Japanese i-adjectives

like I said

怪しい

あやしい = (i-adj.) suspicious, doubtful, untrustworthy, Ex: 公園に怪しい人がいます。= There’s a suspicious person in the park.

熱い

あつい = (i-adj.) hot to the touch, used for food, Ex: 熱い飲み物 = hot drink

寂しい

さびしい = (i-adj.) = lonely, desolate, Ex: 寂しい時、友達に電話します。= When I’m lonely, I call my friend.

嬉しい

うれしい = (i-adj.) = happy, joyful

大きい

おおきい = (i-adj.) = big, large, Ex: 大きい尻 = big butt (しり)

暑い

あつい = (i-adj.) = hot, warm (weather), Ex: 外は暑いよ。= It’s hot outside.

明るい

あかるい = (i-adj.) = bright, cheerful, Ex: 明るい人が好きです。= I like cheerful people.

小さい

ちいさい = (i-adj.) = small, little, Ex: 小さいけど、重い。= It’s small but heavy.

高い

たかい = (i-adj.) = tall, high, expensive, Ex: 私の弟は背が高いです。 = My younger brother is tall.

重い

おもい = (i-adj.) = heavy, literal or metaphorical, Ex: このかばんは重いです。= This bag is heavy.

低い

ひくい = (i-adj.) = low, short, Ex: 兄は背が低いです。= My older brother is short. Ex: 低い声 = a low voice

寒い

さむい = (i-adj.) = cold (weather), Ex: カナダは寒いです。= It’s cold in Canada.

軽い

かるい = (i-adj.) = light (weight), Ex: その大きいカバンは重そうだけど、実は軽いです。= The big bag looks heavy but, it’s actually light.

冷たい

つめたい = (i-adj.) = cold (to the touch), Ex: 冷たい飲み物 = cold drink

暗い

くらい = (i-adj.) = dark, Ex: 外は暗いです。 = It’s dark outside.

暖かい

あたたかい = (i-adj.) = warm (to the touch) {also can be used to refer to someone’s character or to a color, similar to English}, and the ever-popular topic of weather {NOTE: There’s a homophone represented by a different kanji, 温かい, that refers to warmth of food, drinks, bathwater.} Ex: だんだん暖かくなります。 = It’s gradually getting warmer.

涼しい

すずしい = (i-adj.) = cool (temperature, pleasant), refers to both weather and an unruffled demeanor, Ex: 今日は涼しいですね。= It’s nice and cool today.

短い

みじかい = (i-adj.) = short (length), can describe physical objects like hair, or duration of time, Ex: 母は髪が短いです。= My mother has short hair.

眠い

ねむい = (i-adj.) = sleepy, Ex: 眠くなります = I’m getting sleepy.

甘い

あまい = (i-adj.) = sweet, often used to describe the taste of food or drinks, but can also refer to pleasant situations or feelings. Ex: 甘いものが食べたい。= I want something sweet to eat.

硬い

かたい = (i-adj.) = hard, can describe the firmness of objects like wood or stone, and is often used to indicate a lack of flexibility {Note: the modeling scout uses this word in Terrace House to describe Minori’s stiff way of walking. Also in Terrace House, it’s used to describe the hamburgers that poor Misaki makes for arrogant, undeserving Hikaru.}

だらしない

だらしない = (i-adj.) = messy, sloppy, disorganized {Note: Minori’s sister calls her だらしない when they meet at the café in Terrace House}

きつい

きつい = (i-adj.) = tight, severe, harsh, rough, often used alone to mean “that’s rough” or “that’s tough” Ex: 最近、仕事がとてもきついです = Recently, my work has been tough.

厳しい

きびしい = strict, harsh, tough, Ex: 先生は厳しいです。= The teacher is strict.

気まずい

きまずい = (i-adj.) = awkward, uncomfortable, Uchi says to Arman about ho Arisa, Ex: ちょっと気まずい瞬間でした。= It was a slightly awkward moment. {瞬間 = しゅんかん = moment, instant, second}

珍しい

めずらしい = (i-adj.) = rare, unusual, Ex: 珍しい名前ですね。= That’s an unusual name.

痛い

いたい = (i-adj.) = painful, hurtful {behaves like a verb and is usually paired with なる because pain is a state, so your back becomes painful or becomes unpainful), Ex: 腰が痛くなりません 。= My lower back doesn’t hurt.

欲しい

ほしい = (i-adj.) = desirable, wanted, something that one wishes to have (more or less equivalent to English verb “to want”), Ex: ケーキが欲しい = I want cake.

若い

わかい = (i-adj.) = young, youthful, typically describes someone or something in the early stages of development or life, Ex: 彼は若いですね。= He is young.

詳しい

くわしい = (i-adj.) = detailed, knowledgeable, used to describe a person who possesses thorough information about a subject, Ex: 詳しい事はわかりません。= I don’t know the details. {事 = こと = thing, matter}

騒がしい

さわがしい = (i-adj.) = noisy, loud, typically used to describe a situation or environment that has a lot of noise or commotion, Ex: ここは騒がしいですね。= It is noisy here. {In E2 of “Beautiful Life,” Sachi says she loves coming to Kyoko’s home, and Kyoko says it’s 騒がしい}