JAPANESE ADVERBS



IMPORTANT: If you want to learn about japanese adverbs, you have to know the japanese adjectives; because most of japanese adverbs are from adjectives.

DEFINITION:
Adverbs tell us when, how, why or where the action happens. They modify a verb, a noun, an adjective, another adverb or a complete sentence. They also can provide us information about manner, quantity, frequency, time, or place.

ADVERB RULE:
You can make Japanese adverbs from adjectives in two ways:
  • In adjective that ends -i (い). Replacing the -i with -ku (く).
  • In adjective that ends -na (な). Replacing the -na with -ni (に).
This ending corresponds to -ly in English.

Adverbs made from adjectives -i (い)

Adjective Adverb
Japanese Romaji English Japanese Romaji English
安い yasui cheap 安く yasuku cheaply
早い hayai quick 早く hayaku quickly
良い yoi good よく yoku well
  • I walk quickly.
  • 私 は 早 く 歩 く
  • Watashi wa hayaku aruku

Adverbs made from adjectives -na (な)

Adjective Adverb
Japanese Romaji English Japanese Romaji English
静かな shizukana quiet 静かに shizukani quietly
簡単な kantan'na simple 簡単に kantan'ni sipmly
きれいな kireina clean きれいに kireini cleanly
  • You eat quietly.
  • あ な た は 静 か に 食 べ る
  • Anata wa shizuka ni taberu


Adverbs that don't derive from adjectives

English Japanese Romaji English Japanese Romaji
yesterday 昨日 kinou not much あまり amari
a little 少し sukoshi a few 少ない sukunai
today 今日 kyou only ばっかり bakkari
perhaps たぶん tabun tomorrow 明日 ashita
a little ちょっと chotto very 大変 taihen
every day 毎日 mainichi how いかが ikaga
a lot たくさん takusan every morning 毎朝 maiasa
always いつも itsumo sometimes ときどき tokidoki
now 今 ima again また mata
very とても totemo soon やがて yagate
already もう mou slowly ゆっくり yukkuri
inmediately すぐ sugu more もっと motto
yet, still まだ mada completely なかなか nakanaka
almost ほとんど hotondo clearly はっきり hakkiri
quickly どんどん dondon seldom めったに metta ni
suddenly 突然 totsuzen softly そっと sotto
certainly きっと kitto besides さらに sara ni
gradually そろそろ sorosoro more and more 益々 masumasu
before 前に mae ni after 後で ato de
later のち nochi recently さっき sakki
until さきほど sakihodo quickly さっさと sassato
again 再び futatabi already すでに sudeni
OK 大丈夫に daijoubu ni alone 一人で hitori de


Examples:
  • I go to the school every morning.
  • 私 は毎 朝学 校 に 行 く
  • Watashi wa maiasa gakkō ni iku

  • I almost died in the accident.
  • 私 は ほ と ん ど の 事 故 で 死 亡
  • Watashi wa hotondo no jiko de shibō.


 Adverbs in Japanese Videos







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