Japanese word

形容動詞

Pronunciation

Romajikeiyōdōshi

Meaning

  • nounna-adjective

Example

形容動詞は名詞を修飾します。kei yō dō shi wa mei shi o shū shoku shi ma su

A na-adjective modifies a noun.

Illustration for 形容動詞 (na-adjective)

More examples

形容動詞には、「静かだ」のように「だ」を付けて述語になるものがあります。kei yō dō shi ni wa shizu ka da no yō ni da o tsu ke te jutsu go ni na ru mo no ga a ri ma su

Some na-adjectives become predicates when followed by da, as in 'shizuka da'.

Core concept

Expresses a quality or state and appears before a noun with な (na), while also serving as a predicate.

Common phrases

  • 形容動詞の活用kei yō dō shi no katsu yō

    conjugation of a na-adjective

  • 形容動詞の語幹kei yō dō shi no go kan

    stem of a na-adjective

Similar words

ナ形容詞nakeiyōshi: A name for this word class in modern Japanese grammar.

Definition in Japanese

性質や状態を示し、文中で述語となるほか、「な」を伴って名詞を詳しくする語。sei shitsu ya jō tai o shime shi bun chū de jutsu go to na ru ho ka na o tomona tte mei shi o kuwa shi ku su ru go

Word origin

The Japanese term 形容動詞 (keiyōdōshi) joins 形容 (keiyō, "description") with 動詞 (dōshi, "verb"), naming a descriptive word class with verb-like changes.

Usage tips

  • In 静かな (shizuka na), な (na) marks noun-modifying use, whereas 静かだ (shizuka da) is a plain predicate form of the same word.

Word lists with this word