Lesson 22: おいしい・きれい

N5 · Lesson 22 · 18 min — い-adjectives and な-adjectives: say what things are like, and put them before nouns

So far you can say "what is this" and "what I did". In this lesson you add adjectives, so you can say what things are like! Japanese adjectives come in two groups: い-adjectives and な-adjectives. Here we learn only the most common form: present and affirmative. Let's read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use 〜いです to say "it's delicious" or "it's expensive"
• Use な-adjective + です to say "it's quiet" or "it's pretty" (no な)
• Say "delicious ramen" and "a quiet town", and ask "what kind of ~?" with どんな

The Famous Ramen Shop

Back in the old Yanaka streets near school. A quiet little town with a famous shop that has a line... (町まち = town, neighborhood; 店みせ = shop; 大おおきい = big)

I-adjectives take です directly; before a noun, na-adjectives need な. Rin keeps feeling this old street looks like Grandpa's photo...

Adjectives for describing things

• おいしい (oishii): delicious, tasty
• 高たかい (takai): expensive; tall, high
• 安やすい (yasui): cheap, inexpensive
• 大おおきい (ōkii): big
• 小ちいさい (chiisai): small
• 新あたらしい (atarashii): new
• 古ふるい (furui): old (not new)
• いい (ii): good, nice
• かわいい (kawaii): cute
• きれい (kirei): pretty, beautiful; clean
• 静しずか (shizuka): quiet
• にぎやか (nigiyaka): lively, busy
• 有名ゆうめい (yūmei): famous
• 元気げんき (genki): energetic, healthy
• 町まち (machi): town, neighborhood
• 家いえ (ie): house, home
• 花はな (hana): flower
• 店みせ (mise): shop
• どんな (donna): what kind of ~

Grammar 1 / 3: 〜いです

Add です right after an い-adjective: おいしいです = It's delicious

• Nは + adjective + です: Just like AはBです, but B is an adjective: この 店みせは 安やすいです (This shop is cheap).
• です works like "is": In English you need "is": "The ramen is delicious." In Japanese, adjective + です is already a full, polite sentence. おいしいです = "(It) is delicious." No extra word is needed. (To say "very", you'll learn a special word later.)
• Questions: add か: 高たかいですか (Is it expensive?) → はい、高たかいです。 How to say "not expensive" comes in the next lesson.

• この ラーメンは おいしいです。 — This ramen is delicious.
• この 店みせは 安やすいです。 — This shop is cheap.
• あの 家いえは 大おおきいですね。 — That house is so big!
• この かさは 新あたらしいです。 — This umbrella is new.
• この かさは かわいいですね。 — This umbrella is so cute!
• その ケーキは 高たかいですか。 — Is that cake expensive?

Grammar 2 / 3: な-adjectives

Add です right after a な-adjective too: 静しずかです = It's quiet (no な here)

• Same pattern as nouns: Add です to a な-adjective just as you do in がくせいです: 静しずかです, にぎやかです, 元気げんきです.
• きれい and 有名ゆうめい are traps: These two words sound like they end in い (きれい, ゆうめい) but are な-adjectives. You can't see the difference when saying "is ~", but before a noun (next grammar point) you need な: きれいな 花はな.
• Questions: add か again: 有名ゆうめいですか (Is it famous?) → はい、有名ゆうめいです。

• この 町まちは 静しずかです。 — This town is quiet.
• 駅えきは にぎやかです。 — The station is busy.
• あの 店みせは 有名ゆうめいです。 — That shop is famous.
• この 花はなは きれいですね。 — This flower is so pretty!
• せんせいは 元気げんきです。 — The teacher is full of energy.

Grammar 3 / 3: Before nouns

い-adjectives go straight before a noun; な-adjectives add な first

• い-adjective: attach directly: 大おおきい + 家いえ = 大おおきい 家いえ. Add nothing in the middle.
• な-adjective: add な: きれい + な + 花はな = きれいな 花はな. な shows up only before a noun. At the end of a sentence it is still きれいです.
• Don't add の: の goes after a noun (わたしの かさ). Adjectives join nouns without の: おいしい ラーメン, 静しずかな 町まち.
• どんな + noun?: To ask "what kind of ~?", use どんな: どんな 町まちですか。→ 静しずかな 町まちです。 Like この and その, どんな is always followed by a noun.

• 大おおきい 家いえですね。 — What a big house!
• ここは 有名ゆうめいな 店みせです。 — This is a famous shop.
• おいしい ラーメンを 食たべました。 — I ate delicious ramen.
• きれいな 花はなが あります。 — There are pretty flowers.
• いい 店みせですね。 — It's a nice shop, isn't it?
• どんな 町まちですか。 — What kind of town is it?
• 静しずかな 町まちです。 — It's a quiet town.