How to Describe Something in Japanese - Learn

Learn to describe things in Japanese

Lesson Transcript

Do you know how to describe something with adjectives in Japanese?

You'll learn how in just a moment.

Hi, my name is Emiri, and this is Three Step Japanese by JapanesePod101.com.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to describe something with adjectives through a quick conversation.

Let's look at the dialogue.

As you listen, pay attention to how they ask about the topic and how the other person responds.

すみません、どのパソコンが　おすすめですか。

Sumimasen, dono pasokon ga o-susume desu ka.

そうですね…。これは　とても　はやいです。

Sō desu ne.... Kore wa totemo hayai desu.

あ、でも、これは、あまり　かるくないですね。

A, demo, kore wa, amari karukunai desu ne.

これは　どうですか。あまり　はやくないですが、かるいです。

Kore wa dō desu ka. Amari hayakunai desu ga, karui desu.

Let's break it down.

すみません、どのパソコンが　おすすめですか。

Sumimasen, dono pasokon ga o-susume desu ka.

Excuse me, which computer would you recommend?

そうですね…。これは　とても　はやいです。

Sō desu ne.... Kore wa totemo hayai desu.

Well... This one is very fast.

The first part is そうですね…。

そう (Sō): "That’s right" or "Well." It’s often used when thinking or agreeing. そう (enunciated). そう。

ですね (desu ne): A polite phrase often added to soften statements or seek agreement. ですね (enunciated). ですね。

Together, そうですね (Sō desu ne) can mean something like "Well..." or "That’s true, isn’t it?"

そうですね…。

Next is これは　とても　はやいです。

これ (Kore) "This [one]" — referring to the item being talked about. これ (enunciated). これ。

は (wa) is the topic marker. It shows that the speaker is talking about "this one." は (enunciated). は。

So, これは (Kore wa) means "As for this one..." これは.

とても (totemo) means "very." It emphasizes the adjective that comes after it. とても (enunciated). とても。

はやい (hayai) is "fast." This is the adjective describing the computer. はやい (enunciated). はやい。

Together, とてもはやい (totemo hayai) means "very fast."

とてもはやい…。

です (desu) is a polite sentence-ending particle, like the "is" in "it is." です (enunciated). です。

Altogether: これは　とても　はやいです (Kore wa totemo hayai desu) means "This one is very fast."

これは　とても　はやいです。

あ、でも、これは、あまり　かるくないですね。

A, demo, kore wa, amari karukunai desu ne.

Oh, but this one is not so light.

The phrase starts with あ、でも、"Oh, but..."

あ (A) means "Oh," あ (enunciated). あ。

でも (Demo) means "but." でも (enunciated). でも。

Together, あ、でも (A, demo) means "Oh, but..."

The next phrase is これは、あまり　かるくないですね。

First is これは (Kore wa), "As for this one..." これは…。

あまり (amari) means "not very" or "not so," and is used with negative forms. あまり (enunciated). あまり。

かるくない (karukunai) is "not light," the negative form of かるい (karui), "light." かるくない (enunciated). かるくない。

This phrase, あまり　かるくない (amari karukunai), means "not very light."

あまり　かるくない…。

ですね (desu ne) ends the phrase in a polite way. ですね (enunciated). ですね。

All together, これは、あまり　かるくないですね (Kore wa, amari karukunai desu ne) translates to "This one is not so light."

あ、でも、これは、あまり　かるくないですね。

これは　どうですか。あまり　はやくないですが、かるいです。

Kore wa dō desu ka. Amari hayakunai desu ga, karui desu.

How about this one? It's not very fast, but it's light.

Let's look at the sentence pattern.

This pattern is the structure that all of our examples will follow:

[ITEM]は（とても）[adjective]です。

[ITEM] wa (totemo) [adjective] desu.

[ITEM] is (very) [adjective].

Let's break down the components of this pattern:

[ITEM]: This is the noun or noun phrase representing the item you're describing. It could be words like これ (kore, "this"), それ (sore, "that"), or any specific item.

は (wa): This is the topic marker. It attaches to the item to indicate that it is the topic of the sentence.

（とても）(totemo): This means "(very)" and is optional. It makes the adjective stronger.

[adjective]: This describes the quality of the item.

です (desu): This is used at the end of the sentence to be polite.

Let's see how a line from the dialogue follows this pattern:

そうですね…。これは　とても　はやいです。

In this sentence:

これは (kore wa): これ (kore) means "this," and は (wa) is the topic marker. So, "As for this one."

とても (totemo): This means "very." It emphasizes the adjective.

はやい (hayai): This is the adjective meaning "fast."

です (desu): This is used to end the sentence politely.

So, これは　とても　はやいです。 translates to "This one is very fast."

Now you can use this structure to describe the qualities of things when you're speaking in Japanese!

Now let's look at some speaking examples.

The character sees someone and says:

このひとは　とても　きれいです。

This person is very beautiful.

Can you see how the pattern applies here?

Let's break it down:

Here, このひと is the item, meaning "this person," which is marked by the particle は. とても is the adverb, meaning "very." きれい is the adjective, meaning "beautiful." です is the polite copula that completes the sentence.

So, that is how このひとは　とても　きれいです。 fits the pattern [ITEM]は（とても）[adjective]です。 by using このひと as the item, とても as the adverb, and きれい as the adjective.

Here's another example.

にほんごの　はつおんは　かんたんです。 (Nihongo no hatsuon wa kantan desu.)

"The pronunciation of Japanese is easy."

にほんごの　はつおんは　かんたんです。

[Slowly] にほんごの　はつおんは　かんたんです。 (Nihongo no hatsuon wa kantan desu.)

"The pronunciation of Japanese is easy."

にほんごの　はつおんは　かんたんです。

Let's try one more,

このへやは　しずかです。 (Kono heya wa shizuka desu.)

"This room is quiet."

このへやは　しずかです。

[slowly] このへやは　しずかです。 (Kono heya wa shizuka desu.)

"This room is quiet."

このへやは　しずかです。

Another one.

そのいすは　とても　じょうぶです。 (Sono isu wa totemo joubu desu.)

"That chair is very sturdy."

そのいすは　とても　じょうぶです。

[slowly] そのいすは　とても　じょうぶです。 (Sono isu wa totemo joubu desu.)

"That chair is very sturdy."

そのいすは　とても　じょうぶです。

One last example.

このドレスは　きれいです。 (Kono doresu wa kirei desu.)

"This dress is beautiful."

このドレスは　きれいです。

[slowly] このドレスは　きれいです。 (Kono doresu wa kirei desu.)

"This dress is beautiful."

このドレスは　きれいです。

Let's review.

Do you remember how to say "very"?

とても (totemo)

And how to say "fast"?

はやい (hayai)

Do you remember "computer"?

パソコン (pasokon)

And how to say "this"?

これ (kore)

Do you remember how to say "This one is very fast."?

これは　とても　はやいです。 (Kore wa totemo hayai desu.)

Now you know how to describe something with adjectives in Japanese. またね (mata ne)!

Thank you for watching.

Now you know how to describe something with adjectives in Japanese.

...and now you can move on to the practice.

Download the practice PDF in the PDF section of this lesson.

Comments

Hide