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Activities: "How to use adjectives in Japanese?"

By: Mayumi Ito

Exercise 1: i-adjectives and na-adjectives

Let’s practice how to use i-adjectives and na-adjectives. Use one of the adjectives given in the word bank to complete each sentence. Don’t forget to change the form as needed according to the given context. You can use each adjective only once, so be strategic when choosing one!

  1. 京都には お寺がたくさんあります。
    Kyōto ni wa ... otera ga takusan arimasu.
    There are many ... temples in Kyoto.

  2. デパートで ワンピースを買いました。
    Depāto de ... wanpiisu o kaimashita.
    I bought a ... dress at the department store.

  3. スマホはとても道具です。
    Sumaho wa totemo ... dōgu desu.
    Smartphones are very ... tools.

  4. 今日は暑いですから、物が飲みたいです。
    Kyō wa atsui desu kara, ... mono ga nomitai desu.
    Because it’s hot today, I want to drink something ...

  5. ひらがなは簡単ですが、漢字は　難しいです　。
    Hiragana wa kantan desu ga, kanji wa ...
    Hiragana is easy, but kanji is ...

  6. 佐藤先生はおもしろいです。それに。
    Satō sensei wa omoshiroi desu. Soreni ...
    Professor Sato is funny. Also, she is ...

  7. この俳優はイケメンですが、あまり。
    Kono haiyū wa ikemen desu ga, amari yūmei ja arimasen ...
    This actor is nice-looking, but ...

  8. 初めてキムチを食べました。とても。
    Hajimete kimuchi o tabemashita. Totemo ...
    I ate kimuchi for the first time. It ... very ...

Exercise 2: Role-playing

This time, let’s do some role-playing exercises. Don’t worry, we’ll help you along the way!

Act 1:

You are walking down an office hallway and bump into a Japanese coworker who has just got back from a snowboarding trip. Let’s have a chat.

  • You: 旅行はどうでしたか。
    Ryokō wa dō deshita ka?
    How was your trip?

  • Coworker: とても よ。志賀高原に行ったんです。
    Totemo ... yo. Shiga Kōgen ni ittan desu.
    It ... very ... . We went to Shiga Kogen.

  • You: 志賀高原？どんな所ですか。
    Shiga Kōgen? Don’na tokoro desu ka.
    Shiga Kogen? What kind of place is it?

  • Coworker: 所ですよ。
    ... tokoro desu yo.
    It’s a ... place.

  • You: 寒かったですか。
    Samukatta desu ka.
    Was it cold?

  • Coworker: いいえ、あまり 。今度いっしょに行きませんか。
    Lie, amari ... . Kondo issho ni ikimasen ka.
    No, it ... very ... . Why don’t we go there together next time?

  • You: うーん、私は冬のスポーツが苦手なんですよ。
    Ūn, watashi wa fuyu no supootsu ga nigate nandesu yo.
    Hmmm, I’m not a huge fan of winter sports, you know.

Act 2:

You are enjoying your vacation in Okinawa, the southern island prefecture in Japan. A Japanese friend calls you from Tokyo. Let’s have a chat.

  • Friend: 沖縄はどう？
    Okinawa wa dō?
    How’s Okinawa?

  • You: よ。まるで春みたい。
    ... yo. Marude haru mitai.
    ... , you know. It feels like spring.

  • Friend: どんなホテルに泊まってるの？
    Don’na hoteru ni tomatteru no?
    What kind of hotel are you staying at?

  • You: だよ。それに見晴らしがとても　。
    ... da yo. Sore ni miharashi ga totemo ...
    It’s a ... , you know. Also the view ... very ...

  • Friend: もう海で泳げる？
    Mō umi de oyogeru?
    Can you swim in the ocean already?

  • You: いや、まだ水が　　から、泳げない。でもサーフィンはできるよ。
    Iya, mada mizu ga ... kara, oyogenai. Demo sāfin wa dekiru yo.
    No, we can’t because the water ... still ... . But we can do surfing.