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Grammar detail: adjective negative forms

adjective negative forms
248 words
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い adjectives - negative form
replace the い
from an
い adjective
with
く
+
ない
い adjectives, and forms such as the ~たい form which function as い adjectives, can be made negative by replacing the い with くない.
あか
赤
い (red)
あか
赤
くない (not red)
み
見
たい (want to see)
み
見
たくない (don't want to see)
でも、
いま
今
はわかくないです。
But, she isn't young now.
きょう
今日
はさむいから
そと
外
に
い
行
きたくない
です。
I don't want to go outside today, because it's cold.
い adjective - いい (good) is unique
いい was originally よい, and that form is still how it is read when written with its kanji (良い). It is conjugated as follows:
いいgood
よくないnot good
conjugating the negative い adjective to form くて - 'and'
replace the い
from the
ない form
with
くて
おお
大
きい (big)
おお
大
きくなくて (not big and...)
さむ
寒
い (cold)
さむ
寒
くなくて (not cold and...)
この
まち
町
は
おお
大
きくなくて
しずかです。
This town is not big, and it’s quiet.
きのうは
さむ
寒
くなくて
よかったです。
It wasn’t cold yesterday, so that was good.
このケーキは
あま
甘
くなくて
おいしいです。
This cake is not sweet, and it’s tasty.
conjugating the negative い adjective to form なかった - 'was not'
replace the い
from the
ない form
with
かった
さむ
寒
くない (not cold)
さむ
寒
くなかった (was not cold)
たか
高
くない (not expensive, tall)
たか
高
くなかった (was not expensive, was not tall)
きのう
昨日
はあまり
さむ
寒
くなかった
。
It was not very cold yesterday.
それは
たか
高
くなかった
。
It wasn't expensive.
The past negative form of いい is as follows:
いいgood
よくなかったwas not good
In older Japanese, the form ~くないです (is not ~) may be replaced with the more literary sounding ~くありません.
いま
今
は
さんぽ
散歩
に
で
出
たくありません
。
I don't feel like taking a walk now.
でも、そのことをほかの
にん
人
に
し
知
られたくありませんでした
。
However, he didn't want that to be known by anyone else.
Source: The Nose (Ryutagawa)
This can sometimes be interposed with は - for example, やりたくはありません.
な adjectives
な adjectives are negated by using the appropriate negative form of です.
しずか (quiet)
しずかです (is quiet)
しずかではありません (is not quiet)
しずかなところ (a quiet place)
しずかではないところ (a place that is not quiet)
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Kanji used in this grammar

赤
セキ   シャク   あか    あかい red   あからむ to turn red   あからめる to blush   
見
ケン   みる to see   みえる to be seen; to appear   みせる to show   
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良
リョウ   よい good   
大
ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
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寒
カン   さむい cold   
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高
コウ   expensive; high   たか    たかい expensive, tall, high   たかまる to be elevated   たかめる to promote, heighten   
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今
コン   キン   いま now   
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日
ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
外
ガイ   ゲ   そと outside   ほか other   はずす to remove, mislead   はずれる to come off, to miss   
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行
コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆく    いく to go   おこなう to take place   
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町
チョウ   まち town   
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甘
カン   あまい sweet, indulgent   あまえる to behave like a spoiled child   あまやかす to pamper   
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昨
サク    yesterday   
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散
サン   ちらす to scatter, to distribute   ちらかす to scatter around   ちらかる to be in disorder   ちる to fall (leaves etc)   
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歩
ホ   フ   ブ   あるく    あゆむ to walk   
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出
シュツ   スイ   だす to take out, to put out   でる to go out, to exit   
人
ジン   ニン   ひと person   
知
チ   しる to know   
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