Category Archives: 305f Adjectives in action

Japanese adjectives using colours

 
 

 

(Most blackboards in Japan are actually green-boards)

しらゆきとバットマン
Snow White and Batman
 
 

 

 
 

 


 




This whole apple thing is a bit weird, admittedly. There is little we can do about it, but in general conversation Japanese green apples are called ‘blue apples’. Absolutely no-one says 緑のりんご midori no ringo. People would look at you and think you’re missing the plot somewhere. So let’s not miss the plot and join them in their confusion, but deep-down we know better! Ha-ha!

 


“Little blue apples in the summertime…”

– nah…     just not the same…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Paulownia Flowers

 


Wisteria Flowers


 

 

 
Illustration from the famous fairy tale

 

 


a grey bunny and a grey dog

 

 

 

 

 

 
鼠 ねずみ nezumi = mouse





 

 














305 More adjectives

More about adjectives:            (see also the colours page)

thinking…thinking…

   
Uuuhhhh… yes.

There are three types of adjectives in Japanese:

  1. ~ adjectives
  2. ~ adjectives
  3. ~ adjectives

To tell them apart is easy, because all adjectives that end in  are  adjectives. All adjectives that don’t end in are not. Except for less-then-a-hand-full of them. They look on the outside like  adjectives, but they are not. The reason is the original kanji used for these adjectives. Never mind.
These are the four exceptions:
(These adjectives LOOK like  adjectives, but they are adjectives)
These 4 adjectives are  adjectives! Have a look at the following chart. The groups are clearly separated.

This is a little commercial break.
Make a tea or something.
Have some happy thoughts.
And back to reality again:
The last question that might interest you: which are and which are adjectives. That question is trickier. Nouns and pronouns can be used as adjectives and then they are adjectives.
But how do you know what is a noun used adjectivally? Feeling – you get a feeling for it. And a dictionary helps. To be realistic, as you learn words you feel straightaway whether it is a adjective or not. In reality there is not really a problem. As you go along you learn the adjectives. On another page we will give you a list of the most commonly used adjectives, if that helps, with the same NCEA305 number.
Oddly enough, the only adjectives that cause hassles are a handful of colours and they fall in this group.
みどり is the most-commonly-done-wrong adjective.

Seasons 季節 きせつ kisetsu

Japan has five seasons; they are:

 haru
spring


はなが さいています。
The flowers are blooming.


さくらの はなも さいています。
The cherryblossom trees are also flowering.

はなみの きせつです。
It is the season of cherry blossom viewing.


花見 はなみ cherry blossom viewing


cool


warm


はるには よるは すずしいです。
In spring the evenings are cool.

はるには ひるは あたたかいです。
In spring the days are warm.


にほんの さくらは
とても きれいで、ゆうめいです。
The cherry trees in Japan
are very beautiful and famous.


こどもは にわで あそんでいます。
The children are playing in the garden.




 
tsuyu       monsoon – rainy season

The rainy season is during the month of June. It rains virtually every day of the month. Of course, one should remember that although the rain may be unpleasant for the people in the cities and the towns, the rain is essential for the farmers and the people who plant the rice. Without water the rice cannot grow.


The kanji for monsoon rain means literally: plum rain.     Very poetic.


今日は 雨 きょうは あめ rain today…



まいにち あめが ふります。
Every day it rains.

I should have gone to the supermarket two weeks ago…


The Japanese call this ‘curtain of rain’
ザーザー 雨 or ざーざー あめ


かぜが ふきます。
The wind blows.


It’s that time of the year again…



BO~~~ring!




おこめの きせつです。
It is the season of rice.


お米 おこめ rice


雨 あめ rain


つゆには まいにち あめが ふります。
In the monsoon season it rains everyday.

muggy


つゆには よるは すずしいです。
In the monsoon season the evenings are cool.


つゆには ひるは むしあついです。
In the monsoon season the days are muggy.

You so need… (well, if you’re not a greenie…)


扇風機 せんぷうき fan

and more and more people have


エアコン えあこん air-con(ditioning)

and while it’s raining outside, maybe use some d(r)ipping sauce inside? ハハ!


まだ です? Not yet?
natsu
summer



hot



A great time for outdoor community festivities and parties!

花火 はなび fireworks


祭り まつり festivals


After work people can go and do:

ハイキング はいきんぐ hiking
海 うみ sea – beach

ラフティング らふてぃんぐ rafting

山登り やまのぼり mountain climbing

サイクリング さいくりんぐ cycling

うみで およいだりします 
swimming at the beach etc.


ことり birds
自然 しぜん nature


ちょうちょ butterflies


なつかしい nostalgic

hot


ひまわり sunflower


cold (to touch)


つめたい レモネード cold lemonade

つめたい サッポロ cold sapporo
yes, Kirin makes great beer too, as does Asahi! Oh, well, put them all in:



つめたい あおりんご ソーダ  cold green apple soda

It’s interesting to know that ‘green apples’ in Japan are actually called ‘blue apples’! The kanji reads ‘blue’, but the outline of the apple is green. weird or what?



つめたい ビール cold beer


つめたい ジュース cold juice


つめたい のみもの cold drink


つめたい チーズケーキ cold cheesecake


つめたい パフェ cold parfait

つめたい アイスクリーム cold icecream




つめたい すいか cold watermelon


すき! I like cold!

  
aki
autumn – fall
もみじ maples


nothing more beautiful than a Japanese autumn
with all its stunning maple trees! a living painting!
絵 え a picture


 the kanji for ‘autumn’ shows the ‘fire’ in the tree



コスモス こすもす cosmos


the end of the cosmos season

 

かき persimmon


きのこ Japanese mushrooms

くり chestnuts

あきの おべんとう autumn lunchbox

あきの くだものの ドリンク   autumn fruit drink
the changing of the moon
  
つき

the last colours of the season


 the season of the chrysanthemum

菊 きく

 the season of the camellia




cool

fuyu
winter

cold (feeling)

  ゆき snow



ゆきだるま snowman


かまくら snow hut

particularly in Hokkaido and northern Honshu the winters are long; 

daylight is only a  few hours and the nights are long and cold.
but then there is skiing! Yeah!



スキースクール skiing school


スキー skiing

クロスカントリースキー cross-country skiing

しゃしんを とります take photos

so beautiful to look at
 not so beautiful, if you need to go to the supermarket and the post office and you
need to change a flat tyre and you lost your mittens and the wind blows and …

And then there are the monkeys…



look, Mum! a flea!       
now, come here and pay attention, boy!

soo annoying, those young ones!  next, they’ll bring i-pods!


yes, it’s cleared up nicely…

cold feet

I know… I know… such a disappointment.
I’m not sharing my tub with her!

well… then don’t talk.


It was only a joke… just let it go, mate

But then spring comes
and it starts all over again



The sign reads “Aomori City”

305 Bus バス ばす


あおいバス aoi basu  blue bus


きいろいバス kiiroi basu yellow bus



くろいバス  kuroi basu  black bus


つくばセンターの バス Tsukuba Centre bus

Tsukuba University is situated not far from Tokyo


きいろいバス  kiiroi basu  yellow bus
 

ようちえんの バス yōchien no basu   kindy bus



あかいバスakai basu red bus

ほんとうは グリーンバス really a “Green Bus”

でんきバス  denki basu   electric bus

  あおいバスaoi basu blue bus


うしろから バスに のってください 
please, enter the bus from the back



あおいバス aoi basu  blue bus
かんこうバス  kankō basu   tourist bus


きいろいバス  kiiroi basu   yellow bus

はとバス   hato basu   pigeon bus
かんこうバス   kankō basu  tourist bus


たくさんの ところに いきます it goes to lots of places


Exception: みどりバス  midori no basu   green bus


まえから バスに のってください 
please, enter the bus from the front
  

しろいバス  shiroi basu   white bus
エクスプレスバス   ekusupuresu basu   express bus


 あおいかんこうバス   aoi kankōbasu   blue tourist bus


おおきいバス   ookii basu   big bus


ながいバス   nagai basu   long bus
あお しろバス blue and white bus



ハイブリッドバス   haiburiddo basu   hybrid bus

グリーンバス ですね!
it’s a Green bus, isn’t it?!


Lesson for today:

put the colour in front of the noun:
あおいバスblue bus 

if there are two colours:
drop the い and use と and の

The reason is that two colours make a new colour: red and white make pink! What you say is: the bus has red and white colour. In our example: the bus has blue colour and white colour.



useful words:

まえ 前 mae  front

うしろ 後ろ ushiro  back

いりぐち 入口 iriguchi  entrance

でぐち 出口 deguchi  exit


useful kanji:

前 後ろ 入口 出口

Bullet train models  新幹線のモデル しんかんせんのもでる

すご~い でんしゃ
amazing train

Stunning!                  すご~い!



はやい
fast


もっと はやい
faster


もっと スムーズ
smoother


もっと きれい
more beautiful

もっと べんり
more convenient


もっと たくさんの ひと
more people


もっと けいざいてき
more economical


いちばん はやい
fastest


つぎの モデル
next model


とても きれい
very beautiful


もっと たくさんのひと
more people


わーー すごい!
ah~~ amazing!



グリーンカー  ぐりーんかー
Green Car [= First Class]

The Green Clover leaf next to the door indicates First Class


また すごい!
again amazing!


のりたい!
I want to ride on it!


きれいね!
beautiful, isn’t it!


JR700モデル
JR700 model

Dolls  日本人形 にほんにんぎょう

Japanese Dolls
日本人形
There are many different styles of Japanese dolls. These dolls are in a style of doll that children of wealthy families would have played with in the olden days. These days such dolls tends to end up in display cases – more for adults to look at than for children to play with. These dolls are extremely expensive.

にほんにんぎょう とても きれい です。

Japanese dolls are very beautiful.


きれい おんなのこ にんぎょう です。
This is a beautiful girl doll.


ふたり おんなのこ
two girls

おとこのこ おんなのこ にんぎょう
a boy and a girl doll


それ きれいおひめさま です。

That is a beautiful fairy tale princess.

おひめさま
fairy tale princess
きれい きもの
beautiful kimono



それ おおきい にほんにんぎょう です。

That is a big Japanese doll.

それ きれい にほんにんぎょう です。
That is a beautiful Japanese doll.


それおおきい にんぎょうです。

Those are big dolls.

それたかい にんぎょうです。

Those are expensive dolls.

それきれい にんぎょうです。

Those are beautiful dolls.

にんぎょう かみのけ きれいです。

The doll’s hair is beautiful.

それきれい かみのけです。

That is beautiful hair.


それきれい きもの です。

That is a beautiful kimono.
Do you see the difference in pattern here?

げいしゃきれいきもの です。

That is a geisha’s beautiful kimono.

きれい げいしゃ きもの です。

That is a beautiful geisha’s kimono.


ふるい ひなまつり にんぎょう です。
Those are old Hinamatsuri dolls.

きれい ひなまつり にんぎょう です。

Those are beautiful Hinamatsuri dolls.



もっと やすい ひなまつり にんぎょう
cheaper Hinamatsuri dolls


もっと きれい ひなまつり にんぎょう

more beautiful Hinamatsuri dolls


きれい です。

It is beautiful.



きれい にんぎょう です。
Beautiful dolls.


人形
HERE IS A SUPPORT LINK TO 
HEIAN COSTUMES


AND TO HINAMATSURI DOLLS



HEIAN