A Short Guide to: い-Adjectiveく (Linking) 🇯🇵

Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 32nd issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Today in this short issue, we’re going through some grammar involving い-adjectives.

If you’re unfamiliar with い-adjectives, please take a look at this article.

Ok, let’s gooooo!

い-Adjectiveく (Linking)

The く form (ku form) of い-adjectives links words or clauses together, giving a more formal or literary feel.

Table of Contents

1. The Basics

2. Patterns of Use

   • Linking Words

   • Linking Clauses

3. Beyond the Basics

   • く Form vs て Form

The Basics

The く form of い-adjectives can be used to link words or sentences.

It is similar to the 〜くて (〜kute) form, but with a more formal and literary tone. It’s more commonly seen in writing.

Patterns of Use

Linking Words

When combining two い-adjectives, change the first adjective into the く form (ku form) and then add the second adjective.

For example:

• 若い (わかい, wakai, young) → 若く美しい (わかくうつくしい, wakaku utsukushii, young and beautiful).

In a sentence:

• 彼には若く美しい妻がいる。
  (かれにはわかくうつくしいつまがいる。)
  Kare ni wa wakaku utsukushii tsuma ga iru.
  He has a young and beautiful wife.

When adjectives appear at the end of a sentence, they are usually separated by a comma:

• 彼の妻は若く、美しい。
  (かれのつまはわかく、うつくしい。)
  Kare no tsuma wa wakaku, utsukushii.
  His wife is young and beautiful.

Linking Clauses

The く form (ku form) can also link two sentences (or clauses). Let's take two sentences:

• 去年はとても暖かった。 (きょねんはとてもあたたかかった。)
  Kyonen wa totemo atatakakatta.
  Last year was very warm.

• 雨が少なかった。 (あめがすくなかった。)
  Ame ga sukunakatta.
  There was little rain.

To link them using the く form, change the adjective at the end of the first sentence:

• 去年はとても暖かく、雨が少なかった。
  (きょねんはとてもあたたかく、あめがすくなかった。)
  Kyonen wa totemo atatakaku, ame ga sukunakatta.
  Last year was very warm, and there was little rain.

Note: The tense is reflected only in the second clause because く (ku) doesn’t show tense on its own.

Beyond the Basics

く Form vs て Form

• く form (ku form) gives a more formal/literary feeling and is often indirect.

• て form (te form) shows a clearer, more direct relationship between clauses.

Example:

• 去年はとても暖かくて、雨が少なかった。
  (きょねんはとてもあたたかくて、あめがすくなかった。)
  Kyonen wa totemo atatakakute, ame ga sukunakatta.
  Last year was very warm, and there was little rain.

In comparison, the く form might be translated as:

• 去年はとても暖かく、雨が少なかった。
  (きょねんはとてもあたたかく、あめがすくなかった。)
  Kyonen wa totemo atatakaku, ame ga sukunakatta.
  With last year being very warm, there was little rain.

This version shows a subtler, more dependent connection between the two clauses. The indirectness adds a level of formality to the sentence.

The く form suggests a looser, more adverbial link between clauses, making the sentence feel more formal than the て form.

That’s all folks!

Let me know if you enjoyed this simple grammar run-through :)

Have a great Sunday!