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Grammar detail: adjective negative forms

adjective negative forms
248 words
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い adjectives - negative form
replace the
from an
い adjective
with
+
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
(red)
あか
くない (not red)
(want to see)
くない (don't want to see)
でも
いま
わかくないです
But, she isn't young now.
きょう
今日
さむいから
そと
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
from the
form
with
くて
おお
(big)
おお
くなくて (not big and...)
さむ
(cold)
さむ
くなくて (not cold and...)
この
まち
おお
きくなくて
しずかです
This town is not big, and it’s quiet.
きのう
さむ
くなくて
よかったです
It wasn’t cold yesterday, so that was good.
このケーキ
あま
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
from the
form
with
かった
さむ
くな (not cold)
さむ
くなかった (was not cold)
たか
くな (not expensive, tall)
たか
くなかった (was not expensive, was not tall)
きのう
昨日
あまり
さむ
くなかった

It was not very cold yesterday.
それ
たか
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
さんぽ
散歩
たくありません

I don't feel like taking a walk now.
でもそのことほか
にん
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

セキ   シャク   あか    あか red   あからむ to turn red   あからめる to blush   
ケン   み to see   みえる to be seen; to appear   みせる to show   
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リョウ   よ good   
ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
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カン   さむ cold   
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コウ   expensive; high   たか    たか expensive, tall, high   たかまる to be elevated   たかめる to promote, heighten   
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コン   キン   いま now   
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ニチ   ジツ   sun; day   ひ    -か    
ガイ   ゲ   そと outside   ほか other   はず to remove, mislead   はずれる to come off, to miss   
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コウ   ギョウ   アン   ゆ    い to go   おこな to take place   
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チョウ   まち town   
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カン   あま sweet, indulgent   あまえる to behave like a spoiled child   あまやかす to pamper   
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サク    yesterday   
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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 to fall (leaves etc)   
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ホ   フ   ブ   ある    あゆ to walk   
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シュツ   スイ   だ to take out, to put out   で to go out, to exit   
ジン   ニン   ひと person   
チ   し to know   
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