Language/Japanese/Grammar/Adjective-and-Adverbial-Modification

Japanese Grammar → Adjectives and Adverbs → Adjective and Adverbial Modification

As a Japanese language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I have seen many students struggle with adjectives and adverbs in Japanese. However, with practice and cultural understanding, these can become manageable and even fun to learn. In this lesson, you will learn how to modify adjectives and adverbs using the particle に and ～く.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Negation 否定 & How to Use Be.

Adjectives and Adverbial Modification

In Japanese, adjectives are often used to describe nouns and are placed before the noun. But they can also stand alone as predicates as in "Ame ga futte imasu." (It's raining.)

Adjectives can be modified by the particle に (ni), which means "to," "at," "in," or "on," depending on the context. The に particle modifies the adjective by indicating the point at which the quality expressed by the adjective applies. In this sense, に is similar to the "at" or "on" in "at night" or "on Monday" in English. 

For example:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
山田さんはにぎやか に しゃべります。	Yamada-san wa nigiyaka ni shaberimasu.	Mr. Yamada speaks loudly.

In the above example, the adjective 騒がしい (nigiyaka, loud; noisy) was modified by に (ni, at). Yamada-san speaks loudly or noisily "at" a certain point or in a certain situation.

Adverbs, on the other hand, are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. For example:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
早く来てください。	Hayaku kite kudasai.	Please come quickly.

In the above example, the adverb 早く (hayaku, quickly) modifies the verb 来て (kite, come).

Adverbs can also be modified by using the ～く (-ku) suffix. This changes the adjectives into adverbs, indicating the manner in which something is done. For example: 

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
早く走ってください。	Hayaku hashitte kudasai.	Please run quickly.

In this example, 早い (hayai, fast) becomes 早く (hayaku, quickly) by adding the ～く (-ku) suffix and modifies the verb 走る (hashiru, to run).

Furthermore, the ～く (-ku) suffix can be added to i-adjectives, which are adjectives that end with い (i), to create adverbs. Na-adjectives, which are adjectives that end with な (na), do not change form to become adverbs.

For example:

Japanese	Pronunciation	English
きれいに歌ってください。	Kirei ni utatte kudasai.	Please sing beautifully.

In this example, きれい (kirei, pretty; clean) becomes きれいに (kirei ni, beautifully) by adding ～に (-ni) to the i-adjective. きれい (kirei) is not a na-adjective, so it changes to an adverb by adding ～に (-ni).

In summary, adjectives and adverbs can be modified using に (ni) and ～く (-ku) to indicate the point at which the quality applies or the manner in which something is done, respectively. Understanding these modifications is essential for expanding your Japanese vocabulary and for effective communication in various situations.

Practice

Practice modifying adjectives and adverbs using the particle に and ～く. Come up with your own sentences or use the examples below:

Adjectives with に

• 田中さんは元気 に あいさつをします。 (Tanaka-san wa genki ni aisatsu wo shimasu.) - Mr. Tanaka greets energetically.
• バスは混んで に 走っています。 (Basu wa konde ni hashitte imasu.) - The bus is running crowdedly.
• 花子さんは上手 に 弾けます。 (Hanako-san wa jouzu ni hikemasu.) - Hanako plays well.

Adverbs with ～く

• うるさく 歩かない で ください。 (Urusaku arukanai de kudasai.) - Please don't walk noisily.
• 静かに 歌い て ください。 (Shizuka ni utaite kudasai.) - Please sing quietly.
• 早く 走らない で ください。 (Hayaku hashiranai de kudasai.) - Please don't run quickly.

Sources

• Japanese Adverbs
• Japanese Grammar – Adverbial Form of Adjectives
• grammar - Can adverbs modify adjectives? - Japanese Language ...
• Japanese い-Adjective く Form as an Adverb

Table of Contents - Japanese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Hiragana Basics

• Hiragana Reading and Writing Practice
• Introduction to Japanese Sentence Structure
• Particle は and が
• Verb Conjugation
• Noun and Adjective Modification
• Question Words and Phrases

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Greetings
• Introducing Yourself and Others
• Describing People
• Counting Numbers and Time
• Basic Food and Drink Terminology
• Daily Activities and Hobbies
• Basic Directions and Transportation

  ---

Geography and History

• Introduction to Japanese Geography
• Brief History of Japan
• Traditional Arts and Customs
• Popular Culture and Entertainment

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Conjugation
• Adjective Types and Usage
• Adverb Types and Usage
• Comparison and Superlative
• Adjective and Adverbial Modification

  ---

Family and Social Relations

• Family Members and Titles
• Social Etiquette and Expressions
• Basic Workplace and Business Terminology
• Shopping and Consumer Culture

  ---

Religion and Philosophy

• Shinto and Buddhism
• Zen and Samurai Culture
• Contemporary Spiritual Movements

  ---

Particles and Conjunctions

• Particles に and で
• Particles へ and を
• Particles も and しか
• Conjunctions and Compound Sentences
• Conditional and Hypothetical Sentences

  ---

Travel and Tourism

• Basic Travel and Tourism Vocabulary
• Famous Tourist Attractions and Landmarks
• Japanese Hospitality and Service Culture

  ---

Education and Science

• Educational System and Vocabulary
• Traditional and Modern Science and Technology
• Natural Disasters and Risk Prevention

  ---

Prepositions and Interjections

• Prepositions and Postpositions
• Emphasis and Intensification
• Exclamation and Impression Expressions

  ---

Arts and Media

• Film and Theater Terminology
• Music and Dance Terminology
• Art and Literature Terminology

  ---

Politics and Society

• Basic Political Vocabulary
• Social Issues and Controversies
• Japanese Business and Work Culture

Other Lessons

• Questions 質問
• Question Words and Phrases
• Comparison and Superlative
• Adverbs 副詞
• Questions
• Prepositions and Postpositions
• Verb Conjugation
• Particles も and しか
• How to Use Have
• Negation