Title

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Adjectival Nouns　形容動詞

第14課: Adjectival Nouns　形容動詞

Apart from true adjectives (keiyōshi 形容詞), another part of speech known in English as "adjectival nouns" also describes, but they are syntactically the combination of noun-like words + the copula verb. Some can be used as true nouns, some may seldom function as true nouns, while others are purely adjectival. To demonstrate this spectrum of noun-like behavior, let's look at two words. 

The first word, kantan 簡単, means "simple" and exists in Chinese with the same meaning as an adjective, but Japanese doesn't allow for it to be used as a true adjective because it lacks conjugational morphology※. Out of necessity, kantan-da 簡単だ is the basic form. This form, though, can't be put in front of a noun. This creates a problem not seen with true adjectives as their predicate and attribute forms are identical.  The solution for adjectival nouns is changing da だ to na な when directly modifying a 'noun.' 

i. その説明は簡単だ。（Shūshikei 終止形）
Sono setsumei wa kantan-da.
That explanation is simple. 

ii. 簡単な説明だ。（Rentaikei 連体形）
Kantan-na setsumei da.
(It's) a simple explanation.

If you speak Korean, this concept should be familiar to you. Grammatically, the form of an adjective/adjectival noun at the end of a sentence (shūshikei 終止形 ) is not the same form as the form used to directly modify a noun (rentaikei 連体形). As for why these forms look different for adjectival nouns but not for adjectives is simply a matter of history. 

If you look up kantan 簡単 in a dictionary, you'll first notice that it is listed as kantan 簡単 rather than kantan-da 簡単だ or kantan-na  簡単な. The reason for this is that there are many adjectival nouns that are sometimes used as nouns in certain circumstances, and so you'll often see ［名・形動］before the word. Mei 名 is used here as an abbreviation of meishi 名詞 (noun), and keidō 形動 is an abbreviation of the term keiyōdōshi 形容動詞, which is the most widely used name for this part of speech. 

The problem with the term keiyōdōshi 形容動詞 is that it literally translates to "adjectival verb" even though they aren't true verbs either. They simply utilize the copula verb out of necessity. Some Japanese educators opt for the term "na-type adjectives" (na-keiyōshi ナ形容詞), but then this ignores how some can be used as nouns. 

This problem is especially obvious with the adjectival noun baka バカ. Many of you may instantly recognize this word as the word for "idiot/stupid," but wait a minute... In English, "idiot" is strictly a noun and "stupid" is strictly an adjective. Yet, dictionaries are not fooling you when they list both meanings for バカ. Simply put, it's both a noun and an adjectival-noun. 

iii. 山田君は、バカだね。
Yamada-kun wa, baka(-)da ne.
Yamada-kun, you're sure an idiot.
Yamada-kun sure is stupid, huh.

In English, you can tweak the translation of バカ to sound more like a noun or an adjectival noun, but in the context of Japanese grammar, such adjectival-noun predicates (na-keiyōshi-jutsugo ナ形容詞述語) as they are called ought to be viewed as both yet solely neither. 

In IMABI, adjectival nouns will be referred to as "keiyōdōshi 形容動詞" as this is the term Japanese speakers all know. However, in more complicated grammar discussions, the term "na-keiyōshi ナ形容詞" will be preferred. In your personal studies, you may also find the term 名容詞, which is meant to solve the naming dilemma. 

Now that we've gone over what is meant by "adjectival noun" and how they behave differently from true adjectives, it's time to look at examples. In doing so, we'll recap how to conjugate the copula verb as that is how adjectival nouns are conjugated. 

※Most keiyōdōshi 形容動詞 are of Sino-Japanese origin, but there are examples of native and foreign origin. 

The Non-Past Forms (Plain/Polite)　非過去形（常体・丁寧体）

To form the non-past forms of keiyōdōshi 形容動詞, simply attach either the copula da だ (for plain speech) or its polite form desu です (for polite speech). However, neither copula form is used when a keiyōdōshi 形容動詞 appears before a noun! In this situation, you use na な regardless of the sentence's overall speech register. 

We learned in Lesson 13 that true adjectives are not capable of being interpreted as the future tense in their basic form without the aid of other grammar points/context, and the same goes for keiyōdōshi 形容動詞.  
意味
 基本形・連体形（＋な）
 終止形（＋だ）
 終止形（＋です）
 Safe
 Anzen(-na) 安全（な）
 Anzen-da 安全だ
 Anzen-desu 安全です
  Healthy
 Kenkō(-na) 健康（な）
 Kenkō-da 健康だ
 Kenkō-desu 健康です
  Lively/Well
 Genki(-na) 元気（な）
 Genki-da 元気だ
 Genki-desu 元気です
  Convenient
 Benri(-na) 便利（な）
 Benri-da 便利だ
 Benri-desu 便利です
 Inconvenient
 Fuben(-na)不便（な）
 Fuben-da 不便だ
 Fuben-desu 不便です

Orthography Note:

A hyphen will be placed in between the stem of the 形容動詞 and the copula to indicate that they are joined. When the 形容動詞 is, in fact, used as a noun, no hyphen will be used. 


Terminology Notes:

①Imi 意味 = Meaning

②The basic form (kihonkei 基本形) of keiyōdōshi 形容動詞 is thought to be its attributive form (rentaikei 連体形)--the form that is used to modify nouns), whereas for other conjugatable parts of speech the predicative form (shūshikei 終止形) serves this role. This is because the adjectival nature of these words is indisputable when placed before a noun, but when it's elsewhere in a sentence, depending on the word, it may not be adjectival.

Vocabulary Notes:

①Anzen 安全 may also be used as a noun in the sense of "safety."
②健康 may also be used as a noun meaning "health," and its overall meaning is tied to physical health. 

③Genki 元気 is famously used in "o-genki desu ka? お元気ですか" which translates "how are you?" However, both its nominal (noun-like) and adjectival meanings have a deeper cultural connection. See Lesson ???. 
④Both benri 便利 and fuben 不便 can be used as nouns. For example, 便利が悪い means "(the) convenience (of it) is bad," and the opposite of this is 便利がいい, which directly translates as "(the) convenience (of it) is good." Oddly enough, a large percentage of speakers find them unnatural/ungrammatical, preferring 不便だ and 便利だ respectively. This is a sign of the noun-like meanings of these words disappearing. However, when they are used as the direct object of the sentence, they may still be found in a handful of set phrases. Since the focus of this lesson is on adjectival phrases, we'll leave those usages to future discovery.


Just from this handful of words, we can surmise that many keiyōdōshi 形容動詞 have both nominal and adjectival usages. Of course, the best way to tell the difference is by looking at actual sentences. 


1. 病院は安全です。 (Adjectival)
Byōin wa anzen-desu.
The hospital is safe./Hospitals are safe.


2. 安全第一！(Nominal)
Anzen Dai-Ichi!
Safety First!


3. チェコ語は簡単だ。(Adjectival)
Chekogo wa kantan-da.
Czech is easy.


4. （私たちの）健康は大切です。(Nominal)
(Watashitachi no) kenkō wa taisetsu-desu.
(Our) health is important.


5. 元気な子供ですね。(Adjectival)
Genki-na kodomo desu ne.
The child/children are sure full of energy, huh.


6. 私の歯は健康です。(Adjectival)
Watashi no ha wa kenkō-desu.
My teeth are healthy.


7. 毎日の生活で一番不便なことは何ですか。(Adjectival)
Mainichi no seikatsu de ichiban fuben-na koto wa nan desu ka?
What is the most inconvenient thing in your everyday life?


Grammar Notes:
①The particle か marks a question. We'll learn more about it in Lesson 19. 
②Ichiban 一番 literally means "number one," and when it is used as an adverb, it means "most." Adverbs modify adjectives by being placed in front of them. Unlike English, the adjectival phrase itself doesn't change form. 

③In Lesson 8, we learned that mono もの means "thing," but when the "thing" is not necessarily a physical object and when there is a need to talk about something in a broad context, koto こと is used instead. 


8. ここは便利な店ですね。
Koko wa benri-na mise desu ne.
This sure is a convenient store.


Phrasing Note: "Convenience store" is kombini コンビニ, a shortening of kombiniensu sutoa コンビニエンスストア. This may come as a surprise to Chinese speakers as 便利店 is their word for "convenience store." Interestingly, the phrase benriya 便利屋 does exist in Japanese, but it refers to a "Jack of all trades."  


Dropping the Copula


The copula can be omitted in the same situations it can be dropped when used with ordinary nouns like how we saw in Lesson 9. When an adjectival noun is in the predicative form and the copula is dropped, the resulting tone of the sentence is exclamatory. 

9. おお、見事（だ）！
Ō, migoto(-da)!
Oh, how splendid!


10. 僕は元気！
Boku wa genki!
I'm great!

The Existence of Two Attributive Forms: な vs である


形容動詞 need the copula to even exist despite being adjectival in nature. Yet, these "adjectival nouns" are still useable as attributes before a noun just like "true adjectives" (形容詞) thanks to the attributive form な. Remember that です doesn't get an attributive form because, again, it only goes at the end of a sentence. 


Now, if the attributive forms of 形容動詞 are made with な, it may seem redundant to then say that the attributive form of the copula is な, but this fact cannot be overlooked. In fact, the plain conjugations of 形容動詞 share this attributive function with "regular nouns + the copula" because it is the copula which forms them.


In our introduction to Japanese, we learned that Japanese allows entire sentences to become modifiers of another phrase. So long as the modifier is to the left of what it modifies and so long as the speaker applies the correct grammatical glue in between, this statement is always true.  

When "another noun" modifies a noun, as opposed to an adjectival noun (形容動詞), you can't just attach だ as is because だ is solely the predicative form (shūshikei 終止形 ), BUT you can't just use な. Even though な is the attributive form (rentaikei 連体形) for 形容動詞, it cannot be used to link two nouns together※.

In Lesson 9, we briefly learned how だ itself is a contraction and that this is evident from the past tense form datta だった. After all, if -TA stands for past tense in Japanese, then why is there an extra /t/? So, what is the contraction? Unravel だ, and you get de-aru である, and likewise, the unravelling of だった produces de-atta であった. It is these uncontracted forms of the copula that allow us to link nouns together.

11. 自民党の誰々が総理大臣である限り、何も変わらない。
Jimintō no daredare ga sōri daijin de-aru kagiri, nani mo kawaranai. 
As long as so-and-so in the LDP is the Prime Minister, nothing will change.

Although this sentence may seem complex at first, note that the nominal (noun) phrase before である is an entire clause: [Jimintō no daredare ga sōri daijin]. The second noun is kagiri 限り, which has the literal meaning of "limit/extent." When it's modified by an attributive clause, its meaning becomes "as long as." 

である is, in fact, the uncontracted predicative form (shūshikei 終止形 ) and attributive form (rentaikei 連体形), which means that it can also be used with 形容動詞. Because it is both forms, it allows for noun-to-noun modification as we saw in Ex. 11. Contrast this with だ, which is only the predicative form, but also with な which isn't used between two regular nouns. However, neither is である. The first noun before である has to originally be from a noun-predicate. In this case, the original simple noun-predicate would be "sōri daijin da/de-aru 総理大臣だ・である." 

If that last bit was confusing, consider this.

12. 男【である 〇・だ 〇】。
Otoko [de-aru/da]. 
(I/the person) is/am a man.

13. （性自認が）男【である 〇・ だ X・な X】人。
(Seijinin ga) otoko [de-aru 〇/da X/na X] hito. 
A person who(se gender identity) is male. 

14. 男の人です。
(That person) is a man.

As demonstrated in Ex. 14, if you want to attach two nouns together in an attributive relationship, you use the particle no の. As for the phrase 男の人, using the gender word 男 as an attribute of the word for "person" hito 人 makes the phrase politer and more formal. 

If you use a "noun + the copula," that noun is from a noun-predicate sentence even if it's a single word at the surface. As for what the second noun can be, Ex. 11 shows us that the noun might be adverbial in nature, but it still has to be a regular noun at its basic understanding because combining predicates together is a completely separate grammatical process.

15. この地域は安全である。(Formal, written language※)
Kono chiiki wa anzen-de-aru.
This area is safe.

16. データが安全[である 〇・な X]ことを確認する。
Dēta ga anzen-[de-aru 〇/-na X] koto wo kakunin suru.
To confirm that data is safe.

17. 安全なデータ
Anzen-na dēta
Safe data

Here, we see that even for 形容動詞, when a whole adjectival predicate is carried over to be used as an attribute, you use である instead of な. This makes the grammar of Ex. 16. match that of Ex. 11. Having said this, though, it is also possible for a 形容動詞 to modify just the following noun while still being in a larger attributive clause. 

18. データが安全な状態にある。
Dēta ga anzen-na jōtai ni aru.
The data is in a safe state.

When this is the case, な is the correct rentaikei 連体形. However, consider the following. 

19. 安全な状態
Anzen-na jōtai
A safe state

20. 安全である状態
Anzen-de-aru jōtai
The condition of being safe

This difference hinges on the nominal nature of 形容動詞. If you treat the adjectival-noun more as a noun-predicate being used in the attributive sense, you get Ex. 20. If you are simply adding an adjectival noun to another noun, you get Ex. 21.

※Although な is marked as incorrect in Ex. 16, there are circumstances in which な does replace である in the spoken language in the modifying noun-predicate. 

21. データが安全であることが原因【な △・である 〇】こともある。
Dēta ga anzen-de-aru koto ga gen'in [na △/de-aru 〇] koto mo aru.
There are also cases in which the cause is that the data is safe.

The noun koto こと has a general nominalization effect on what precedes it. Meaning, if what precedes it is not already a noun, it is now. This explains why the である before the first こと isn't な because the clause "dēta ga anzen-de-aru" is being made into a noun by こと in the same way "that" helps make "that the data is safe" a nominal phrase in English. This makes [Dēta ga anzen-de-aru koto ga gen'in] a clause within a clause, and generally speaking, な shouldn't be grammatical here for the same reason it wouldn't be in Exs. 11 and 16. 

The phrase koto ga aru ことがある* utilizes the "incident/event" nuance of its overall meaning of "thing." It is used after phrases that would otherwise be the predicate (noun-predicates, adjectival predicates, verbal predicates). When it is used with 形容動詞, either な or である are allowed as the attributive form. How does this context differ from the ones in Exs. 11 and 16? 

*The particle mo も is used in Ex. 21 instead of the particle ga が to add the meaning of "also."

In Ex. 11, what follows the second noun is a separate independent clause, and である is essentially holding together a rather complicated adverbial phrase. In Ex. 16, the であること phrase is the object of the sentence. In Ex. 21,  [Dēta ga anzen-de-aru koto ga gen'in [na △/de-aru 〇] koto ] is the subject of the sentence. Not only is it the subject of the sentence, the overall sentence structure is a basic existential sentence, whereas neither Ex. 11 nor Ex. 16 are existential in nature. Thus, for there to be any overlap between な and である, the sentence itself must be an existential one. If what precedes is a noun, である is always grammatical with な being questionable, and if what precedes is a 形容動詞, both are allowed but な is preferred with である sounding formal.

※だ  versus である in terms of speech register has to be viewed in context. In mid-sentence, it is occasionally grammatically necessary. At the end of a sentence, the determination is based on formality. である is not typically used in the spoken language in the predicative form, but when it is, it gives off a very pedantic tone.

The Past Tense Forms (Plain/Polite)　過去形（常体・丁寧体）

You can use "形容動詞 +だった" in the attributive sense, but you can't use  "形容動詞 +でした" in this same way. We know this because of the general rule that "polite forms don't have attributive forms." 

22. 綺麗[だった 〇・でした] Xあたし 
Kirei-[datta 〇/deshita X] atashi
My once pretty self

23a. 食糧の確保が必要であった時代　(Formal, written language)
Shokuryō no kakuho ga hitsuyō-de-atta jidai
23b. 食料の確保が必要だった時代  (Written or Spoken)
Shokuryō no kakuho ga hitsuyō-datta jidai
23c. 食料の確保が必要でした時代 Ｘ (Incorrect)
Shokuryō  no kakuho ga hitsuyō-deshita jidai
Time period when the guarantee of a food supply was important

But why can だった attach to nouns like this in the first place? This is because all plain verbal phrases have a predicate and attributive form, including the past tense marker -TA. It just doesn't change form based on its location. To the contrary, the polite copula です doesn't have an attributive form, which prevents でした from having one. Politeness, thus, is marked at the end of an adjective predicate regardless if it's a 形容詞 or a 形容動詞.

Exs. 22 and 23 show more deeply rooted differences in grammar between the two languages. For one, the past tense isn't expressed by the affix "-ed" in English in either example, but the adjectives in Japanese ARE directly conjugated into the past tense. Also, whereas the conjugated adjective directly modifies the following noun (because it is conjugated into the attributive form for that reason), English requires that a helper word like "when" go in between the noun and the following compliment in the case of Ex. 23, and in Ex. 22 we see that "pretty" is before the noun, but that's only because the phrase "my once pretty" is short enough to be placed there. The use of "self" over" I" is a matter of English pronoun use whereas Japanese pronouns are regular nouns that can be modified no differently than any other noun. 

24. あの試験は簡単だった。
Ano shiken wa kantan-datta.
That exam was easy.

25. 簡単だった試験
Kantan-datta shiken
(A/the) exam that was easy

Now that we've gotten the tricky grammar out of the way, we can go back to adding more important 形容動詞 to your vocabulary while also getting used to seeing だった and でした. 
意味
 基本形
 ＋だった（終止形・連体形）
 ＋でした（終止形）
Pretty/Clean
Kirei(-na) 綺麗（な）
  Kirei-datta 綺麗だった
 Kirei-deshita 綺麗でした
Necessary
 Hitsuyō (-na) 必要（な）
 Hitsuyō -datta 必要だった
 Hitsuyō-deshita必要でした
  Important
 Taisetsu(-na) 大切（な）
 Taisetsu-datta 大切だった
 Taisetsu-deshita 大切でした
  Essential
 Jūyō(-na) 重要（な）
 Jūyō-datta 重要だった
 Jūyō-deshita 重要でした
 Crucial/Precious
 Daiji(-na) 大事（な）
 Daiji-datta 大事だった
 Daiji-deshita 大事でした

Vocabulary Notes:

①The words taisetsu 大切,  jūyō 重要, and daiji 大事 can all translate as "important," but they are not entirely synonymous. 
・大切  refers to something that's important in the sense that if the thing in question were lost, there would be substantial harm/ache felt on an emotional level. The person/thing is indispensable to you. There is a sense of necessity from the heart.
・重要 refers to objective importance. 
・大事 refers to things/people you take special care to; it/they're important to you. Or, it may be used as a noun meaning "serious matter/crisis." 


26. 月は綺麗でした。
Tsuki wa kirei-deshita.
The moon was pretty.


27. 大切だった人
Taisetsu-datta hito
A person who was indispensable/important


28. 英語能力が重要でした。
Eigo nōryoku ga jūyō-deshita.

English proficiency was important.


29. まさに大事だった。
Masa ni daiji(-)datta.
It was a serious matter, exactly.

The Negative Forms (Plain/Polite)　否定形（常体・丁寧体）

To recap, the contracted form じゃない is preferred in the spoken language, but the opposite is true in the written language. When contrast needs to be emphasized, ではない prevails even in the spoken language. To form the polite negative forms, directly add です to the plain forms or replace ない with arimasen  ありません. 

意味 
 基本形
 否定形（常体～丁寧体）
 Strange
Hen(-na) 変（な）
Hen-ja-nai 変じゃない
Hen-de-wa-nai 変ではない
Hen-ja-nai desu 変じゃないです
Hen-de-wa-nai desu 変ではないです
Hen-ja-arimasen 変じゃありません
Hen-de-wa-arimasen 変ではありません
 Excellent
Yūshū(-na) 優秀（な）
Yūshū-ja-nai 優秀じゃない
Yūshū-de-wa-nai 優秀ではない
Yūshū-ja-nai desu 優秀じゃないです
Yūshū-de-wa-nai desu 優秀ではないです
Yūshū-ja-arimasen 優秀じゃありません
Yūshū-de-wa-arimasen 優秀ではありません
 Sufficient
Jūbun(-na) 十分（な）
Jūbun-ja-nai 十分じゃない
Jūbun-de-wa-nai 十分ではない
Jūbun-ja-nai desu 十分じゃないです
Jūbun-de-wa-nai desu 十分ではないです
Jūbun-ja-arimasen 十分じゃありません
Jūbun-de-wa-arimasen 十分ではありません
 Real
Hontō(-na) 本当（な）
Hontō-ja-nai 本当じゃない
Hontō-de-wa-nai 本当ではない
Hontō-ja-nai desu 本当じゃないです
Hontō-de-wa-nai desu 本当ではないです
Hontō-ja-arimasen 本当じゃありません
Hontō-de-wa-arimasen 本当ではありません
 Complicated
Fukuzatsu(-na) 複雑（な）
Fukuzatsu-ja-nai 複雑じゃない
Fukuzatsu-de-wa-nai 複雑ではない
Fukuzatsu-ja-nai desu 複雑じゃないです
Fukuzatsu-de-wa-nai desu 複雑ではないです
Fukuzatsu-ja-arimasen 複雑じゃありません
Fukuzatsu-de-wa-arimasen 複雑ではありません

Orthography Note:　
The reason for why a hyphen is not used before です when used as a polite marker is because it is grammatically treated as a completely separate entity when it directly follows other conjugations.

Vocabulary Notes:

① Yūshū 優秀 refers to someone's skill(s) being exceptional. 

② Hontō 本当 can also mean "really" and may be used as a noun, adjective, and an adverb. It can also translate as "true," "genuine," etc.


30. この気持ちは変じゃない。
Kono kimochi wa hen-ja-nai.
This/these feeling(s) is/are not strange.


31. あれはもはや重要ではない。
Are wa mohaya jūyō de-wa-nai.
That is no longer important.


32. この人は会社員としては優秀じゃありません。
Kono hito wa kaishain to shite wa yūshū-ja-arimasen.
This person isn’t excellent as a company employee.


33. 酸素は有害ではありません。
Sanso wa yūgai-de-wa-arimasen
Oxygen is not harmful.


34. 私は平気じゃないです。
Watashi wa heiki-ja-nai desu.
I’m not fine.

The Negative-Past Forms (Plain/Polite) 過去の否定形（常体・丁寧体）

The negative-past is usually seen at the end of a sentence, but when it appears mid-sentence, it is usually in an imbedded sentence (a predicate turned into a modifier). Because the plain and polite negative-past forms of 形容動詞 utilize the copula, we will forego an etymological breakdown. Instead, the recap chart below will list variations from least to most polite. 

意味
 基本形
 過去の否定形（常体～丁寧体）
Dangerous
 Kiken(-na) 危険（な）
Kiken-ja-nakatta 危険じゃなかった
Kiken-de-wa-nakatta 危険ではなかった
Kiken-ja-nakatta desu 危険じゃなかったです
Kiken-de-wa-nakatta desu 危険ではなかったです
Kiken-ja-arimasendeshita 危険じゃありませんでした
Kiken-de-wa-arimasendeshita 危険ではありませんでした
 Appropriate
 Tekisetsu(-na) 適切（な）
Tekisetsu-ja-nakatta 適切じゃなかった
Tekisetsu-de-wa-nakatta 適切ではなかった
Tekisetsu-ja-nakatta desu 適切じゃなかったです
Tekisetsu-de-wa-nakatta desu 適切ではなかったです
Tekisetsu-ja-arimasendeshita 適切じゃありませんでした
Tekisetsu-de-wa-arimasendeshita 適切ではありませんでした
Vocabulary Note:
①Kiken 危険 is synonymous with abunai 危ない, but the latter has a wider range of use.

35. 野菜は新鮮じゃありませんでした。
Yasai wa shinsen-ja-arimasendeshita.
The vegetables weren’t fresh.

36. 昔は公平ではありませんでした。
Mukashi wa kōhei-de-wa-arimasendeshita.
The olden days were not fair.


37. 全然失礼じゃなかったですよ。
Zenzen shitsurei ja nakatta desu yo.
(That) wasn’t rude at all.


38. 私、冷静じゃなかったですね。
Watashi, reisei-ja-nakatta desu ne.
I wasn’t calm, huh.


39. 僕は別に特別じゃなかったです。
Boku wa betsu ni tokubetsu-ja-nakatta desu.
I wasn’t particularly special.


40. 記述が正確じゃなかった。
Kijutsu ga seikaku-ja-nakatta.
The description wasn’t accurate.


41. 初恋は残酷でした。
Hatsukoi wa zankoku-deshita.
My first love was cruel.


42. それは適切ではなかった。
Sore wa tekisetsu-de-wa-nakatta.
That was not appropriate.


43. あの町は危険じゃなかった。
Ano machi wa kiken-ja-nakatta.
That town wasn’t dangerous.


44. 彼らは熱心じゃなかった。
Karera wa nesshin-ja-nakatta.
They weren’t enthusiastic.

Native Adjectival Nouns 　和語系の形容動詞

Some resources erroneously state that 形容動詞 arose due to influence from Chinese loanwords. Although it is true that most are Sino-Japanese in origin, native adjectival nouns have presumably always existed, and many even have a 形容詞 counterpart. 


Sometimes the adjectival noun form is made by dropping /i/ and just using the stem, but most are made by following the stem with the suffixes -ka か, -raka らか, or-yaka やか※. The difference in nuance is usually that the 形容動詞 forms are more fitting in abstract, intangible contexts and/or refined speech. Seeing what words each pair of words are used with respectively is the best way to grasp nuance differences that may exist.

意味
 語幹
 形容詞
 形容動詞
（＋か・らか・やか等）
New
Ara-
 Atarashii 新しい
 Arata-da 新ただ △
Quiet
Shizu-
 Shizuka-da 静かだ
 Loud
  Taka-
 Takai 高い
 高らかだ △
 Soft
 Yawa-
 Yawarakai 柔らかい
 Yawaraka-da 柔らかだ  △
 Fine/small
 Koma-
 Komakai 細かい※
Komaka-da  細かだ △
 Flat
 Tai-
 Taira-da 平らだ
 Small
 Chiisa-
 Chiisai 小さい
 Chiisana 小さな
 Big
   Ō-
  Ōkii 大きい
  Ōkina 大きな
Vocabulary Notes:
①The purpose of knowing what the stem of an adjective is to get sense for how derived words are made from it.
②In the case of 新しい vs 新ただ, the root is actually ara-. 新しい is by far the most common form for "new" whereas 新ただ is essentially non-existent. However, its attributive form 新たな is frequently used, but it has a different tone than 新しい. You'll often hear it used emphatically, almost in a romanticized nuance. 
③高らか doesn't have the same meanings as 高い. They can both refer to loud sounds, but the nature of the sounds described by 高らか tend to be romanticized in context and it is often translated as "sonorous."
④The 形容動詞 forms 柔らかだ and 細かだ are only commonly used as attributes, and they are hardly ever used as predicates.
⑤The reason why no hyphen is placed before な in 小さな and 大きな is because it is thought to be completely fused to them. In fact, these forms are strictly attributive and cannot be changed into any other conjugation. See Lesson 60 for more about this grammatical phenomenon.

45 新たな冒険がいま、始まります！
Arata-na bōken ga ima, hajimarimasu!
A new adventure starts now!

46. あの図書館は静かです。
Ano toshokan wa shizuka-desu.
That library is quiet.

47. 柔らかな風が吹く。
Yawaraka-na kaze ga fuku.
Gentle wind blows.

48. 柔らかい布を使う。
Yawarakai nuno wo tsukau.
To use soft cloth.

49. 皆さん、大きな拍手をお願いします。
Mina-san, ōkina hakushu wo onegai shimasu.
Everyone, please give a big round of applause.

50. 平らな石が二つありました。
Taira-na ishi ga futatsu arimashita.
There were two flat stones.

※The forms 細（こま）い, 細かい, 細かだ, and 細やかだ for the general meaning of "fine/detailed" all exist, but and the exact differences between them tell a lot about how 形容詞 and 形容動詞 in native vocabulary differ. 

Of course, there are other native adjectival nouns that aren't created with the suffixes -ka か, -raka らか, or-yaka やか. As for the rest, the only way to distinguish them from nouns is by verifying their semantic role in a sentence if used as the predicate. When used in the attributive form, the presence of な alone would indicate their adjectival nature. Here, you can see that many of these words are common-use adjectives.
意味
 形容動詞
 意味
 形容動詞
Rare
 Mare(-na) 稀（な）
Warped
 Ibitsu(-na) 歪（な）
 Reckless
 Nageyari(-na) 投げやり（な）
Various
 Iroiro(-na) 色々（な）
 Pitiful
 Aware(-na) 哀れ（な）
 Unpleasant
Iya(-na) 嫌（な） 
 Obvious
 Atarimae(-na) 当たり前
 Dirty
  Etchi(-na) エッチ（な）

Vocabulary Notes:

①Atarimae 当たり前 comes from a misspelling of tōzen 当然 turned into a native word. The two words are interchangeable. 

②Despite being spelled in Katakana or even as the letter H, the word etchi エッチ meaning "dirty (lewd)" is actually Japanese-derived but thanks to foreign influence. The leading theory is that it does indeed come from the "H" in the romanized spelling of hentai 変態, which is a noun many foreigners know to mean "(sexual) perversion," but its Japanese meaning is actually broader than this and can actually refer to abnormalities in general as well as metamorphosis/transformation in science.


51. トレーニングが必要なことも稀ではありません。
Torēningu ga hitsuyō-na koto mo mare-de-wa-arimasen.
It is also not rare for training to be necessary.


52. 歪な形をしている。
Ibitsu-na katachi wo shite iru.
It has a warped shape.


53. それは当たり前だよ。
Sore wa atarimae-da yo.
That's obvious.


54. 投げやりな態度
Nageyari-na taido
A reckless attitude

Foreign Adjectival Nouns　外来系の形容動詞

Whenever an adjectival phrase is borrowed from or inspired by a modern foreign language, the resultant phrase is by default a 形容動詞※. Most examples happen to have existing vocabulary to fit their role, but for whatever reason, they are borrowed nonetheless. For instance, there are already other phrases that translate as "unique" such as dokutoku-na 独特な, but the English-derived yuniiku-na ユニークな also exists. 

意味
 形容動詞
 意味
 形容動詞
 Modern
 モダン（な）
Handsome
ハンサム（な）
 Realistic
 リアル（な）
  Chic
 シック（な）
 Smart/slender/stylish
 スマート（な）
  Formal
 フォーマル（な）
Only a handful of loanwords are 形容動詞 as they usually enter the language as prefixes. In some cases, it takes decades for a word to stick. The example words above have all been in the language for a long time, and so speakers use them like any other adjectival noun. Their meanings, though, may become altered from their original source language.

The English word "black" was borrowed into Japanese as burakku ブラック, and its use as a 形容動詞 is in flux. In the phrase burakku-kōhii ブラックコーヒー, for instance, it is certainly adjectival, but な is not used. Over time, though, the word has taken on new meanings not found in English. For instance, it frequently means "corrupt/dark" in phrases like burakku-kigyō  ブラック企業 (enterprise that exploits its workers), burakku-jōku ブラックジョーク (dark jokes), and burakku-yūmoa ブラックユーモア (dark humor). As for burakku(-na) ブラック（な）, it is synonymous with haraguroi 腹黒いmeaning, "malicious/black-hearted.

55. リアルなゲームが好きです。
Riaru-na gēmu ga suki-desu.
I like realistic games.

56. 建物がユニークでした。
Tatemono ga yuniiku-deshita.
The building(s) was/were unique.

57. シンプルなデザインのメリット
Shimpuru-na dezain no meritto
The merit(s) of a simple design

58. メジャーな曲
Mejā-na kyoku
Famous song

59. メジャーデビュー
Mejā debyū
Major debut

60. スマートな身なり
Sumāto-na minari
Stylish attire

61. もっとスマートなやり方があった。
Motto sumāto-na yarikata ga atta.
There was a smarter way to do it.

62. スマートな体型の男性
Sumāto-na taikei no dansei
A man with a slim build

※There was a slang word in the 1980s which turned the English word now into a 形容詞 as naui ナウい. Although this word still has recognition to this day, it is no longer trendy as it means. 

In Conclusion...　最後に…

By looking at how adjectival nouns conjugate with the copula, we learn more about how the copula works overall.
Additionally, knowing the difference between the "predicative form" and the "attributive form" does actually pertain to understanding Japanese grammar correctly. We learned the difference of what it means for a predicate to modify a noun versus an actual adjectival noun as well as what happens when a regular noun is the attribute of another (the particle no の).

Speech register is another major facet of Japanese grammar. What is meant by plain and polite, written language or spoken language, formal or informal, etc. affects an entire discourse. This was especially true when we looked at である. Writing it off as a formal variant only works if we're talking about the predicative form; without covering its attributive function, you limit yourself from learning more about how complex adjectival-noun attributive phrases are formed like in Exs. 14 and 19. 

Word origin also showed itself to be important. Most 形容動詞 are of Sino-Japanese origin, and the fact that most Sino-Japanese words are used in the written language isn't coincidental. Nuance differences between etymological different yet synonymous adjectives will need to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. 

The last point that was brought up was how familiar adjectives in English are transformed grammatically and semantically upon entering Japanese. Would you have imagined the unique nuances that ブラック has? Even an adjective like スマート has three separate usages, only one of which resembles its original English meaning. 

Perhaps the most daunting task that was only hinted at in this lesson was that the "na-adjectival nouns" you learned about are not the only kind of adjectival nouns. The next group of adjectival nouns we'll cover will be "no-adjectival nouns," which we'll get to in Lesson 51. 

Next, though, we'll turn our focus to verbs. 

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