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

 

 

Confusing adjectives

 

Easy い-adjectives

Colours in action

Koi colour こいの いろ koi no iro

305 More adjectives

More about adjectives:            (see also the colours page)

thinking…thinking…

   

Uuuhhhh… yes.

There are three types of adjectives in Japanese:

1. ~ い adjectives
2. ~ な adjectives
3. ~ の adjectives

To tell them apart is easy, because all adjectives that end in い are い adjectives. All adjectives that don’t end in い are not. Except for less-then-a-hand-full of them. They look on the outside like い 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 い adjectives, but they are な adjectives)

These 4 adjectives are な 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 な and which are の adjectives. That question is trickier. Nouns and pronouns can be used as adjectives and then they are の 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 な adjective or not. In reality there is not really a problem. As you go along you learn the な adjectives. On another page we will give you a list of the most commonly used な adjectives, if that helps, with the same NCEA305 number.

Oddly enough, the only adjectives that cause hassles are a handful of の colours and they fall in this group.

みどり is the most-commonly-done-wrong の adjective.