Since I personally focus on speaking Japanese and use romaji to learn, this post will only cover the spoken side; no hiragana, katakana, or kanji here. If you’re learning to read Japanese, I recommend using other resources or asking ChatGPT for guidance.
(Feel free to check out the r/languagelearning and r/LearnJapanese subreddits for extra resources or recommendations).
🔰 I don’t have any certificates, just a learner sharing what I know, so if I get something wrong, feel free to double-check or correct me!
💬 I’m still learning Japanese too, (on my journey from bronze to grandmaster), I document everything in my weekly language progress logs.
Every week I post a page with:
- A short speaking video or update
- My test assessment
- Notes and improvements
- What rank I’m at (from Bronze to Grandmaster)
👉 Check out the Language Progress Glossary Here
In Japanese, there are two main ways to make adjectives negative:
- -kunai (for -ii adjectives)
- -ja nai (for na-adjectives)
How to Tell Which Form to Use
Japanese adjectives fall into two main categories:
- -ii adjectives (also called i-adjectives)
- na-adjectives
🔹 -ii adjectives end in -ii
These are easy to recognize in romaji because they literally end in two i’s.
Examples:
- Kawaii – cute
- Atsuii – hot
- Samuii – cold
✅ To negate: Replace -ii with -kunai
Add “desu” at the end to make it formal.
Examples:
- Kawaii → Kawaikunai (not cute)
- Atsuii → Atsukunai (not hot)
- Samuii → Samukunai (not cold)
- Formal: Atsukunai desu
🔹 na-adjectives often use “na” before a noun
These don’t usually end in “ii” and often require “na” when directly modifying a noun. Sometimes that “na” disappears, gets conjugated, or even appears in sentences, more on that in a future post!
Examples:
- Suki na – to like (yes, technically a verb-like adjective)
- Kantan na – easy
- Shizuka na – quiet
✅ To negate: Use ja nai after the adjective
To make it formal: Replace ja nai with ja arimasen
Examples:
- Suki → Suki ja nai (don’t like)
- Kantan → Kantan ja nai (not easy)
- Shizuka → Shizuka ja nai (not quiet)
- Formal: Shizuka ja arimasen
Sentence Examples:
- Kono heya wa shizuka ja nai / ja arimasen
→ This room is not quiet - Kyo no tenki wa atsukunai desu
→ Today’s weather is not hot
Tips on Remembering Which Is Which
Honestly, there’s no quick hack I’ve found to always remember whether an adjective is an -ii or na-adjective unless you’ve seen or memorized it before. In romaji, -ii adjectives are easy to spot. In hiragana, it might be just as clear, but since I focus on speaking, I haven’t gone deep into that yet.
When in doubt, look it up, or even better, ask ChatGPT. You can also find dictionaries that label adjectives clearly (I’ll link one if I find a good one soon!).
Bonus Advice: Native Speakers and Corrections
Don’t be too worried if you get this wrong when speaking. Most native Japanese speakers won’t correct you (whether you see this as a good or bad thing), especially in Japan where people tend to avoid confrontation. This is slowly changing as Western influence grows, but overall, they’ll appreciate the effort you’re making.
Practice Suggestion
Want to test yourself? Open up ChatGPT and ask for:
- Quizzes on adjective negation
- Practice sentences
- Help checking whether an adjective is -ii or na
ChatGPT is a great free practice partner!
🧱 Why I Learn This Way
While I continue learning Japanese and other languages, I also make money online through beermoney apps. It’s not much, but it helps me feel like I’m turning my free time into something more productive and fun.
👇 Check out my glossaries below
💸 Beermoney Glossary:
Curious how much money you can realistically make online from surveys, games, ads, and small tasks? Check out my Beermoney Glossary page, where I break down every app and site I’ve tried with videos, payment proof, and my personal experiences. I always recommend doing beermoney while watching shows, anime, gaming, or handling small tasks around the house.
👉 Beermoney reviews
📈 Monthly Earnings Tracker:
Want to see exactly what I cashed out every month? My Monthly Earnings Tracker has screenshots of my app cashouts, plus updates on my trading and investment accounts, all in one place, month by month.
👉 Monthly earnings
🌍 Language Learning Glossary:
Curious what languages I’m learning? Check out my Language Learning Glossary for weekly progress updates. I post short speaking videos, track my progress, share my personal study notes, and break down the rank criteria I follow.
👉 Language progress