Adverbs (副詞, “fukushi”) are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing more detail about the action or state being described. They tell us how, when, where, or to what extent something happens. In Japanese, adverbs are quite flexible and can be placed in various locations within a sentence, depending on the emphasis or the flow the speaker wants to convey. This flexibility allows the speaker to adjust the meaning or tone subtly through the adverb’s placement.
In English, you likely use adverbs all the time without even noticing it. For example, in the sentence “I need to run to the store quickly,” the adverb quickly modifies the verb run, describing how you need to run. You could also experiment with the position of the adverb in English: “Quickly, I need to run to the store” or “I quickly need to run to the store.” Each arrangement gives a slightly different emphasis, but the core meaning remains unchanged.
Thus, while both English and Japanese use adverbs to modify verbs or adjectives, Japanese provides more freedom in how and where adverbs are placed within a sentence, giving the speaker greater control over the nuance and emphasis of their statement.
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Adverbs in Japanese
Many adverbs in Japanese come from adjectives, and they are formed in two different ways:
Changing い-Adjectives to Adverbs
Simply replace い with く.
Examples:
- 速い (はやい・hayai) → 速く (はやく・hayaku) → Quickly
- 強い (つよい・tsuyoi) → 強く (つよく・tsuyoku) → Strongly
- 正しい (ただしい・tadashii) → 正しく (ただしく・tadashiku) → Correctly
Example Sentence:
電車は速く動いた。
(Densha wa hayaku ugoita.)
"The train moved quickly."Changing な-Adjectives to Adverbs
Replace な with に.
Examples:
- 静か (しずか・shizuka) → 静かに (shizuka ni) → Quietly
- 丁寧 (ていねい・teinei) → 丁寧に (teinei ni) → Politely
- 簡単 (かんたん・kantan) → 簡単に (kantan ni) → Simply
Example Sentence:
彼は静かに話した。
(Kare wa shizuka ni hanashita.)
"He spoke quietly."Types of Japanese Adverbs
Adverbs in Japanese can be categorized into several types:
Adverbs of Manner (How Something Happens)
These adverbs describe how an action is performed—similar to words like “quickly” or “carefully” in English.
Common Examples:
- 速く (はやく・hayaku) – Quickly
- 静かに (しずかに・shizuka ni) – Quietly
- 丁寧に (ていねいに・teinei ni) – Politely
- 楽しく (たのしく・tanoshiku) – Happily
- 一生懸命 (いっしょうけんめい・isshoukenmei) – With all one’s effort
Example Sentences:
彼は速く走る。
(Kare wa hayaku hashiru.)
"He runs quickly."
彼女は静かに本を読んでいる。
(Kanojo wa shizuka ni hon o yonde iru.)
"She is reading a book quietly."Adverbs of Degree (To What Extent)
These adverbs indicate the intensity, frequency, or degree of an action or state.
Common Examples:
- とても (totemo) – Very
- 少し (すこし・sukoshi) – A little
- 全然 (ぜんぜん・zenzen) [with negative] – Not at all
- 結構 (けっこう・kekkou) – Fairly, quite
- だいたい (daitai) – Mostly, roughly
- ほとんど (hotondo) – Almost
Example Sentences:
この映画はとても面白い。
(Kono eiga wa totemo omoshiroi.)
"This movie is very interesting."
私は少し日本語が話せます。
(Watashi wa sukoshi Nihongo ga hanasemasu.)
"I can speak a little Japanese."
彼は全然勉強しない。
(Kare wa zenzen benkyou shinai.)
"He doesn’t study at all."Adverbs of Time (When Something Happens)
These adverbs tell when an action takes place.
Common Examples:
- 今 (いま・ima) – Now
- 昨日 (きのう・kinou) – Yesterday
- 今日 (きょう・kyou) – Today
- 明日 (あした・ashita) – Tomorrow
- すぐに (sugu ni) – Immediately
- もう (mou) – Already
Example Sentences:
私は今忙しい。
(Watashi wa ima isogashii.)
"I am busy now."
彼女は昨日映画を見た。
(Kanojo wa kinou eiga o mita.)
"She watched a movie yesterday."
もう宿題を終えました。
(Mou shukudai o oemashita.)
"I’ve already finished my homework."Adverbs of Frequency (How Often Something Happens)
These adverbs describe how often an action occurs—similar to “always,” “sometimes,” or “never.”
Common Examples:
- いつも (itsumo) – Always
- よく (yoku) – Often
- たまに (tamani) – Occasionally
- 時々 (ときどき・tokidoki) – Sometimes
- めったに～ない (metta ni ~ nai) – Rarely
- 全く～ない (mattaku ~ nai) – Never
Example Sentences:
彼はいつも朝ご飯を食べる。
(Kare wa itsumo asagohan o taberu.)
"He always eats breakfast."
私はたまにカフェに行きます。
(Watashi wa tamani kafe ni ikimasu.)
"I occasionally go to a café."
彼はめったに酒を飲まない。
(Kare wa metta ni sake o nomanai.)
"He rarely drinks alcohol."Adverbs of Probability (Expressing Certainty or Doubt)
These adverbs indicate how certain or uncertain something is.
Common Examples:
- 多分 (たぶん・tabun) – Probably
- きっと (kitto) – Surely
- おそらく (osoraku) – Likely
- まさか (masaka) – No way!
Example Sentences:
多分、彼は来ないと思う。
(Tabun, kare wa konai to omou.)
"He probably won’t come."
彼女はきっと喜ぶよ！
(Kanojo wa kitto yorokobu yo!)
"She will surely be happy!"
まさか、そんなことが起こるなんて！
(Masaka, sonna koto ga okoru nante!)
"No way! I can’t believe that happened!"