Components

Grammar detail: Japanese terms for parts of speech

Japanese terms for parts of speech
342 words
My current mastery of this grammar point:
LOG IN to view grammar mastery data
The following is a list of Japanese terms for key parts of speech, as well as standard terms for the intent / purpose of a term or grammatical form.
ひんし
品詞
part of speech
めいし
名詞
noun
こゆうめし
固有名詞
proper noun
けいしきめいし
形式名詞
nominalizer
A nominalizer is a word added to a verb or adjective that turns it into a noun phrase, a very common pattern in Japanese, which contains several nominalizers including の, もの, こと etc. See 形式名詞(けいしきめいし)  nominalizers.
どうし
動詞
verb
じょどうし
助動詞
auxiliary verb
ふくごうどうし
複合動詞
compound verb
けいようし
形容詞
adjective; い adjective
けいようどうし
形容動詞
な adjective
The origin of the term 形容動詞, which literally means 'verb adjective', is interesting. Originally, な adjectives emerged through the addition of なる (become) to a noun (1) - for example
いだい
偉大
なる
かわ
. So they were literally 'adjectives formed through addition of a verb'. Over time, 'なる' became just 'な’.
れんたいし
連体詞
other (not い or な) adjective
ぜんちし
前置詞
preposition
せつびご
接尾語
suffix
じしょけい
辞書形
dictionary form
The form that appears in a dictionary. For a verb, this is the plain form of the present tense. For a noun or adjective, it is the uninflected form.
ふつうけい
普通形
plain form(s) of a word
The plain forms are the 'casual' or 'short' forms. For example, for the verb
べる (eat), 食べる, 食べた, 食べている etc. are all plain forms.
ていねいけい
丁寧形
polite form(s) of a word
ふていし
不定詞
infinitive form (dictionary form)
かつようけい
活用形
conjugated form of a word
しゅうしけい
終止形
predicative form (any form that can be used at the end of a clause or sentence - typically a plain form)
めいれいけい
命令形
imperative form
しえきけい
使役形
causative form
よだんかつよう
四段活用
classical Japanese verb form
じょうけんけい
条件形
conditional form
じょすうし
助数詞
counter
たいひ
対比
comparison
ひてい
否定
negative (also used in a non-linguistic context)
うちけし
打消し
negative (used in a linguistics context only)
きょうちょう
強調
emphasis
かんりゃくか
簡略化
simplification (of a kanji etc.)
ひっしゃ
筆者
cursive (form of a kanji)
かくにん
確認
confirmation
せつめい
説明
explanation
でんぶん
伝聞
hearsay
もくてき
目的
purpose
ふかひ
不可避
inevitability
けいご
敬語
respectful (polite) speech
ふくじょし
副助詞
adverbial particle
ぎたいご
擬態語
mimetic word
Mimetic words sound (roughly) like the item they describe. For example: きらきら, つるつる, さらっと, ぐちゃぐちゃ, どんより etc.
どうぎご
同義語
synonym
Please LOG IN for free flashcards

Kanji used in this grammar

ヒン    elegance   しな goods   
シ    part of speech, words, poetry   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
メイ   ミョウ   な name   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
コ   かた hard   かたまる to harden   かためる to make hard   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ユウ   ウ   あ to possess; to exist   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ケイ   ギョウ   shape   かたち    かた    
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
シキ    ceremony, method, style   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ドウ   うご to move, to stir   うごかす to shift, to move   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジョ   すけ help   たすける to help, save   たすかる to be helped   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
フク    double, multiple   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ゴウ   ガッ   カッ   あ to fit, come together   あわす to match   あわせる to unite, join   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヨウ    contents   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
イ   えら illustrious, famous   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
セン   かわ river   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
レン   つれる to take, to lead   つらねる to line up   つらなる to extend   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
タイ   テイ   からだ body   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ゼン   まえ before   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
チ   お to put   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
セツ   つ to join, contact, touch   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ビ   お tail   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ゴ   かた to talk, relate   かたらう to talk together, chat   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジ   やめる quit   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ショ   か to write   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
フ    universal, generally   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ツ   ツウ   とお to pass through   とお to let pass   かよ to commute   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ショク   ジキ    food   たべる to eat   く to eat   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
チョウ   テイ    a (city) block; counter for long/narrow things, blocks of tofu   
ネイ    preferable, rather; peaceful, quiet   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
フ   ブ    not   
テイ   ジョウ   determined   さだ decidedly, truly   さだめる to decide, determine   さだまる to be determined   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カツ    activity, resuscitation   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヨウ   もちいる to use   
シュウ   end   おわる to come to an end   おえる to bring to an end   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
シ   とめる to stop   とまる to stop   
メイ   ミョウ    life; fate   いのち life   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
レイ    order   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
使
シ   つか to use   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヤク   エキ    office, role; service   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
シ   four   よ    よ    よっ    よん    
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ダン    grade, step, stairs   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ジョウ    twig   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ケン    affair, matter   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
スウ   ス   かず number   かぞえる to count   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
タイ   ツイ    vis-a-vis   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヒ   くらべる to compare   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヒ   いな no   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ダ   う to strike   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ショウ   け to extinguish   きえる to go out   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
キョウ   ゴウ   つよ strong   つよまる to get stronger   つよめる to strengthen   しいる to compel, to force   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
調
チョウ   しらべる to investigate   ととの to be arranged, to be in order   ととのえる to adjust, tune   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カン    simplicity   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
リャク    abbreviation   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カ   ケ   ばける to change   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヒツ   ふで writing brush   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
シャ   もの person, someone   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カク   たし certain   たしかめる to make certain   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ニン   みとめる to recognize, to perceive, to approve of   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
セツ   ゼイ   と to explain, persuade   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
メイ   ミョウ   あかり light   あかるい bright   あかるむ to brighten   あからむ to become luminous (at dawn)   あきらか obvious   あかす to lay bare   あ to open   あける to empty   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
デン   つたえる to tell, transmit   つたわる to be handed down   つた to go along   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ブン   モン   き to listen, to hear   きこえる to be heard   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ボク   モク   eye   ま-    め    
テキ   まと target   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
カ    good, possible, approval   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ヒ   さける to avoid   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ケイ   うやま to respect, revere   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
フク    assistant   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ギ    imitation   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
タイ    condition, appearance   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ドウ   おな same   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
ギ    honour   
Please LOG IN to view this kanji's mnemonic
Problem with this grammar? Question or comment? Please CONTACT US.
Kanshudo is your AI Japanese tutor, and your constant companion on the road to mastery of the Japanese language. To get started learning Japanese, just follow the study recommendations on your Dashboard. You can use Quick search (accessible using the icon at the top of every page) to look up any Japanese word, kanji or grammar point, as well as to find anything on Kanshudo quickly. For an overview, take the tour.
×