Want to master Japanese adjectives?

You’ll need them if you want to speak more Japanese. Adjectives are the essential describing words in Japanese used to express qualities, states, and feelings.

This Japanese adjectives list gives you the top 100+ Japanese adjectives with kanji, hiragana, English meanings, and examples. You’ll also learn about -i vs -na Japanese adjectives and how to tell the difference. And if you want to learn Japanese online, check out our free bonus below.

Free PDF: Japanese Adjectives List Review the essential list of Japanese adjectives with their meanings, readings, and example sentences in this free PDF cheat sheet. Get the Free Japanese Adjectives List PDF

Table of Contents

1. Japanese Adjective Rules: I-Adjectives and Na-Adjectives
2. How to Connect Japanese Adjectives
3. Describing Dimension, Size, Distance & Number
4. Describing Value
5. Describing Sense
6. Japanese Adjectives for Personality & Feelings
7. Describing Speed, Difficulty, Importance, etc.
8. Describing Colors
9. Describing Shapes
10. Describing Weather
11. Japanese Adjectives for Food: Describing Taste
12. Describing Situations
13. Describing Physical Traits or Physical Conditions
14. Describing Appearance and Condition
15. Frequently Asked Questions
16. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Will Teach You Japanese

1. Japanese Adjective Rules: I-Adjectives and Na-Adjectives

Before you get to the vocabulary, it’s good to know how Japanese adjectives work.

Japanese adjectives can appear before a noun or at the end of a sentence. The two Japanese adjective types are い-adjectives and な-adjectives, but you’ll also see a few noun-based and descriptive forms in the vocabulary list below.

Japanese Adjective Types at a Glance

Japanese adjectives are mainly divided into い-adjectives and な-adjectives. The vocabulary list also includes some noun-based expressions and descriptive forms that are useful for everyday Japanese.

• い-adjectives: Usually end in い in their dictionary form. They can directly modify a noun.
  • Example: 大きい犬 (ōkii inu) — “big dog”
  • At the end of a sentence: 犬は大きいです (inu wa ōkii desu) — “The dog is big.”
• な-adjectives: Use な before a noun.
  • Example: 静かな部屋 (shizuka na heya) — “quiet room”
  • At the end of a sentence, な is removed: 部屋は静かです (heya wa shizuka desu) — “The room is quiet.”
• Noun + の: Some descriptive words use の to modify a noun rather than な.
  • Example: 緑の車 (midori no kuruma) — “green car”
• Descriptive expressions: Some entries are common descriptive forms, such as 怒った (okotta, “angry”) and きちんとした (kichin to shita, “neat”). These are useful expressions but are not standard dictionary-form い-adjectives or な-adjectives.

One common exception: きれい (kirei) ends in い but is a な-adjective. For example, きれいな部屋 (kirei na heya) means “clean room.”

2. How to Connect Japanese Adjectives

When listing several adjectives in Japanese, the form you use depends on whether the adjective is an い-adjective or a な-adjective.

For い-adjectives, replace the final い (i) with くて (kute).

• 大きい + 重い → 大きくて重い 
• ōkii + omoi → ōkikute omoi
• “big and heavy”

For な-adjectives, replace な (na) with で (de) when connecting the adjectives.

• 静かな + きれいな → 静かで​​きれいな 
• shizuka na + kirei na → shizuka de kirei na
• “quiet and beautiful”

You can use these forms to connect two or more adjectives in the same sentence. For example, 大きくて静かな部屋 (ōkikute shizuka na heya) means “a big and quiet room.”

One important exception is いい (ii), meaning “good.” When connecting it to another adjective, いい changes to よくて (yokute). For example, よくて安い (yokute yasui) means “good and inexpensive.”

3. Describing Dimension, Size, Distance & Number

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
1	ōkii	大きい	おおきい	big	い-adjective
2	chiisai	小さい	ちいさい	small	い-adjective
3	hiroi	広い	ひろい	wide	い-adjective
4	semai	狭い	せまい	narrow	い-adjective
5	takai	高い	たかい	tall	い-adjective
6	hikui	低い	ひくい	short; low	い-adjective
7	omoi	重い	おもい	heavy	い-adjective
8	karui	軽い	かるい	light	い-adjective
9	chikai	近い	ちかい	close	い-adjective
10	tōi	遠い	とおい	far	い-adjective
11	ōi	多い	おおい	many	い-adjective
12	sukunai	少ない	すくない	few	い-adjective

Quick Tip: How to Say “Short” in Japanese — 低い (hikui) vs. 短い (mijikai)

Japanese uses two distinct words for “short” depending on what you are describing:

• 低い (hikui): Used for height or vertical altitude
  • 背が低い se ga hikui – short in height / short stature
  • 低い山 hikui yama – low/short mountain
• 短い (mijikai): Used for length or duration
  • 短いスカート mijikai sukāto – short skirt
  • 短い時間 mijikai jikan – a short period of time

2- Example Sentences

Here are simple Japanese sentences to read using these adjectives:

• 部屋に大きいベッドと小さい椅子があります。
  • Heya ni ōkii beddo to chiisai isu ga arimasu.
  • There is a big bed and a small chair in the room.
• このカバンは重いです。
  • Kono kaban wa omoi desu.
  • This bag is heavy.
• 駅はここから遠いです。
  • Eki wa koko kara tōi desu.
  • The station is far from here.
• あそこに高いビルがあります。
  • Asoko ni takai biru ga arimasu.
  • There is a tall building there.

If you’re looking for more printable study materials, visit our Free Japanese PDF lessons page.

4. Describing Value

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
13	yoi	良い	よい	good	い-adjective
14	warui	悪い	わるい	bad	い-adjective
15	subarashii	素晴らしい	すばらしい	great	い-adjective
16	hidoi	ひどい	ひどい	awful; terrible	い-adjective
17	utsukushii	美しい	うつくしい	beautiful	い-adjective
18	minikui	醜い	みにくい	ugly	い-adjective
19	kōka na	高価な	こうかな	expensive	な-adjective
20	yasui	安い	やすい	cheap	い-adjective

2- Example Sentences

• 私はテストで良い結果を出した。
  • Watashi wa tesuto de yoi kekka wo dashita.
  • I got a good result on the test.
• そこから素晴らしい眺めが見えます。
  • Soko kara subarashii nagame ga miemasu.
  • You can see a great view from there.
• あの女性はとても美しいです。
  • Ano josei wa totemo utsukushii desu.
  • That lady is very beautiful.
• この安いカメラはすぐに壊れました。
  • Kono yasui kamera wa sugu ni kowaremashita.
  • This cheap camera broke instantly.

5. Describing Sense

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
21	yawarakai	柔らかい	やわらかい	soft	い-adjective
22	katai	硬い・固い	かたい	hard	い-adjective
23	tsuyoi	強い	つよい	strong	い-adjective
24	yowai	弱い	よわい	weak	い-adjective
25	nameraka na	滑らかな	なめらかな	smooth	な-adjective
26	arai	荒い	あらい	rough	い-adjective
27	fukuzatsu na	複雑な	ふくざつな	complicated	な-adjective

2- Example Sentences

• この西陣織は柔らかい素材です。
  • Kono Nishijin-ori wa yawarakai sozai desu.
  • This Nishijin-ori is soft material.
• 彼女は強い男性が好きです。
  • Kanojo wa tsuyoi dansei ga suki desu.
  • She likes strong men.
• ダイヤモンドは硬い石です。
  • Daiyamondo wa katai ishi desu.
  • Diamond is a hard stone.
• その問題は複雑です。
  • Sono mondai wa fukuzatsu desu.
  • The problem is complicated.

6. Japanese Adjectives for Personality & Feelings

Looking for Japanese adjectives to describe a person? Here are the best Japanese adjectives to describe someone’s personality or feelings.

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
28	omoshiroi	面白い	おもしろい	funny; interesting	い-adjective
29	shitashimiyasui	親しみやすい	したしみやすい	friendly	い-adjective
30	otonashii	大人しい	おとなしい	quiet	い-adjective
31	ganko na	頑固な	がんこな	stubborn	な-adjective
32	yasashii	優しい	やさしい	amiable; thoughtful	い-adjective
33	ureshii	嬉しい	うれしい	happy	い-adjective
34	kanashii	悲しい	かなしい	sad	い-adjective
35	shakōteki na	社交的な	しゃこうてきな	sociable	な-adjective
36	kodoku na	孤独な	こどくな	lonely	な-adjective
37	okotta	怒った	おこった	angry	descriptive expression

2- Example Sentences

• 彼女は頑固な人です。
  • Kanojo wa ganko na hito desu.
  • She is a stubborn person.
• 私は面白い人が大好きです。
  • Watashi wa omoshiroi hito ga daisuki desu.
  • I really like a funny person.
• 試験に合格したので嬉しいです。
  • Shiken ni gōkaku shita node ureshii desu.
  • I am happy because I passed the exam.
• 彼は社交的な学生です。
  • Kare wa shakōteki na gakusei desu.
  • He is a sociable student.

7. Describing Speed, Difficulty, Importance, etc.

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
38	hayai	速い	はやい	fast	い-adjective
39	osoi	遅い	おそい	slow	い-adjective
40	kantan na	簡単な	かんたんな	easy	な-adjective
41	muzukashii	難しい	むずかしい	difficult	い-adjective
42	jyūyō na	重要な	じゅうような	important	な-adjective
43	atarashii	新しい	あたらしい	new	い-adjective
44	furui	古い	ふるい	old	い-adjective
45	majime na	真面目な	まじめな	serious	な-adjective

2- Example Sentences

• インターネットが遅いのでビデオ電話ができません。
  • Intānetto ga osoi node bideo-denwa ga dekimasen.
  • I can’t make a video-call because the internet is slow.
• これは簡単な問題です。
  • Kore wa kantan na mondai desu.
  • This is an easy problem.
• 私は新しい携帯電話が欲しいです。
  • Watashi wa atarashii keitai denwa ga hoshii desu.
  • I want a new mobile phone.
• 彼は真面目な会議で笑い出しました。
  • Kare wa majime na kaigi de waraidashimashita.
  • He started laughing at a serious meeting.

8. Describing Colors

1- Vocabulary

“Color” is iro in Japanese.

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
46	akai	赤い	あかい	red	い-adjective
47	aoi	青い	あおい	blue	い-adjective
48	midori no	緑の	みどりの	green	noun + の
49	kiiroi	黄色い	きいろい	yellow	い-adjective
50	kuroi	黒い	くろい	black	い-adjective
51	shiroi	白い	しろい	white	い-adjective
52	kurai	暗い	くらい	dark	い-adjective
53	akarui	明るい	あかるい	light; bright	い-adjective
54	azayaka na	鮮やかな	あざやかな	vivid	な-adjective
55	bon’yari shita	−	ぼんやりした	dull	descriptive expression

2- Example Sentences

• りんごは赤い種類と緑の種類があります。
  • Ringo wa akai shurui to midori no shurui ga arimasu.
  • Apples have a red kind and a green kind.
• 白いライオンを見たことがありますか。
  • Shiroi raion o mita koto ga arimasu ka.
  • Have you seen white lions?
• 私は暗い色の服が好きです。
  • Watashi wa kurai iro no fuku ga suki desu.
  • I like clothes with dark colors.
• その浴衣は鮮やかな色が特徴です。
  • Sono yukata wa azayaka na iro ga tokuchō desu.
  • That Yukata is characterized by vivid colors.

9. Describing Shapes

1- Vocabulary

“Shape” is katachi in Japanese.

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
56	marui	丸い・円い	まるい	round	い-adjective
57	shikakui	四角い	しかくい	square	い-adjective
58	sankaku no	三角の	さんかくの	triangular	noun + の
59	chōhōkei no	長方形の	ちょうほうけいの	rectangular	noun + の
60	kyūtai no	球体の	きゅうたいの	spherical	noun + の
61	rippōtai no	立方体の	りっぽうたいの	cubic	noun + の

2- Example Sentences

• その丸い鏡を見てください。
  • Sono marui kagami o mite kudasai.
  • Please look at the round mirror.
• ゴミはあの四角い箱に入れてください。
  • Gomi wa ano shikakui hako ni irete kudasai.
  • Please put trash in that square garbage bin.
• 地球は球体の形をしています。
  • Chikyū wa kyūtai no katachi o shite imasu.
  • The earth has a spherical shape.
• この建築は立方体の形が有名です。
  • Kono kenchiku wa rippōtai no katachi ga yūmei desu.
  • This architecture is famous for its cubic shape.

10. Describing Weather

Here are some adjectives to help you talk about weather in Japanese.

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
62	atsui	暑い	あつい	hot	い-adjective
63	samui	寒い	さむい	cold	い-adjective
64	mushimushi shita	蒸し蒸しした	むしむしした	humid	descriptive expression
65	atatakai	暖かい	あたたかい	warm	い-adjective
66	hadazamui	肌寒い	はだざむい	chilly	い-adjective

2- Example Sentences

• 今日は寒いので手袋を持って行ってください。
  • Kyō wa samui node tebukuro o motte itte kudasai.
  • Please take gloves with you because today is cold.
• 夏は30度を超える暑い日が続きます。
  • Natsu wa 30-do o koeru atsui hi ga tsuzukimasu.
  • Hot days with over 30 degrees continue in summer.
• 春は暖かい気候で花見ができます。
  • Haru wa atatakai kikō de hanami ga dekimasu.
  • Spring has a warm climate, and flowers bloom.
• 昨日は肌寒い日でした。
  • Kinō wa hadazamui hi deshita.
  • Yesterday was chilly.

To learn more about weather, please visit our article all about Japanese Weather.

11. Japanese Adjectives for Food: Describing Taste

Here are the most common and important Japanese adjectives for describing food and taste!

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
67	amai	甘い	あまい	sweet	い-adjective
68	shiokarai	塩辛い	しおからい	salty	い-adjective
69	suppai	酸っぱい	すっぱい	sour	い-adjective
70	nigai	苦い	にがい	bitter	い-adjective
71	karai	辛い	からい	spicy; hot	い-adjective
72	oishii	美味しい	おいしい	delicious; tasty	い-adjective
73	mazui	不味い	まずい	tastes bad	い-adjective

2- Example Sentences

• 私は甘いものが大好きです。
  • Watashi wa amai mono ga daisuki desu.
  • I like sweets very much.
• この梅干しは塩辛いので食べられません。
  • Kono umeboshi wa shiokarai node taberaremasen.
  • I can’t eat this Umeboshi because it’s salty.
• 彼は苦いコーヒーが好きです。
  • Kare wa nigai kōhī ga suki desu.
  • He likes bitter coffee.
• 明日は記念日なので美味しいものを食べたい。
  • Ashita wa kinenbi na node oishii mono o tabetai.
  • I want to eat something delicious because tomorrow is an anniversary.

12. Describing Situations

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
74	tanoshii	楽しい	たのしい	fun	い-adjective
75	tsumaranai	−	つまらない	boring	い-adjective
76	anzen na	安全な	あんぜんな	safe; secure	な-adjective
77	kiken na	危険な	きけんな	dangerous	な-adjective
78	kinkyū no	緊急の	きんきゅうの	urgent	noun + の
79	ochitsuita	落ち着いた	おちついた	calm	descriptive expression
80	tadashii	正しい	ただしい	correct; right	い-adjective
81	ayamatta	誤った	あやまった	wrong	descriptive expression

2- Example Sentences

• これは安全な調理器具です。
  • Kore wa anzen na chōri kigu desu.
  • This is safe cooking equipment.
• 私はつまらない映画で寝落ちしました。
  • Watashi wa tsumaranai eiga de neochi shimashita.
  • I fell asleep during the boring movie.
• 彼は危険な橋を渡りました。
  • Kare wa kiken na hashi o watarimashita.
  • He crossed a dangerous bridge.
• いつも正しい行いをしなさい。
  • Itsumo tadashii okonai o shinasai.
  • Always do the right things.

13. Describing Physical Traits or Physical Conditions

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
82	wakai	若い	わかい	young	い-adjective
83	toshioita	年老いた	としおいた	old	descriptive expression
84	genki na	元気な	げんきな	lively	な-adjective
85	byōki no	病気の	びょうきの	sick	noun + の
86	kirei na	綺麗な	きれいな	clean; beautiful	な-adjective
87	kitanai	汚い	きたない	dirty	い-adjective
88	suteki na	素敵な	すてきな	nice	な-adjective
89	hen na	変な	へんな	strange; odd	な-adjective
90	seijō na	正常な	せいじょうな	normal	な-adjective
91	ijō na	異常な	いじょうな	abnormal	な-adjective

2- Example Sentences

• 「若い時の苦労は買ってでもせよ」ということわざがある。
  • “Wakai toki no kurō wa katte demo seyo” to iu kotowaza ga aru.
  • There is a proverb saying “Heavy work in youth is quiet in old age.”
• あの女性は素敵な靴を履いています。
  • Ano josei wa suteki na kutsu o haite imasu.
  • That lady wears nice shoes.
• 異常な症状が出たらすぐに電話してください。
  • Ijō na shōjō ga detara sugu ni denwa shite kudasai.
  • If abnormal symptoms appear, please call me immediately.

14. Describing Appearance and Condition

1- Vocabulary

	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	English	Type
92	kawaii	可愛い	かわいい	pretty; cute	い-adjective
93	kichin to shita	−	きちんとした	neat	descriptive expression
94	miryokuteki na	魅力的な	みりょくてきな	attractive	な-adjective
95	miryoku no nai	魅力のない	みりょくのない	unattractive	descriptive expression
96	futotta	太った	ふとった	fat	descriptive expression
97	yaseta	痩せた	やせた	lean; thin	descriptive expression
98	okanemochi na	お金持ちな	おかねもちな	rich	な-adjective
99	mazushii	貧しい	まずしい	poor	い-adjective
100	heikinteki na	平均的な	へいきんてきな	average	な-adjective

2- Example Sentences

• 彼女はいつもきちんとした服を着ています。
  • Kanojo wa itsumo kichin to shita fuku o kite imasu.
  • She always wears neat clothes.
• 私は平均的な家出身です。
  • Watashi wa heikinteki na ie shusshin desu.
  • I am from an average family.
• 貧しい子供達のために募金をしてください。
  • Mazushii kodomo-tachi no tame ni bokin o shite kudasai.
  • Please donate for poor children.

15. Frequently Asked Questions

What is “adjective” in Japanese?​ 

The Japanese word for adjective is 形容詞 (keiyōshi).

Do all Japanese adjectives end in い?​ 

No. Many い-adjectives end in い, but な-adjectives such as 親切 (shinsetsu) and きれい (kirei) are not い-adjectives. きれい is a な-adjective even though it ends in い.

Is 小さい (chiisai) a な-adjective?​

No. 小さい (chiisai) is an い-adjective, not a な-adjective.

How do you say “big” in Japanese?​ 

Big in Japanese is 大きい (ōkii) and written as おおきい in hiragana.

Where do Japanese adjectives go?​ 

Japanese adjectives go before a noun or at the end of a sentence.

Is “Japanese” an adjective?

In English, “Japanese” is a proper adjective. In the Japanese language, you use the noun 日本 (Nihon, meaning Japan) plus the Japanese particle の (no). 日本の (Nihon no), as in 日本の車 (Nihon no kuruma) becomes “Japanese car.”

16. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Will Teach You Japanese

In this Japanese adjectives lesson, we introduced the top 100+ Japanese adjectives with examples.

If you’d like to learn more about the Japanese language, then join us at JapanesePod101 and we’ll get you speaking Japanese from your very first lesson. JapanesePod101 takes you from lesson 1 to 2 to 3 to conversational fluency.

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