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Grammar detail: の adjectives

の adjectives
142 words
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Many Japanese words, almost always nouns or pronouns, can be used as adjectives by adding の at the end.
えいえん
永遠
あい
eternal love
ひんし
瀕死
じゅうしょう
重傷
a life-threatening injury
たて
じまのシャツ
(vertically) striped shirt
Some words can be used as の adjectives or other forms of adjective. For, example,
あお
actually has three forms of adjective:
あお
いセータ
a blue sweater
あお
きも
気持
a blue feeling
あお
じかん
時間
a blue time
Note that Japanese do not typically use the usual word for adjectives (
けいようし
形容詞
) when referring to these words. In Japanese, 形容詞 is reserved for words which are also
ようげん
用言
, or 'inflectable'. The addition of の is not considered an inflection, so these words are classed in Japanese as
れんたいし
連体詞
, which is usually translated as 'pre-noun adjectival' or just 'rentaishi'. In English, however, the equivalent word used in a translated sentence is typically an adjective, so this distinction is somewhat academic.
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Kanji used in this grammar

エイ   long time   なが long (time)   
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エン   オン   far away   とお far   
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アイ    love   
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ヒン to face   
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シ   death   し die   
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ジュウ   チョウ   おも heavy   かさなる to be piled up   かさねる to pile up   え -fold, -ply   
ショウ   きず wound   いた to go bad, be damaged   いためる to injure   
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ジュウ   たて vertical, length   
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セイ   ショウ   あお-    あお blue   
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キ   ケ    spirit   
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ジ   も to hold, to have   
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ジ   とき time, occasion   
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カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
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ケイ   ギョウ   shape   かたち    かた    
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ヨウ    contents   
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シ    part of speech, words, poetry   
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ヨウ   もちいる to use   
ゲン   ゴン   say; word   こと word, saying   い to say   
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レン   つれる to take, to lead   つらねる to line up   つらなる to extend   
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タイ   テイ   からだ body   
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