Casual Vocabulary in Nihon Go

~ii : good (i-adj)

~yokunai : not good (the negative version of ii) (i-adj)

~warui : bad (i-adj)

~kakkoii : handsome, cool, good looking (i-adj)

~dame : bad, quit (that), stop (it), no-no (said to kids) (na-adj)

~kawaii : cute (i-adj)

~hazukashii : shy, bashful, embarrasing (it's often used by young girls) (i-adj)

~ne, nee : (sentence ending. asking for agreement, or agreeing)

(as a sentence start used to call for attention) (particle)

~yo : (sentence ending. making the sentence harder, strenghtening one's opinion)

~saitei : the worst (noun/na-adj)

~darou : (it) seems like ... / ..., I guess. A form of the copula desu. (copula)

~deshou : Polite verson of darou. As sentence ending: (I) think, (I) guess,

~hidoi : horrible

~wa : (sentence ending. Making the sentence feminine.



Example sentences


ii deshou

(It's) good isn't (it). The speaker wants the listener to agree.


ii darou

(It's) good isn't (it). The speaker wants the listener to agree. (rough or masculine)



ano jiko, hidoi ne

That accident, terrible, (isn't it).



ano jiko, hidoi yo ne

"That accident, I think it's terrible, isn't it". The speaker strengthens it using yo



ashita ame ni naru deshou

rain will come tomorrow (polite)



Girl suddenly seeing a cute dog: A! kawaii.

Cute!!



Mite, ano otoko no hito, kakkoii yo ne?

Look at that guy, isn't he cool/good looking?



"chokoreeto tabete ii?" - "dame, watashi no da yo"

"Can I eat the chocholate?" - "No, it's mine!"