0.1.3 Adjectives

Question 1

Translate to Japanese:

lots of kids

Answer 1

おおぜいのこども

oozei no kodomo

a large crowd / group of people = oozei (おおぜい)

Note: takusan (たくさん) works here too.

no (の) appears here to link one noun to another in order to describe what kind of group it is.

Question 2

Translate to Japanese:

big car

Answer 2

おおきいくるま

ookii kuruma

big / large = ookii (おおきい)

Note: This is one of the two main types of adjectives in Japanese, an i (い) adjective.

ookii (おおきい) and other i (い) adjectives go right in front of the noun to modify them.

Question 3

Translate to Japanese:

[The] house is big.

Answer 3

いえはおおきいです。

ie wa ookii desu.

wa (は) comes after ie (), “house”, to mark it as the topic of the sentence..

Because of the S-O-V sentence structure in Japanese, the polite form of “to be”, desu (です), appears at the end of the sentence.

[Noun] は [Adjective] です。([Noun] wa [Adjective] desu.)

Question 4

Translate to Japanese:

small house

Answer 4

ちいさいいえ

chiisai ie

small / tiny = chiisai (ちいさい)

Question 5

Translate to Japanese:

very small car

Answer 5

とてもちいさいくるま

totemo chiisai kuruma

very / so = totemo (とても)

totemo (とても) can be added in front of any adjective - no conjugation needed!

Question 6

Translate to Japanese:

here

Answer 6

ここ

koko

koko (ここ) is used when talking about places or locations that are closer to the speaker than the listener.

Question 7

Translate to Japanese:

It is here.

Answer 7

ここです。

Koko desu.

If the subject of this sentence isn’t clear, you can use: (noun) wa koko desu. ([noun]はここです。)

Remember, Japanese doesn’t have a word for “it,” and it is very common to omit the subject, especially if you just asked where something is.

Question 8

Translate to Japanese:

there (close to the listener)

Answer 8

そこ

soko

soko (そこ) is used when referring to a place closer to the listener’s location.

Question 9

Translate to Japanese:

there (far away from the speaker and listener)

Answer 9

あそこ

asoko

asoko (あそこ) is used when talking about a place that is far away from everyone involved in a conversation.

Question 10

Translate to Japanese:

There is a car over there.

Answer 10

そこにくるまがあります。

Soko ni kuruma ga arimasu.

there is / are = ga arimasu (があります)

at / to = ni (に)

ga (が) marks the noun that exists and arimasu (あります) is the verb “to exist”. They come together to mean “there is (noun)”.

Note: arimasu (あります) is used for inanimate or non-living objects, not for people or animals.

Question 11

Translate to Japanese:

There are a lot of people here.

Answer 11

ここにおおぜいのひとがいます。

Koko ni oozei no hito ga imasu.

Remember, because we’re talking about people, we need to change our “to exist” verb to imasu (います), which is used for living beings such as humans and animals.

Question 12

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 12

あそこにとてもおおきいいえがあります。

(Asoko ni totemo ookii ie ga arimasu.)

Translation:

There is a very large house over there.

Question 13

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 13

Man: そこにくるまがありますか。(Soko ni kuruma ga arimasu ka.)

Woman: はい、くるまがにだいあります！(Hai, kuruma ga nidai arimasu!)

Translation:

Man: Is there a car there?

Woman: Yes, there are two cars!

Note: To say “there is/are a [number] of something,” Japanese puts the number + counter right before the verb “to exist” (あります):

noun + ga (が) + number & counter + arimasu (あります).

Question 14

Translate to Japanese:

big dog

Answer 14

おおきいいぬ

ookii inu

dog = inu (いぬ)

If you’re a dog lover, you’ve probably heard inu (いぬ) before in reference to the popular Japanese breed, the “shiba inu”.

Question 15

Translate to Japanese:

Is [the] dog big?

Answer 15

いぬはおおきいですか。

Inu wa ookii desu ka.

Question 16

Translate to Japanese:

Is [the] cat small?

Answer 16

ねこはちいさいですか。

Neko wa chiisai desu ka.

cat = neko (ねこ)

Question 17

Translate to Japanese:

new car

Answer 17

あたらしいくるま

atarashii kuruma

new / modern = atarashii (あたらしい)

Question 18

Translate to Japanese:

old car

Answer 18

ふるいくるま

furui kuruma

old = furui (ふるい)

Question 19

Translate to Japanese:

kind person

Answer 19

やさしいひと

yasashii hito

kind = yasashii (やさしい)

When yasashii (やさしい) is used with a person (or animal), it means “kind” or “gentle”.

When used with an object, task, or action, the meaning changes to “easy” or “simple”.

Question 20

Translate to Japanese:

old man

Answer 20

おじいさん

ojiisan

grandfather / older man = ojiisan (おじいさん)

Japanese doesn’t typically use the adjective “old” to describe people.

Family terms are often used to politely refer to older people in general.

Question 21

Translate to Japanese:

kind old woman

Answer 21

やさしいおばあさん

yasashii obaasan

grandmother / older woman = obaasan (おばあさん)

Japanese doesn’t typically use the adjective “old” to describe people.

Family terms are often used to politely refer to older people in general.

Question 22

Translate to Japanese:

young dog

Answer 22

わかいいぬ

wakai inu

young = wakai (わかい)

Question 23

Translate to Japanese:

young man

Answer 23

おにいさん

oniisan

older brother = oniisan (おにいさん)

This term is also used as a polite way to address a young man.

Adjectives like “young” and “old” can describe people, but family terms are often used instead.

Question 24

Translate to Japanese:

young woman

Answer 24

おねえさん

oneesan

older sister = oneesan (おねえさん)

This term is also used for a stranger who appears to be a young woman.

Question 25

# Translate to Japanese: baby

Answer 25

あかちゃん | akachan

Question 26

# Translate to Japanese: _cute_ baby

Answer 26

かわいいあかちゃん | _kawaii_ akachan ## Footnote cute = *kawaii* (かわいい)

Question 27

# Translate to Japanese: good

Answer 27

いい | ii ## Footnote good = *ii* (いい) You can use this adjective to modify a noun, such as “a good dog,” or to reply to a question like “How is it?” with “It’s good!” You might also encounter *yoi* (よい), which is more formal and appears in set expressions or written language.

Question 28

# Translate to Japanese: handsome

Answer 28

かっこいい | kakkoii ## Footnote *kakkoii* (かっこいい) can be used for men, women, objects, scenery, etc. that are "cool", "stylish", "attractive", or "good looking".

Question 29

# Translate to Japanese: Masa is good looking.

Answer 29

まさはかっこいいです。 | Masa wa kakkoii desu.

Question 30

# Translate to Japanese: _pretty_ woman

Answer 30

きれいなおんなのひと | _kireina_ onnanohito ## Footnote pretty = *kirei* (きれい) Note: This is one of the two main types of adjectives in Japanese, a *na* (な) adjective. Although *kirei* (きれい) is the base form of the adjective, you **must** add *na* (な) when using it to modify a noun. If used after or without a noun ("[It's/She's/He's/They're] pretty."), the *na* (な) is dropped: "(It's) pretty." - *kirei desu* (きれいです。)

Question 31

# Translate to Japanese: _beautiful_ woman

Answer 31

うつくしいおんなのひと | _utsukushii_ onnanohito ## Footnote beautiful = *utsukushii* (うつくしい) This word can also be translated as "gorgeous". Using *utsukushii* (うつくしい) indicates a sense of awe or an emotional response to something beautiful.

Question 32

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 32

わあ、かわいいあかちゃんですね。 | (Waa, kawaii akachan desu ne.) ## Footnote _Translation_: "Wow, [that's] a cute baby, isn't it?" *waa* (わあ) = "wow"

Question 33

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 33

- **Man**: そこはきれいですか。(Soko wa kirei desu ka.) - **Woman**: はい、とてもきれいです！(Hai, totemo kirei desu!) ## Footnote _Translation_: Man: "Is it pretty there?" Woman: "Yes, it's so pretty!"