Japanese Adverbs: How to Add Detail to Your Sentences
You've learned how to describe things (nouns) with adjectives. Now, let's learn how to describe actions (verbs) using Adverbs (副詞 - fukushi). Adverbs tell you how, how often, or to what degree something happens.
Some words are naturally adverbs, but you can also create adverbs from the adjectives you just learned!
Creating Adverbs from Adjectives
This is a powerful skill that lets you recycle your vocabulary. The rule is different for い-adjectives and な-adjectives.
From い-Adjectives
To turn an い-adjective into an adverb, you drop the final い (i) and add く (ku).
速い (hayai) → 速く (hayaku)
(fast → quickly)
彼は速く走ります。(Kare wa hayaku hashirimasu.)
He runs quickly.
From な-Adjectives
To turn a な-adjective into an adverb, you simply add the particle に (ni) after it.
静か (shizuka) → 静かに (shizuka ni)
(quiet → quietly)
静かに話してください。(Shizuka ni hanashite kudasai.)
Please speak quietly.
Common Adverbs
Many words are adverbs by nature. You've probably seen many of these already. They often fall into categories like degree, frequency, and time.
| Category | Adverb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Degree | とても (totemo) - very | ラーメンはとても美味しいです。(Rāmen wa totemo oishii desu.) |
| 少し (sukoshi) - a little | 少し寒いです。(Sukoshi samui desu.) | |
| Frequency | いつも (itsumo) - always | 私はいつも７時に起きます。(Watashi wa itsumo shichi-ji ni okimasu.) |
| よく (yoku) - often | よく映画を見ますか。(Yoku eiga o mimasu ka?) | |
| 時々 (tokidoki) - sometimes | 時々、散歩します。(Tokidoki, sanpo shimasu.) | |
| Time | もう (mō) - already | もう宿題をしましたか。(Mō shukudai o shimashita ka?) |
| まだ (mada) - not yet (with neg.) | まだ食べていません。(Mada tabete imasen.) |
A Special Case: よく (yoku)
The adverb よく (yoku) means "often," but it's also the adverbial form of the adjective いい (ii), which means "good."
- よくできました。(Yoku dekimashita.) - You did it well. (from いい - good)
- よく来ます。(Yoku kimasu.) - I come here often. (natural adverb)
Context makes the meaning clear!