

In Indonesian, verbs do not change: “makan” stays “makan” in every context. We add helpers like “already”, “currently”, or “will” for time. In Japanese, the verb form itself changes—and the pattern depends on the group.

Group 1: Godan verbs (五段動詞ごだんどうし)

“Godan” means “five steps” because endings move through five vowel rows (A-I-U-E-O) on the hiragana chart. This is the largest group and covers verbs ending in -u, -tsu, -ru, -mu, -nu, -bu, -ku, -gu, -su.

• 行いく (Iku) - go
• 読よむ (Yomu) - read
• 話はなす (Hanasu) - speak
• 買かう (Kau) - buy
• 待まつ (Matsu) - wait
• 飲のむ (Nomu) - drink

Group 2: Ichidan verbs (一段動詞いちだんどうし)

“Ichidan” means “one step”: drop final -ru and attach the new ending. All ichidan verbs end in -iru or -eru. Beginners love this group because it is the easiest to conjugate.

• 食たべる (Taberu) - eat
• 見みる (Miru) - see
• 寝ねる (Neru) - sleep
• 教おしえる (Oshieru) - teach

Group 3: Irregular (不規則動詞ふきそくどうし)

Only two “rebel” verbs ignore the other groups. Good news: there are just two to memorize.

• する (suru) — do
• 来くる (kuru) — come

Watch out: godan vs ichidan traps

Some verbs end in -iru or -eru but are godan, not ichidan! Famous traps:

• 帰かえる (kaeru) = go home → godan (not ichidan!)
• 走はしる (hashiru) = run → godan
• 入はいる (hairu) = enter → godan
• 知しる (shiru) = know → godan
• 切きる (kiru) = cut → godan (but 着きる “kiru” = wear clothes is ichidan!)

When unsure, check a dictionary. It usually marks godan as [五段] and ichidan as [一段].

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3. The masu form (polite)

In Japanese, politeness is not optional—it is the base of communication. Talking to a teacher, a boss, or someone new with ultra-casual speech sounds odd and rude. That is why we rarely use dictionary form with others (except close friends or family). We use the masu form (ます形けい) instead.

Masu makes every verb sound neat and polite. Master this form first. If you only know one verb form, make it masu.

Culture note: Japanese has deeper politeness layers (敬語けいご / keigo). Masu sits at the mid level called 丁寧語ていねいご (teinei-go), “polite language”. After these basics, see Basic keigo.

How to make the masu form:

1. Group 1 (godan): Change final -u to -i and add masu.

   • 行いく → 行いきます (go)
   • 読よむ → 読よみます (read)
   • 話はなす → 話はなします (speak)
   • 買かう → 買かいます (buy)
   • 待まつ → 待まちます (wait)
   • 飲のむ → 飲のみます (drink)

2. Group 2 (ichidan): Drop final -ru, add masu. (Easiest!)

   • 食たべる → 食たべます (eat)
   • 見みる → 見みます (see)

3. Group 3 (irregular): Just memorize.

   • する (suru) → します (do)
   • 来くる → 来きます (come)

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4. Time conjugation (past & negative)

The power of masu is how easily it shifts to other forms. Swap the “masu” ending—like changing a battery: the machine stays, only the back piece changes.

Meaning	Pattern	Example (eat)	Example (go)
Positive (now/future)	...ます	食たべます	行いきます
Negative (not)	...ません	食たべません	行いきません
Past (did)	...ました	食たべました	行いきました
Past negative (did not)	...ませんでした	食たべませんでした	行いきませんでした

Sample sentences:

1. I do not eat meat. (habit/fact) 私わたしは肉にくを**食たべません**。 (Watashi wa niku o tabemasen) (I do not eat meat.)

2. Yesterday I went to Tokyo. (past) 昨日きのう、東京とうきょうへ**行いきました**。 (Kinou, Toukyou e ikimashita) (Yesterday I went to Tokyo.)

3. This morning I did not watch TV. (past negative) 今朝けさ、テレビを**見みませんでした**。 (Kesa, terebi o mimasen deshita) (This morning I did not watch TV.)

4. I drink coffee every morning. (habit) 私わたしは毎朝まいあさ、コーヒーKoohiiを**飲のみます**。 (Watashi wa maiasa, koohii o nomimasu) (I drink coffee every morning.)

5. Last year I did not study Japanese. (past negative) 去年きょねん、日本語にほんごを**勉強べんきょうしませんでした**。 (Kyonen, nihongo o benkyou shimasen deshita) (Last year I did not study Japanese.)

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5. Combining adjectives and verbs

Now build a richer sentence from everything so far.

Sentence: “Yesterday I bought a new expensive car.”

1. Subject: 私わたしは (I)
2. Object: a new expensive car.
   • 車くるま (car).
   • 新あたらしい (new - i-adjective).
   • 高たかい (expensive - i-adjective).
   • Full chain: atarashikute takai kuruma (later topic); for now keep one adjective: 新あたらしい車くるま (new car).
3. Time: 昨日きのう (yesterday).
4. Predicate: 買かいます (buy) → past (買かいました).

Result: 昨日きのう、私わたしは新あたらしい車くるまを買かいました。 (Kinou, watashi wa atarashii kuruma o kaimashita). (Yesterday, I bought a new car.)

More examples: “Japanese food is tasty but expensive.” 日本料理にほんりょうりは美味おいしいですが、高たかいです。 (Nihon ryouri wa oishii desu ga, takai desu). (Japanese food is tasty but expensive.)

“The room was quiet earlier, but it is not quiet now.” 部屋へやは静しずかでしたが、今いまは静しずかじゃありません。 (Heya wa shizuka deshita ga, ima wa shizuka ja arimasen.) (The room was quiet, but now it is not quiet.)

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6. Practice: Check your understanding

Theory without practice fades. Here are five questions—answer before peeking.

Tip: Watch time words (yesterday, every day, etc.) to pick the right form (positive, negative, past, or past negative).

Q1: “I read a book.” (Watashi wa hon o ...)

Answer: 私わたしは本ほんを読よみます。(Watashi wa hon o yomimasu.)

Q2: “I do not drink milk.” (Watashi wa gyuunyuu o ...)

Answer: 私わたしは牛乳ぎゅうにゅうを飲のみません。(Watashi wa gyuunyuu o nomimasen.)

Q3: “Yesterday I ate delicious sushi.” (Kinou, watashi wa ... sushi o ...)

Answer: 昨日きのう、私わたしは美味おいしい寿司すしを食たべました。(Kinou, watashi wa oishii sushi o tabemashita.)

Q4: “This room is not pretty.” (Kono heya wa ...)

Answer: この部屋へやは綺麗きれいじゃありません。(Kono heya wa kirei ja arimasen.)

Q5: “It was hot yesterday.” (Kinou wa ...)

Answer: 昨日きのうは暑あつかったです。(Kinou wa atsukatta desu.)

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Conclusion

Great work—you now have a full starter kit for basic Japanese sentences. You know subject, object, and predicate, and you can color them with adjectives and shift time (past/present).

Key takeaways:

• i-Adjectives conjugate by changing final “-i” (kunai, katta, kunakatta).
• na-Adjectives conjugate like nouns (ja arimasen, deshita).
• Verbs have 3 groups: godan, ichidan, and irregular.
• Masu form is the polite form to master first.
• Watch godan traps (帰る, 走る, etc.) and na-adjective traps (綺麗, 嫌い, etc.).

Next: grow vocabulary and practice. Describe things around you: “This desk is big” (Kono tsukue wa ookii desu), or “I will drink coffee” (Watashi wa koohii o nomimasu).

See you in the next lesson on the te-form (て形)—the key to linking actions, asking permission, and stating bans! 頑張がんばって (Ganbatte)!

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New vocabulary

Form	Romaji	Meaning	Word class
大おおきい	ookii	big	i-adjective
古ふるい	furui	old	i-adjective
暑あつい	atsui	hot	i-adjective
面白おもしろい	omoshiroi	interesting	i-adjective
赤あかい	akai	red	i-adjective
良よい	yoi / ii	good	i-adjective (irregular)
新あたらしい	atarashii	new	i-adjective
美味おいしい	oishii	delicious	i-adjective
高たかい	takai	expensive/tall	i-adjective
綺麗きれい	kirei	pretty/clean	na-adjective
静しずか	shizuka	quiet	na-adjective
有名ゆうめい	yuumei	famous	na-adjective
親切しんせつ	shinsetsu	kind	na-adjective
嫌きらい	kirai	dislike	na-adjective
車くるま	kuruma	car	noun
部屋へや	heya	room	noun
肉にく	niku	meat	noun
本ほん	hon	book	noun
牛乳ぎゅうにゅう	gyuunyuu	milk	noun
寿司すし	sushi	sushi	noun
行いく	iku	go	godan verb
読よむ	yomu	read	godan verb
話はなす	hanasu	speak	godan verb
買かう	kau	buy	godan verb
待まつ	matsu	wait	godan verb
飲のむ	nomu	drink	godan verb
帰かえる	kaeru	go home	godan verb (trap!)
走はしる	hashiru	run	godan verb (trap!)
食たべる	taberu	eat	ichidan verb
見みる	miru	see	ichidan verb
寝ねる	neru	sleep	ichidan verb
教おしえる	oshieru	teach	ichidan verb
する	suru	do	irregular verb
来くる	kuru	come	irregular verb
昨日きのう	kinou	yesterday	noun (time)
今朝けさ	kesa	this morning	noun (time)
毎朝まいあさ	maiasa	every morning	noun (time)
去年きょねん	kyonen	last year	noun (time)
私わたし	watashi	I / me	pronoun
日本料理にほんりょうり	nihon ryouri	Japanese cuisine	noun
頑張がんばって	ganbatte	hang in there!	expression

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