い-Adjective + (Noun)
Describing a noun
Structure
Examples:
かわいい + 猫
新しい + 車
寒い + 冬
Explanation
In the Japanese language, you can place a word directly before a noun to describe or further specify it. However, the way you connect the word to the noun changes based on the type of word you are using.
For い-Adjectives, you can connect them to a noun by simply placing the adjective in its standard dictionary form in front of it.
- 新い本。A new book.
- おいしい料理。Delicious food.
Caution
When trying to figure out if a word is an い-Adjective, a good rule of thumb is to see if the final い is written as hiragana, separate from any preceding kanji. Conversely, this does not mean that all な-Adjectives will have their final い sound contained within a kanji.
楽しい - The final い is written in hiragana, so 'fun' is almost certainly an い-Adjective.
有名 - The 'i' sound is part of the kanji reading, so 'famous' is definitely not an い-Adjective.
An important exception to the rule mentioned above is 嫌い. Even though the い is written outside of the kanji, 'dislike' is a な-Adjective. Fortunately, you can be confident that over 99% of adjectives with a final hiragana い will be true い-Adjectives!
Examples
赤い花。
A red flower.
若い男の人がいる。
There is a young man.
つまらない話。
A boring story.
暑い日。
A hot day.
高い服を着ます。
To wear expensive clothes.
甘いお菓子を食べる。
To eat sweet snacks.
白いシャツを着る。
To wear a white shirt.
危ない仕事をする。
To do a dangerous job.
青い海は美しい。
The blue sea is beautiful.
「広い公園です。」
'It is a spacious park.'
「彼女は明るい人でしょう？」
'She's a cheerful person, isn't she?'
「近いコンビニはあそこです。」
'The nearest convenience store is over there.'