In our coverage of “adjectival nouns (形容動詞),” we looked at a class of words that behave as adjectives but are etymologically nouns that use the copula to behave as such. The topic of adjectival nouns, though, does not stop with adjectives that use the copula to modify nouns. There are also many words that are adjectival that look like nouns but use no の to modify nouns and ni に to modify verbs as adverbs. In essence, they're hybrids of nouns and adjectives.
This lesson will focus on those words as well as their close connection to na-adjectival nouns. Although distinguishing between these two groups of words is often impossible to do, you'll learn more about the real dynamics of Japanese adjectives.
At first glance, many no-adjectives seem to share the same functions that na-adjectival nouns have. These so-called no-adjectives may be used to modify nouns, form the predicate of a sentence, or even be used adverbially by switching out no の with ni に.
1. 厳しい修行を積み重ねて人生の本当の意味を悟った人を「ブッダ」と言います。
Kibishii shugyō wo tsumikasanete jinsei no hontō no imi wo satotta hito wo "Budda" to iimasu.
We call people who have built up rigid discipline and have become enlightened about the true meaning of life a "Buddha."
2. 留学生活は本当に大変でした。
Ryūgaku seikatsu wa hontō ni taihen deshita.
Life while studying abroad was really tough.
3. あの噂は本当だった。
Ano uwasa wa hontō datta.
That rumor was true.
4. 車内アナウンスをする人たちは、わざと鼻にかかった独特の喋り方で音程を上げてアナウンスしているんですよ。
Shanai anaunsu wo suru hitotachi wa, waza to hana ni kakatta dokutoku no shaberikata de ontei wo agete anaunsu shite iru n desu yo.
Train announcers purposely do the announcements with a raised pitch by speaking in a peculiarly nasal fashion.
5. 夕暮れ前の空は独特でした。
Yūgure-mae no sora wa dokutoku deshita.
The sky before dusk was peculiar.
6. 使い方も若干独特になっています。
Tsukaikata mo jakkan dokutoku ni natte imasu.
How to use it is also somewhat peculiar.
7. 特別に注意を払ってください。
Tokubetsu ni chūi wo haratte kudasai.
Pay especial attention.
8. 普通の土鍋と違って底が四角で、浅いのです。
Futsū no donabe to chigatte soko ga shikaku de, asai no desu.
Different from a regular earthenware pot, the bottom of (this one) is square and shallow.
9. 連日注射はごく普通ですよ。
Renjitsu chūsha wa goku futsū desu yo.
Prolonged shots are quite normal.
Grammar Note: At times, no の is omitted from no-adjective phrases like in renjitsu chuusha 連日注射. This is very common when the resultant phrase is four characters or longer and when said resultant phrase semantically refers to a particular concept.
10. 最初から左足でブレーキ、右足でアクセルと別けて普通に運転しています。
Saisho kara hidariashi de burēki, migashi de akuseru to wakete futsū ni unten shite imasu.
I’ve been driving like normal from the beginning by putting my left foot on the break and my right foot on the accelerator.
11. あそこは一般の人が立ち入れない場所です。
Asoko wa ippan no hito ga tachi’irenai basho desu.
That place over there can’t be entered by people at large.
Grammar Note: Tachi’ireru 立ち入れる is the potential (can) form of the verb tachi’iru 立ち入る, which is used to mean “enter” usually in the sense of “to trespass.”
12. 一般に景気が悪い時期には株式の価格が下落します。
Ippan ni keiki ga warui jiki ni wa kabushiki no kakaku ga geraku shimasu.
Generally when business is bad, the stock price/stock prices goes down.
13. 一流の大学に入学しました。
Ichiryū no daigaku ni nyūgaku shita.
I enrolled into a first class university.
No の or Na な
Many no-adjectival nouns can also be used as na-adjectival nouns instead. The nuance will tend to be different, but the interchangeability is still there.
14. 本当に大人な人が苦手です。
Hontō ni otona na hito ga nigate desu.
I’m bad with really adult-like people.
15. 誰にでも大人の態度を取っていますか。
Dare ni demo otona no taido wo totte imasu ka?
Do you take an adult attitude with anyone?
16. ちょっと生な感じが残っている。
Chotto nama na kanji ga nokotte iru.
There’s still a somewhat uncooked/unprocessed/unpolished feel to it.
Meaning Note: The meaning of nama 生 can be quite varied, which is why context is needed to know how it’s meant.
17. 生の鶏肉に触れた俎板やボールなどの調理器具はそのまま他の調理に使用することはやめましょう。
Nama no toriniku ni fureta manaita ya bōru nado no chōri kigu wa sono mama hoka no chōri ni shiyō suru koto wa yamemashō.
Let's stop using cookware, such as cutting boards and bowls, that have come in contact with raw poultry when preparing other dishes.
Grammar Note: The ending -mashō ましょう is used in this context to create a general polite suggestion for everyone to follow. It is the "let's" in the translation.
18. 世界中の新興国はそれぞれ高度の経済成長を目指しています。
Sekaijū no shinkōkoku wa sorezore kōdo no keizai seichō wo mezashite imasu.
Developing countries worldwide are each aiming for rapid economic growth.
19. 私たち関東人は、高度な食文化と舌を持っているんですよ。
Watashitachi kantōjin wa, kōdo na shokubunka to shita wo motte iru n desu yo.
We Kanto-ites possess a sophisticated cuisine and palate.
20. 特別の機関を指定する必要は認めない。
Tokubetsu no kikan wo shitei suru hitsuyō wa mitomenai.
(We) do not recognize the need to designate an Attached Organization.
Meaning Note: An “Attached Organization” is an organization in the Japanese government established for some specific purpose.
21. 多くのテクニックや特別な料理を習いました。
Ōku no tekunikku ya tokubetsu na ryōri wo naraimashita.
I was taught on a lot of techniques and special cuisines.
No not Allowed
Conversely, not all na-adjectival nouns can be used as no-adjectival nouns instead.
22. 勝手｛な ○ ・ の X｝思い込みはNG！
Katte [na ○ /no X] omoikomi wa NG!
Arbitrary assumptions are no good!
23. 専業主婦に対する優遇措置が、女性の就労意欲を削ぐ皮肉｛な ○ ・ の X｝結果を招いている。
Sengyō shufu ni tai suru yūgū sochi ga, josei no shūrō iyoku wo sogu hiniku [na ○ /no X] kekka wo maneite iru.
Preferential treatment toward housewives has brought about the ironic effect of weakening female desire to work.
Na → NG
There are some no-adjectives that can never have no の be replaced by na な. There are instances where switching them is grammatically incorrect.
24. それぞれ｛の ○・な X｝個別｛の ○・な X｝症状が出ることがあります。
Sorezore [no ○/na X] kobetsu [no ○/na X] shōjō ga deru koto ga arimasu.
Individual symptoms of each occasionally occur.
Grammar Note: Koto ga aru ことがある, when after the non-past tense of a verb, is used to show "occasional behavior."
25. 叔父の家でさっき大量｛の ○・な X｝の雨 が降っていました。
Oji no ie de sakki tairyō [no ○/na X] ame ga futte imashita.
There was a massive amount of rain just now at my uncle’s house.
Noun or Adjective?
Sometimes, telling whether a no の should be treated as a noun or an adjective is not easy. The best way to figure this out is by thinking about the phrase's English equivalent. For instance, in the phrase "hair color," both "hair" and "color" are recognized as nouns, but in this phrase, "hair" is an attribute to color. As such, treating it as an adjective-like noun phrase would be appropriate.
26. 黒の服を着る。(Adjective?)
Kuro no fuku wo kiru.
To wear black clothes.
27. 日本人の髪の色は黒ですね。 (Noun?)
Nihonjin no kami no iro wa kuro desu ne.
Japanese hair color is black, isn’t it.
28. 鮮やかな緑色の草原が延々と広がっていた。 (Adjective?)
Azayaka na midori’iro no sōgen ga en’en to hirogatte ita.
A vibrant, green grassland endlessly stretched out.
29. 裏側は緑色が薄くなっている。 (Noun?)
Uragawa wa midori’iro ga usuku natte iru.
On the back, the green is light.
30. 体を健康な状態に保つ。 (Adjective?)
Karada wo kenkō na jōtai ni tamotsu.
To keep one’s body healthy.
31. 心臓の健康の状態を管理する。 (Noun?)
Shinzō no kenkō no jōtai wo kanri suru.
To manage the condition of one’s heart.
Interchangeability of No の and Na な
Even when it may be standard to use either na な or no の, variation will still exist between the two.The motivations for why na な is used in place of no の when either is possible, or when the latter is deemed standard form, are as follows:
1. The use of na な strengthens the sense that one is qualifying the phrase that follows.
2. The use of na な becomes more casual, especially when it is not the “standard” choice.
3. Generally speaking, na な is typically softer and subjective in nature whereas no の can sound colder, more objective, and stiff.
4. No の may feel simply as a mere connector of phrases whereas na な can embed some of the speaker’s feelings on top of functioning as a modifier.
The difference between the two largely falls on the feeling of the individual. Whenever either can be used, a semantic space is opened up to meet the emotional needs of the context. If you are ever corrected on the use of na な vs. no の, the cadence and tone of what you are saying will likely be faulty rather than the choice itself being fundamentally wrong.
In the following sentences, the adjectival nouns used can either use na な or no の, but the choice between the two is made based on the guidelines above.
32. 地球上に色々の種類の哺乳類が急速に進化発展を遂げました。
Chikyūjō ni iroiro no shurui no honyūrui ga kyūsoku ni shinka hatten wo togemashita.
Various species of mammals on Earth have undergone rapid evolutionary development.
33. この森には色々な鳥が棲んでいます。
Kono mori ni wa iroiro na tori ga sunde imasu.
There are various kinds of birds that live in this forest.
34. 別な意見を言う奴がいても、平気です。
Betsu na iken wo iu yatsu ga ite mo, heiki desu.
I’m fine even if there’s a guy with a different opinion.
35. 別の担当者が対応しても大丈夫です。
Betsu no tantōsha ga taiō shite mo daijōbu desu.
It’s okay if a different manager handles it.
36. 対等な人間関係を構築する。
Taitō na ningen kankei wo kōchiku suru.
To build equal human relations.
37. 対等の立場で貿易を行う。
Taitō no tachiba de bōeki wo okonau.
To conduct trade on equal footing.
38. こういう当たり前なことを言う人は必ずいるよね。
Kō iu atarimae na koto wo iu hito wa kanarazu iru yo ne.
There’s always a person who says obvious things like this, huh.
39. 私たち人間は太陽の恩恵を当たり前のことだと思っています。
Watashitachi ningen wa taiyō no onkei wo atarimae no koto da to omotte imasu.
We humans think of the benefits of the Sun as something of the ordinary.
40. 極めて当然な判断だと思います。
Kiwamete tōzen na handan da to omoimasu.
I think it is an extremely obvious judgment.
41. 当然の結果が出ました。
Tōzen no kekka ga demashita.
The obvious results were made.
42. 適度のお酒は、「百薬の長」なのです。
Tekido no osake wa,"hyakuyaku no chō” na no desu.
That’s because a moderate amount of liquor is the chief of all medicines.
43. 適度な運動は体によいです。
Tekido na undō wa karada ni yoi desu.
Moderate exercise is good for the body.
Set Phrases
Sometimes, variation is typically restricted to set phrases, with one being restricted and the other one being the overwhelming used option.
44. 不思議の国へようこそ。
Fushigi no kuni e yōkoso.
Welcome to Wonderland.
45. 不思議｛な 〇・の X｝現象が起きた。
Fushigi [na 〇/no X] genshō ga okita.
A mysterious phenomenon has occurred.
Na vs. No: Dependent Clause
While there is great variation as to whether one should use no の or na な, the decision as to which should be used shifts almost entirely to na な whenever it functions as the end of a dependent clause modifying a noun. For example, in Ex. 46 kareshi 彼氏 is being modified by [aishō ga saiaku da 相性が最悪だ], which makes saiaku 最悪 seem more like a noun that happens to be next to the copula in the form of na な.
46. 今週、相性が最悪な彼氏と別れました。
Konshu, aishō ga saiaku na kareshi to wakaremashita.
This week, I broke up with my boyfriend who I had the worst compatibility with.
Adjective + No の
There is a small handful of adjectives with which no の attaches itself in peculiar ways. One such example is nakayoshi 仲良し, the original form of naka ga ii 仲がいい. This can in fact be used as a no-adjective as seen below.
47. 今日も2人は仲良しだった。
Kyō mo futari wa nakayoshi datta.
The two got along well today as well.
48. 仲良しの友達がいない。
Nakayoshi no tomodachi ga inai.
I don’t have any close friends.
Lastly, though they are few in number, there are examples of no の attaching to the stem of adjectives in literary language. They are always replaceable with something else, but they’re interesting to know about.
49a. 永の別れとなった。(Old-fashioned/literary)
Naga no wakare to natta.
49b. 永遠の別れとなった。
Eien no wakare to natta.
It became an eternal separation.
50. 麗しの女神
Uruwashi no megami
An outstandingly beautiful goddess