形容詞A1

Adverbial Adjectives

Turning adjectives into adverbs — い→く and な→に

Learning Goal

Can use adverbial forms of adjectives

Exam Skills:JLPT N5 Grammar

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

日本語を上手に話します。

I speak Japanese skillfully.

早く起きてください。

Please wake up early.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

形容詞の副詞化 — Adjectives as Adverbs

To modify a verb (not a noun), change the adjective to its adverbial form:

TypeRuleExample
い-adjい → 早い → 早起きる (wake up early)
な-adjな → 静か → 静か話す (speak quietly)

Examples: 速く走る (run fast), 上手に歌う (sing skillfully), 大きく書く (write big).

Using the wrong form (早いに× → 早く○; 静かく× → 静かに○)

日本語を上手に話します。

I speak Japanese skillfully.

上手(じょうず, skillful, な-adj) → 上手に(adverb) + 話します(はなします, speak)

早く起きてください。

Please wake up early.

早い(はやい, early, い-adj) → 早く(adverb: い→く) + 起きて(おきて, wake up) + ください

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course
← Back to topics