The following table is a summary of the major grammatical categories.
Their short names, Japanese names, and some examples are also given.
[Major grammatical categories]
Abbreviation Japanese name Examples
Noun [N] ฬ⹖
meeshi ᧄ hon “book”
ጊ yama “mountain”
ᗲ ai “love”
Verb [V] േ⹖
dooshi ⺒ yomu “read”
ߔ hanasu “speak”
㘩ߴࠆ taberu “eat”
Verbal Noun [VN] േฬ⹖
doomeeshi ീᒝ benkyoo “study”
⾈‛ kaimono “shopping”
ࡈࠔ࠶ࠢࠬ fakkusu “fax”
I-adjective [A] ᒻኈ⹖
keeyooshi ᄢ߈ ookii “big”
߆ࠊ kawaii “cute”
∩ itai “painful”
Na-adjective [NA] ᒻኈേ⹖
keeyoodooshi ߈ࠇߥ kiree na “beautiful”
㕒߆ߥ shizuka na “quiet”
ᅢ߈ߥ suki na “be fond of”
Adverb [Adv] ⹖
fukushi ࠁߞߊࠅ yukkuri “slowly”
ߚߊߐࠎ takusan “a lot”
ࠃߊ yoku “often”
߹ࠅ( . . . ߥ) amari ( . . . nai) “(not) so much”
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Major categories
There are also words that do not fall into the above categories. We will discuss them later. In the following section, we will first look at each of the major categories.
Nouns
Nouns describe things, people, places, times, abstract concepts, and the like.
Here are some examples.
Things: ࠹ࡉ࡞ teeburu “table”
㘧ⴕᯏ hikooki “airplane”
People: ሶଏ kodomo “child”
వ↢ sensee “teacher”
Places: ᣣᧄ nihon “Japan”
࠻ࠗ toire “toilet”
Times: ᄐ natsu “summer”
ᄛ yoru “night”
Concepts: ᗲ ai “love”
ࠗࡦ࠲ࡀ࠶࠻ intaanetto “Internet”
A noun can function as theSUBJECTor theOBJECTof aPREDICATE. In the following example, hanashimasu “speak” is the predicate, rii-san “Mr. Lee”
and nihongo “Japanese” are the subject and the object respectively.
ߐࠎ
ߐࠎߪᣣᧄ⺆ᣣᧄ⺆ࠍߒ߹ߔޕ “Mr. Lee speaks Japanese.”
rii-san wa nihongo o hanashimasu
Here, the subject is marked by the TOPIC marker wa, and the object by the object marker o. Markers such as wa and o are called particles (see Unit 5).
Nouns can also become predicates when followed by theCOPULA VERB
da or itsPOLITEform desu (see Unit 6).
ኾߪᣣᧄ⺆ߛᣣᧄ⺆ߛޕ “My major is Japanese.”
senkoo wa nihongo da
ኾߪᣣᧄ⺆ߢߔᣣᧄ⺆ߢߔޕ “My major is Japanese.”
senkoo wa nihongo desu
In addition, if a noun is followed by the possessive particle no, it can modify another noun. In the following example, nihongo “Japanese”
modifies kurasu “class,” and no appears between them.
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Parts of speech
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ߐࠎߪᲤᣣᣣᧄ⺆ߩࠢࠬᣣᧄ⺆ߩࠢࠬ߳ⴕ߈߹ߔޕ rii-san wa mainichi nihongo no kurasu e ikimasu
“Mr. Lee goes to his Japanese class every day.”
Note that no definite or indefinite articles (like English “a” and “the”) exist in Japanese, and nouns are used in their bare forms.
Verbs
A verb’s primary function is to act as a predicate describing an action, such as yomu “read” and taberu “eat.”
Ფᣣޔᣂ⡞ࠍ⺒ߺ߹ߔ⺒ߺ߹ߔޕ “I read the newspaper every day.”
mainichi, shinbun o yomimasu
ᤓᣣޔኼมࠍ㘩ߴ߹ߒߚ㘩ߴ߹ߒߚޕ “Yesterday, I ate sushi.”
kinoo, sushi o tabemashita
However, there are also verbs that describe a state or a change of state.
ߘߎߦን჻ጊ߇߃߹ߔ߃߹ߔޕ “Mt. Fuji is visible over there.”
asoko ni fujisan ga miemasu
ࠦࡦࡇࡘ࠲߇ߎࠊࠇ߹ߒߚߎࠊࠇ߹ߒߚޕ “The computer broke down.”
konpyuutaa ga kowaremashita
You will later see that the classification of verbs into meaning-based groups such asACTION VERBS,STATIVE VERBS, andCHANGE-OF-STATE VERBSis relevant to various grammatical operations (see Units 5, 15, and 16).
English verbs inflect for tense (e.g., “I eat spaghetti”, “I ate spaghetti”) and, to a limited extent, for number and person (e.g., “I am a student”,
“You are a student”, “S/he is a student”). Japanese verbs conjugate for tense, polarity (i.e., affirmative or negative), and politeness. In addition, what would be expressed as a separateAUXILIARY VERBin English is often realized in Japanese as a suffix attached to a predicate. Therefore, a single Japanese verb takes many more forms than a corresponding English verb.
We will introduce the basic conjugation patterns in Unit 6, and other forms in due course.
Verbal nouns
Japanese has a class of words that are called VERBAL NOUNS (VN) or
SURU-VERBS. VNs behave like nouns on their own, but like verbs when accompanied by suru “do.” In the following sentence, nihongo “Japanese”
modifies benkyoo “study.” Thus, benkyoo is a noun in this sentence.
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Major categories
ᣣᧄ⺆ߩീᒝീᒝߪᭉߒߢߔޕ “Japanese study is fun.”
nihongo no benkyoo wa tanoshii desu
In contrast, benkyoo-shimashita “studied” in the following sentence functions as a verb and takes nihongo as a direct object.
ᣣᧄ⺆ࠍീᒝߒ߹ߒߚീᒝߒ߹ߒߚޕ “I studied Japanese.”
nihongo o benkyoo-shimashita
There are a large number of VNs of Chinese origin (SINO-JAPANESE) and Western origin. In addition, there are many native VNs.
Sino-Japanese VNs: ⎇ⓥ(ߔࠆ) kenkyuu(-suru) “research”, ീᒝ(ߔࠆ) benkyoo(-suru) “study”, ኾ(ߔࠆ) senkoo(-suru) “major”, 㔚(ߔࠆ) denwa(-suru) “telephone”
Western-origin VNs: ࠹ࠬ࠻(ߔࠆ) tesuto(-suru) “test”, ࠦࡇ(ߔࠆ) kopii(-suru) “copy”, ࡈࠔ࠶ࠢࠬ(ߔࠆ) fakkusu(-suru) “fax”
Native VNs: ⾈‛(ߔࠆ) kaimono(-suru) “shopping”, ᚻࠇ(ߔࠆ) teire(-suru) “maintenance”, ┙ߜ⺒ߺ(ߔࠆ) tachiyomi(-suru) “reading while standing”
i-adjectives and na-adjectives
Adjectives typically describe states, such as conditions or properties of things and people. In Japanese, there are two classes of adjectives known as I-ADJECTIVES and NA-ADJECTIVES. These names are given because the dictionary form of an i-adjective ends in i, while that of a na-adjective ends in na.
i-adjectives na-adjectives
ᄢ߈ ookii “big” ߈ࠇߥ kiree na “beautiful”
ኙ samui “cold” ଢߥ benri na “convenient”
߆ࠊ kawaii “cute” 㕒߆ߥ shizuka na “quiet”
Pay special attention to kiree na. Although its base ends in i, it is a na-adjective.
Adjectives can be used either as a predicate or as a modifier of a noun.
ᣣᧄ⺆ߪ߅߽ߒࠈ߅߽ߒࠈޕ “Japanese is interesting.”
nihongo wa omoshiroi ߅߽ߒࠈ
߅߽ߒࠈࠍ⡞߈߹ߒߚޕ “I heard an interesting story.”
omoshiroi hanashi o kikimashita
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Parts of speech
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Just like verbs, i-adjectives and na-adjectives conjugate for tense, polar-ity (i.e., affirmative or negative), and politeness. (See Unit 6 for more details.) This characteristic of Japanese adjectives is not shared with English adjectives. On the other hand, Japanese does not have COMPARATIVE or
SUPERLATIVEforms of adjectives, such as taller and tallest (see Unit 18).
Adverbs
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs (underlined below).
Adverbs do not conjugate.
ࠁߞߊࠅ
ࠁߞߊࠅ⸒ߞߡਅߐޕ “Please say it slowly.”
yukkuri itte kudasai
ᣣᧄ⺆ߪߣߡ߽ߣߡ߽߅߽ߒࠈߢߔޕ “Japanese is very interesting.”
nihongo wa totemo omoshiroi desu ߆ߥࠅ
߆ߥࠅࠃߊಽ߆ࠅ߹ߔޕ “I understand quite well.”
kanari yoku wakarimasu
Adverbs carry out many different functions, such as describing manner, degree, quantity,TENSE,ASPECT, or a speaker’s attitude.
Manner: ࠁߞߊࠅ yukkuri “slowly”
ߪߞ߈ࠅ hakkiri “clearly”
ߤࠎߤࠎ dondon “rapidly”
Degree: ߚ߳ࠎ taihen “to a great extent”
߆ߥࠅ kanari “quite, considerably”
ࠃߊ yoku “often, well”
߹ࠅ( . . . ߥ) amari ( . . . nai) “(not) so much”
ߗࠎߗࠎ( . . . ߥ) zenzen ( . . . nai) “(not) at all”
Quantity: ߚߊߐࠎ takusan “a lot”
ߔߎߒ sukoshi “a little”
߶ߣࠎߤ hotondo “almost all”
Time: ߽߁ߔߋ moosugu “soon”
ߎࠇ߆ࠄ korekara “from now on”
ߣߢ atode “later”
Aspect: ߹ߛ mada “still, not yet”
߽߁ moo “already, yet”
߿ߞߣ yatto “finally”
Attitude: ߗ߭ zehi “without fail”
ߤ߁ߙ doozo “please”
߈ߞߣ kitto “surely”
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