User:Swift/Font test

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Watch and Listen[edit | edit source]

Listen to the teacher read the following phrases, or click About this sound here to listen on your computer.

Adjective Noun Adjective and noun
元気(げんき)だ。 (ひと)だ。 元気(げんき)(ひと)だ。
奇麗(きれい)だ。 (おんな)だ。 奇麗(きれい)(おんな)だ。
ハンサムだ。 (おとこ)だ。 ハンサムな(おとこ)だ。
優秀(ゆうしゅう)だ。 学生(がくせい)だ。 優秀(ゆうしゅう)学生(がくせい)だ。
有名(ゆうめい)だ。 歌手(かしゅ)だ。 有名(ゆうめい)歌手(かしゅ)だ。
大切(たいせつ)だ。 授業(じゅぎょう)だ。 大切(たいせつ)授業(じゅぎょう)だ。
簡単(かんたん)だ。 宿題(しゅくだい)だ。 簡単(かんたん)宿題(しゅくだい)だ。

Vocabulary[edit | edit source]

Japanese English Reading Notes
Nouns
person, peopleひと
womanおんな
manおとこ
授業class (session, not group of people), lectureじゅぎょう
Japanese English Reading Notes
な-adjectives
奇麗beautiful; clean, tidyきれい
ハンサムhandsomeハンサム
優秀excellentゆうしゅう
有名famousゆうめい
大切importantたいせつ
簡単simple, easyかんたん
宿題homeworkしゅくだい


Grammar[edit | edit source]

There are two types of adjectives in modern Japanese: な- and い-adjectives. Both are descriptive and modify nouns. They describe nouns and form predicates differently. The な-adjectives (形容動詞, けいようどうし) conjugate with nouns by appending "〜な" before the following noun.

な-Adjective Predicates[edit | edit source]

When used as predicates, な-adjectives behave just like nouns:

<な-adjective> です

Examples:

Japanese English Reading Notes
奇麗です。(She) is pretty. (formal)きれいです。
有名です。(It) is famous. (formal)ゆうめいです。
簡単です。(This) is simple. (formal)かんたん
元気だ。(I'm) well. (informal)げんきだ。
ハンサムだ。(He) is handsome. (informal)ハンサムだ。
優秀だ。(They) are bright. (informal)ゆうしゅうだ。
大切だ。(That) is important. (informal)たいせつだ。


Note that the pronouns are usually dropped when they can be inferred from context. The pronouns in the English version are examples only to make better formed English sentences. For example, "元気(げんき)だ" can mean any of: "I'm well," "He's well," "They're well," etc.

な-Adjectives noun modifierss[edit | edit source]

When modifying nouns, な-adjectives take a "な" before the nouns:

<な-adjective> な <noun> です

Examples:

English Adjective noun sentence
a healthy person 元気(げんき) (ひと) 元気(げんき)(ひと)です。
a famous doctor 有名(ゆうめい) 医者(いしゃ) 有名(ゆうめい)医者(いしゃ)です。
an important class 大切(たいせつ) 授業(じゅぎょう) 大切(たいせつ)授業(じゅぎょう)です。

Practice[edit | edit source]

Translate the following sentences into Japanese:

Template:Col-2t Formal Japanese

  1. I am well.
  2. He is bright.
  3. She is famous.
  4. That is simple.
  5. She is a pretty woman.
  6. He is a healthy man.
  7. This is an important class.
  8. They are bright students.

Template:Col-2m Informal Japanese

  1. He is famous.
  2. She is well.
  3. They are bright.
  4. This is important.
  5. He is a handsome man.
  6. She is an important person.
  7. This is a tidy classroom.
  8. They are healthy students.

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