{"id":26841,"date":"2023-03-22T15:00:22","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T15:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=26841"},"modified":"2025-01-30T16:36:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T07:36:14","slug":"six-useful-adverbs-in-japanese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/six-useful-adverbs-in-japanese\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing six useful adverbs in Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Learning adverbs in Japanese is very useful if you want to become better at expressing yourself. But what is an adverb and what adverbs are especially useful to learn? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article we will look at what an adverb is, list our top six most useful adverbs, and learn how to create adverbs from adjectives! Sound interesting? Let\u2019s go!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an adverb? <\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An adverb (\u526f\u8a5e <\/span>fukushi<\/span><\/i>) is a word that <\/span>modifies either an adjective, a verb or another adverb<\/b>. Most often adverbs are placed in front of the word they are describing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example in the sentence \u201cA very hot summer\u201d (\u3068\u3066\u3082\u6691\u3044\u590f <\/span>totemo atsui natsu<\/span><\/i>), the word \u201c\u3068\u3066\u3082\u201d (<\/span>totemo<\/span><\/i>, very) describes the word \u6691\u3044(<\/span>atsui<\/span><\/i>, hot).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is it so important to learn adverbs?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Learning adverbs in Japanese is very useful because it grants you the ability to <\/span>express yourself more flexibly<\/b>. For instance, imagine that your friend asks you whether you are going on Takeshi\u2019s party:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u9031\u672b\u3001\u305f\u3051\u3057\u541b\u306e\u30d1\u30fc\u30c6\u30a3\u30fc\u306b\u884c\u304f\uff1f<\/span>
<\/span>Sh<\/span><\/i>\u016bmatsu,<\/span><\/i> Takeshi-kun no p\u0101t\u012b ni iku?<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>Are you going to Takeshi\u2019s party this weekend?<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>You think that you can make it, but are not completely sure yet. However, by knowing adverbs you have now unlocked usage of words such as \u201cprobably\u201d and can express yourself like: <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u3046\u3093\u3001\u305f\u3076\u3093\u884c\u3051\u308b\u3088\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Un, <\/span><\/i>tabun<\/i><\/b> ikeru yo.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>Yeah, I can <\/span>probably<\/b> make it.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>There are a lot of useful adverbs in the Japanese language, and it\u2019s recommended to memorize as many as possible. To get you started we have handpicked and listed six very useful ones below!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Infographic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six useful adverbs in Japanese<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u3061\u3087\u3063\u3068 (chotto)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meaning: a small amount, or short period of time<\/b>
<\/b>
<\/b>\u3061\u3087\u3063\u3068\u304a\u624b\u6d17\u3044\u306b\u884c\u3063\u3066\u304f\u308b\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Chotto<\/i><\/b> otearai ni ittekuru.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>I\u2019ll <\/span>just quickly<\/b> go to the bathroom<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>The adverb \u3061\u3087\u3063\u3068 is interesting as it can be used in a variety of ways. Most commonly though, it\u2019s used as a filler word with the nuance of \u201ca small amount or short period of time\u201d. It\u2019s also commonly used in questions such as:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u3059\u307f\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3001\u3061\u3087\u3063\u3068\u3044\u3044\u3067\u3059\u304b\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Sumimasen, <\/span><\/i>chotto<\/i><\/b> ii desu ka.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>Excuse me, do you have <\/span>a second<\/b>?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u3061\u3087\u3046\/\u3081\u3063\u3061\u3083 (ch<\/b>\u014d<\/b>\/meccha) <\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meaning: very, extremely, super <\/b>
<\/span>*This is informal language! It\u2019s recommended to instead use<\/span><\/i>\u3068\u3066\u3082<\/span> (totemo) towards strangers, teachers, or your boss<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/span>\u3053\u306e\u5bff\u53f8\u306f\u3081\u3063\u3061\u3083\u3046\u307e\u3044\uff01<\/span>
<\/span>Kono sushi wa <\/span><\/i>meccha<\/i><\/b> umai!<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>This sushi is <\/span>super<\/b> delicious! <\/span>(umai = oishii <\/span><\/i>but informal<\/span>)<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>
<\/span>The difference between <\/span>\u3061\u3087\u3046and \u3081\u3063\u3061\u3083 is that \u3061\u3087\u3046 is more prominent in the Kant<\/span>\u014d<\/span> area of Japan (Tokyo) while \u3081\u3063\u3061\u3083 is used frequently in the Kansai area (Osaka and Kyoto). Both share the same meaning of \u201csuper\/very\u201d and are often heard in daily conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u3088\u304f (yoku)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meaning: often, well<\/b>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u591c\u306f\u3088\u304f\u65e5\u672c\u8a9e\u3092\u52c9\u5f37\u3057\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Yoru wa <\/span><\/i>yoku<\/i><\/b> nihongo o benky\u014d shiteimasu.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>In the evenings I <\/span>often<\/b> study Japanese.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u3088\u304f can also mean \u201cwell\u201d. This yoku is actually a conjugation of the word \u3044\u3044 (good) and can be used as in the following sentence:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u6b8b\u5ff5\u3060\u3051\u3069\u3001\u3088\u304f\u9811\u5f35\u3063\u305f\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Zannen da kedo, yoku ganbatta.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>It\u2019s unfortunate, but you fought <\/span>well<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u3042\u307e\u308a (amari)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meaning: not so often, not so much<\/b>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u3059\u307f\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3001\u3042\u307e\u308a\u5206\u304b\u308a\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3067\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Sumimasen, <\/span><\/i>amari<\/i><\/b> wakarimasen deshita.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>I\u2019m sorry, I <\/span>didn\u2019t quite<\/b> understand.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>It\u2019s important to be aware that the adverb \u3042\u307e\u308a can only be used together with a negated verb or adjective.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u5168\u7136 (zenzen)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meaning: not at all, completely<\/b>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u671d\u306e6\u6642\u306b\u8d77\u304d\u3066\u3082\u5168\u7136\u7720\u304f\u306a\u304b\u3063\u305f\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Asa no roku ji ni okitemo zenzen nemukunakatta.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>Even though I woke up at six in the morning, I wasn\u2019t sleepy at all.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Originally, the word \u5168\u7136 was only used in negated sentences, like \u3042\u307e\u308a is. However, nowadays this has changed and it\u2019s nowadays common to use \u5168\u7136 with the meaning \u201ccompletely\u201d in a non-negated sentence such as:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u5168\u7136\u5927\u4e08\u592b\u3060\u3088\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Zenzen<\/i><\/b> daij\u014dbu da yo.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>It\u2019s <\/span>completely<\/b> fine. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u3061\u3087\u3046\u3069 (ch\u014ddo)<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Meaning: just, exactly<\/b>
<\/span>
<\/span>Finally, we have the adverb \u3061\u3087\u3046\u3069, which means \u201cjust\u201d as in \u201cjust right\u201d or \u201cjust the right amount\u201d and so on. Here are some example sentences:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u3061\u3087\u3046\u3069\u4eca\u5b66\u6821\u306b\u7740\u304d\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Ch\u014ddo<\/i><\/b> ima gakk\u014d ni tsukimashita.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>I arrived at school <\/span>just<\/b> now.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u3061\u3087\u3046\u30691000\u5186\u304c\u6b8b\u3063\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Ch\u014ddo<\/i><\/b> sen en ga nokotteimasu.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>I have <\/span>exactly<\/b> a thousand yen left.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to create adverbs from adjectives<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Finally we would like to give you a tool so that you can create your own adverbs. It\u2019s not too complicated. First you pick an adjective. Let\u2019s give you a couple of examples to start off with: <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u305f\u306e\u3057\u3044 (<\/span>tanosh\u012b<\/span><\/i> \u2013 fun)<\/span>
<\/span>\u3059\u3054\u3044 (<\/span>sugoi <\/span><\/i>\u2013 awesome)<\/span>
<\/span>\u3052\u3093\u304d (<\/span>genki<\/span><\/i> \u2013 energetic, healthy)<\/span>
<\/span>\u306f\u3084\u3044 (<\/span>hayai<\/span><\/i> \u2013 fast, early)<\/span>
<\/span>\u304d\u308c\u3044 (<\/span>kirei<\/span><\/i> \u2013 tidy, clean, beautiful)<\/span>
<\/span>\u3057\u305a\u304b (<\/span>shizuka<\/span><\/i> \u2013 quiet)<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>The next step is to identify if the adjective ends on an \u3044 or something else. <\/span>If it ends on an \u3044<\/b>, it\u2019s a so-called \u3044-adjective and is conjugated as such: <\/span>\u3044 \u2192 \u304f<\/b>
<\/span>
<\/span>For example: \u306f\u3084<\/span>\u3044<\/b> (fast) \u2192 \u306f\u3084<\/span>\u304f<\/b> (quickly). <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>You can then build sentences such as:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u732b\u306f\u306f\u3084\u304f\u8d70\u3063\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Neko wa <\/span><\/i>hayaku <\/i><\/b>hashitteimasu.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>The cat is running <\/span>quickly<\/b>. <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>If the adjective ends with something other than \u3044, the word is a so-called \u306a-adjective. In this case, simply <\/span>add \u306b after the word<\/b> instead. <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>For example: \u3057\u305a\u304b (quiet) \u2192 \u3057\u305a\u304b<\/span>\u306b<\/b> (quietly).<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>You can then build a sentence such as:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u5f7c\u306f\u3057\u305a\u304b\u306b\u6620\u753b\u3092\u89b3\u3066\u3044\u308b\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Kare wa <\/span><\/i>shizuka ni<\/i><\/b> eiga o miteiru.<\/span><\/i>
<\/span>He is <\/span>quietly<\/b> watching a movie.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Disclaimer: there are a few exceptions to the rule. For example, the common words \u304d\u3089\u3044 (<\/span>kirai<\/span><\/i>, to dislike) and \u304d\u308c\u3044 (<\/span>kirei<\/span><\/i>, clean\/beautiful) despite ending on \u3044 are not \u3044-adjectives and are therefore conjugated by adding a \u306b. As you learn the language, you will pick up more of these exceptions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have briefly discussed adverbs in Japanese and how they are used, as well as some commonly used ones that are useful to remember. Do you know any additional adverbs that you want to introduce? Feel free to comment below!<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>If you are interested in learning Japanese or are interested about life in Japan and Japanese culture and history, make sure to follow our blog! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learning adverbs in Japanese is very useful if you want to become better at expressing yourself. But what is an adverb and what adverbs are especially useful to learn?  In this article we will look at what an adverb is, list our top six most useful adverbs, and learn how to create adverbs from adjectives! […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":25489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[404],"tags":[666],"class_list":["post-26841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-japanese","tag-language"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163669,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26841\/revisions\/163669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}