Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 68th issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Today, we’re simply going through…

Anime of the day: Gachiakuta

Synopsis: In a floating city where the rich discard their waste and people, Rudo is framed for murder and thrown into the Pit, where a hellscape of mutated garbage beasts dwells. Rudo aims to battle monsters and the corrupt who cast him into Hell.

Japanese Adjectives: い and な — How to Describe Things

In Japanese, adjectives come in two types:

• い-adjectives

• な-adjectives

They both describe nouns, just like in English.

い-Adjectives – The Basics

い-adjectives end in い and can directly describe nouns without needing anything extra.

Structure

い-adjective + noun

Example

暑い日
atsui hi
a hot day

More Examples

面白い映画 — omoshiroi eiga — an interesting movie
寒い朝 — samui asa — a cold morning
新しいシャツ — atarashii shatsu — a new shirt

な-Adjectives – The Basics

な-adjectives do not end in い and need a な before the noun when used to describe.

Structure

な-adjective + な + noun

Example

静かな町
shizuka na machi
a quiet town

More Examples

有名な歌手 — yūmei na kashu — a famous singer
きれいな部屋 — kirei na heya — a clean room
便利なアプリ — benri na apuri — a convenient app

⚠️ Some な-adjectives do end in い (like きれい), but they’re still な-adjectives. Always check.

Sentences Using い and な-Adjectives

With い-adjective

今日は寒いです。
Kyō wa samui desu.
Today is cold.

面白い本を読んだ。
Omoshiroi hon o yonda.
I read an interesting book.

With な-adjective

静かなレストランが好きです。
Shizuka na resutoran ga suki desu.
I like quiet restaurants.

彼は有名な人です。
Kare wa yūmei na hito desu.
He is a famous person.

Conjugation Basics (No Table Style)

For い-adjectives:

• Negative: Drop い, add くない
  高くない — takakunai — not expensive

• Past: Drop い, add かった
  高かった — takakatta — was expensive

• Past Negative: Drop い, add くなかった
  高くなかった — takakunakatta — wasn’t expensive

For な-adjectives:

• Just drop the な and conjugate like a noun with です
  元気です — genki desu — is healthy
  元気じゃないです — genki janai desu — is not healthy
  元気でした — genki deshita — was healthy
  元気じゃなかったです — genki janakatta desu — wasn’t healthy

Mini Story to Test What You’ve Learned

Read this story and answer the questions below.

昨日は暑い日でした。
Kinō wa atsui hi deshita.
Yesterday was a hot day.

私は静かな公園に行きました。
Watashi wa shizuka na kōen ni ikimashita.
I went to a quiet park.

公園には小さい子どもときれいな花がたくさんありました。
Kōen ni wa chiisai kodomo to kirei na hana ga takusan arimashita.
There were small children and beautiful flowers in the park.

私は面白い本を読んで、冷たいジュースを飲みました。
Watashi wa omoshiroi hon o yonde, tsumetai jūsu o nomimashita.
I read an interesting book and drank a cold juice.

とても楽しい日でした。
Totemo tanoshii hi deshita.
It was a very fun day.

Comprehension Questions

1. What kind of day was it yesterday?
   (Hint: Look for a weather-related adjective.)

2. What kind of park did the speaker visit?

3. What kind of flowers were in the park?

4. What did the speaker read?

5. How was the juice described?

6. How did the speaker feel about the day?