Japanese Adjectives for Beginners: 40 i- and na-Adjectives
🇯🇵 Japanese · 40 cards · A1 · by Haruka Sato
These are the 40 adjectives my beginner students reach for first: big, small, expensive, delicious, busy, kind. Japanese has two types, and you need to know which is which before you can finish a sentence: i-adjectives (高い, 楽しい) conjugate by themselves, while na-adjectives (便利な, 静かな) take な before a noun and じゃない to go negative.
Two traps. 綺麗（きれい）and 嫌い（きらい）end in い but behave like na-adjectives. And 暑い and 熱い are both atsui — one is the weather, one is your coffee, and only the kanji tells you which.
Every card has kanji, kana and romaji, plus one sentence you can use as it is. Read the examples out loud.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 40 cards
| # | Japanese | Pronunciation | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 大きい（おおきい） i-adjective. 大きな＋noun is also common: 大きな家. | ōkii | big, large | もっと大きいサイズはありますか。 Do you have a bigger size? | |
| 2 | 小さい（ちいさい） i-adjective. 小さな also appears before nouns: 小さな声. | chiisai | small, little | この靴はちょっと小さいです。 These shoes are a little small. | |
| 3 | いい（良い） i-adjective, irregular: negative よくない, past よかった (never いかった). The form よい is written and formal; いい is what you say. | ii | good, nice | 今日はいい天気ですね。 Nice weather today, isn't it? | |
| 4 | 悪い（わるい） i-adjective. Said alone, 悪い！or 悪い悪い means "my bad, sorry" — very casual, don't use it with a boss. | warui | bad | 天気が悪いから、家にいます。 The weather's bad, so I'm staying home. | |
| 5 | 高い（たかい） i-adjective. For a tall person say 背が高い, not 高い人. | takai | expensive; high, tall | 東京の家賃は高いです。 Rent in Tokyo is expensive. | |
| 6 | 安い（やすい） i-adjective; example is casual speech. Price only — "cheap-looking, poor quality" is 安っぽい. | yasui | cheap, inexpensive | あの店のパン、安いよ。 The bread at that shop is cheap. | |
| 7 | 新しい（あたらしい） i-adjective. Never used for a young person — that's 若い. | atarashii | new | 新しいスマホが欲しいです。 I want a new phone. | |
| 8 | 古い（ふるい） i-adjective. Things only. For an elderly person say 年を取っている or お年寄り (年上 just means "older than me"). | furui | old (of things) | この古いカメラは、まだ使えます。 This old camera still works. | |
| 9 | 暑い（あつい） i-adjective. Air and weather only. Same sound as 熱い, different kanji. | atsui | hot (weather) | 夏の大阪は本当に暑いです。 Osaka in summer is really hot. | |
| 10 | 寒い（さむい） i-adjective; example is casual. Weather and how your body feels; a cold drink is 冷たい. | samui | cold (weather) | 外は寒いから、上着を持って行って。 It's cold outside, so take a jacket. | |
| 11 | 熱い（あつい） i-adjective. Food, drinks, baths, objects. | atsui | hot (to the touch) | このスープ、まだ熱い！ This soup is still hot! | |
| 12 | 冷たい（つめたい） i-adjective; example is casual (polite: 飲みたいです). About a person it means unkind or distant. | tsumetai | cold (to the touch); cold-hearted | 冷たいビールが飲みたい。 I want a cold beer. | |
| 13 | 美味しい（おいしい） i-adjective, usually written おいしい in kana. うまい is the casual, rougher version. | oishii | delicious, tasty | このラーメン、すごく美味しい！ This ramen is so good! | |
| 14 | 楽しい（たのしい） i-adjective. Describes events and times, not people; a fun person is 面白い人. | tanoshii | fun, enjoyable | 旅行はとても楽しかったです。 The trip was really fun. | |
| 15 | 面白い（おもしろい） i-adjective covering both "interesting" and "amusing"; past form 面白かった. | omoshiroi | interesting, funny | あの映画は面白かったです。 That movie was interesting. | |
| 16 | 難しい（むずかしい） i-adjective. The opposite is 簡単な. | muzukashii | difficult, hard | 漢字は難しいけど、面白いです。 Kanji are hard, but interesting. | |
| 17 | 忙しい（いそがしい） i-adjective. People and periods of time; a crowded place is 人が多い, not 忙しい. | isogashii | busy | 今週はちょっと忙しいです。 I'm a bit busy this week. | |
| 18 | 長い（ながい） i-adjective; example is casual. Length and duration. 話が長い = long-winded. | nagai | long | この列、長いなあ。 This queue is so long. | |
| 19 | 短い（みじかい） i-adjective. For a short person use 背が低い. | mijikai | short (in length or time) | 夏休みは短いです。 Summer vacation is short. | |
| 20 | 多い（おおい） i-adjective. Not used directly before a noun: say 人が多い or たくさんの人, never 多い人. | ōi | many, a lot of | 土日はどこも人が多い。 There are a lot of people everywhere at the weekend. | |
| 21 | 近い（ちかい） i-adjective. Pattern: AはBから近い. | chikai | near, close | 駅はここから近いですか。 Is the station near here? | |
| 22 | 遠い（とおい） i-adjective. Note the long vowel: とおい, tōi. | tōi | far | 実家が遠いので、あまり帰りません。 My parents' place is far away, so I don't go back much. | |
| 23 | 可愛い（かわいい） i-adjective, usually written かわいい. Used for things, animals and people, not only children. | kawaii | cute, adorable | その犬、可愛い！ That dog is cute! | |
| 24 | 速い（はやい） i-adjective for speed. 早い (early in time, e.g. 朝が早い) sounds identical — only the kanji differs. | hayai | fast, quick | 新幹線は本当に速いです。 The Shinkansen is really fast. | |
| 25 | 遅い（おそい） i-adjective with both meanings; context tells you which. | osoi | slow; late | もう遅いですね。帰りましょう。 It's late already. Let's head home. | |
| 26 | 痛い（いたい） i-adjective. Body part ＋ が ＋ 痛い. Said alone, 痛い！＝ "Ouch!" | itai | painful, sore | 歯が痛くて眠れません。 My tooth hurts and I can't sleep. | |
| 27 | 元気な（げんきな） na-adjective (also a noun). 元気ですか is real Japanese but used far less than English "How are you?" — with friends, 元気？ | genki na | healthy, energetic, well | おじいちゃんは今も元気です。 My grandpa is still fit and well. | |
| 28 | 綺麗な（きれいな） na-adjective even though it ends in い: 綺麗な人, 綺麗じゃない. Often written きれい in kana. | kirei na | pretty, beautiful; clean | 京都の紅葉はとても綺麗です。 The autumn leaves in Kyoto are very beautiful. | |
| 29 | 好きな（すきな） na-adjective. What you like takes が, not を: 猫が好きです. | suki na | liked, favourite | 私は甘いものが好きです。 I like sweet things. | |
| 30 | 嫌いな（きらいな） na-adjective ending in い. Fairly strong; 好きじゃない is the softer way to say it. | kirai na | disliked, hated | 納豆は嫌いじゃないです。 I don't dislike natto. | |
| 31 | 上手な（じょうずな） na-adjective. The skill takes が. Avoid it about yourself — it sounds boastful. | jōzu na | good at, skilful | 妹はピアノが上手です。 My little sister is good at the piano. | |
| 32 | 下手な（へたな） na-adjective. Modest and safe about yourself; blunt if you aim it at someone else. | heta na | bad at, unskilled | 歌は下手ですが、カラオケは好きです。 I'm bad at singing, but I like karaoke. | |
| 33 | 簡単な（かんたんな） na-adjective. Past 簡単でした, negative 簡単じゃないです. | kantan na | easy, simple | テストは簡単でした。 The test was easy. | |
| 34 | 便利な（べんりな） na-adjective. Things, places and services, not people. Opposite: 不便な. | benri na | convenient, handy | このアプリは便利ですよ。 This app is handy. | |
| 35 | 静かな（しずかな） na-adjective: 静かな部屋. The adverb form 静かに means "quietly": 静かにしてください. | shizuka na | quiet, calm | この図書館は静かですね。 This library is quiet, isn't it? | |
| 36 | 有名な（ゆうめいな） na-adjective. 〜で有名 ＝ famous for something. | yūmei na | famous, well-known | この店はたこ焼きで有名です。 This shop is famous for its takoyaki. | |
| 37 | 親切な（しんせつな） na-adjective. 〜に親切にする ＝ to be kind to someone. | shinsetsu na | kind, helpful | 隣の人はとても親切です。 My neighbour is very kind. | |
| 38 | 暇な（ひまな） na-adjective, also a noun: 暇がない ＝ to have no free time. | hima na | free (not busy) | 土曜日は暇ですか。 Are you free on Saturday? | |
| 39 | 大丈夫な（だいじょうぶな） na-adjective, but almost always used as 大丈夫です／大丈夫？. Also a polite "no thanks" when refusing something. | daijōbu na | okay, fine, all right | 大丈夫、心配しないで。 It's fine, don't worry. | |
| 40 | 大変な（たいへんな） na-adjective. As an adverb, 大変 means "very" in formal speech: 大変おいしいです. | taihen na | tough, hard-going | 毎日残業で大変です。 Overtime every day is rough. |
Osaka-born, Tokyo-based. I help English speakers get past hiragana into real conversation. Every card has kanji, kana and romaji, because you need all three at the start.
Questions about this deck
- How do I tell an i-adjective from a na-adjective?
- An i-adjective ends in い that belongs to the word itself (高い, 楽しい, 忙しい) and conjugates on its own: 高くない, 高かった. A na-adjective needs な before a noun (便利な店, 静かな部屋) and uses じゃない／でした to change form. The catch is 綺麗（きれい）and 嫌い（きらい）: they end in い but are na-adjectives, so it's 綺麗な人 and 嫌いじゃない. Learn those two as exceptions from day one.
- How do I make these adjectives negative and past?
- For i-adjectives, drop the い: 大きい → 大きくない (not big), 大きかった (was big), 大きくなかった (wasn't big). いい is irregular: よくない, よかった. For na-adjectives, change the copula: 便利じゃない (not convenient), 便利でした (was convenient), 便利じゃなかった. In polite speech, add です: 大きくないです, 便利じゃないです (or the stiffer 便利ではありません).
- What is the difference between 暑い and 熱い? They sound the same.
- Both are read atsui. 暑い is for air and weather: 今日は暑い (it's hot today). 熱い is for what you touch, eat or drink: 熱いお茶 (hot tea), 熱いお風呂 (a hot bath). Their cold counterparts split the same way — 寒い for weather, 冷たい for objects and drinks. In speech only context distinguishes them, which is why the kanji matters.
- Why is it 猫が好きです and not 猫を好きです?
- 好き, 嫌い, 上手 and 下手 are adjectives in Japanese, not verbs, so they can't take the object marker を. The thing you like, hate or do well is marked with が: 猫が好きです (literally "cats are likeable [to me]"), 日本語が上手です. To add the person, use は for the topic: 私は猫が好きです.
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