N5

Ku and Ni: Use Adjectives to Describe Actions

To say how an action happens, use the adverbial form of an adjective. I-adjectives change final い to く; na-adjectives use に. Practise with 10 explained questions.

Pattern
I-adjective: い→く + V / Na-adjective: stem + に + V
Reading time
1 min
Author
LavaJapanese

Translated examples

毎朝(まいあさ)、早(はや)く起(お)きます。

I get up early every morning.

名前(なまえ)を大(おお)きく書(か)いてください。

Please write your name in large letters.

静(しず)かに話(はな)してください。

Please speak quietly.

丁寧(ていねい)に説明(せつめい)します。

I will explain carefully.

手(て)をきれいに洗(あら)います。

I wash my hands clean.

よく考(かんが)えてください。

Please think carefully.

To say how an action happens, use the adverbial form of an adjective. I-adjectives change final い to く; na-adjectives use に. Compare 静かな部屋, a quiet room, with 静かに話す, to speak quietly.

Formation and use

早い becomes 早く and 大きい becomes 大きく: 早く起きます, 大きく書きます. The adjective no longer directly modifies a noun; it describes the manner or degree of the action.

Na-adjectives use に, not な, before the verb: 静かに話す, 丁寧に書く, きれいに洗う. The same stem can use な before a noun in a different sentence.

Comparisons and common errors

いい has the adverbial form よく. よく can describe doing something well, and in other contexts it expresses frequency. Read the verb and context instead of assigning it one English meaning.

Do not confuse this に with a destination or a clock time. In 静かに話します, 静か is a quality, so the phrase describes how the speaking happens.

Practise with explanations

Try the 10 questions below, or open the practice set. Check each answer or the whole set, read the explanation, and retry mistakes. First-attempt results are kept separately on this device.

Connected lessons

Sources

Practice and explanations

Practise without an account. Sign in to sync your results and review schedule.

Loading your history…

Loading your history…

History and self-check answers

The answers below are for self-study and do not record a score. Mixed practice uses topics you have practised.

Recorded questions in this set: 0

Correct on first attempt: 0

Related Grammar

Ku and Ni: Use Adjectives to Describe Actions | LavaJapanese