Do you know the adverbs of the Japanese language? In this article, we will see a complete list of the most popular adverbs in Japanese. Adverbs in Japanese are called Fukushi [副詞] and there are two types of adverbs in the Japanese language.
Adverbs are words that indicate a circumstance such as time, place, manner, intensity, etc. This circumstance can modify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.
The function of adverbs is to describe verbs, just as adjectives describe nouns. Japanese adverbs can also be used to transform a word into an adjective.
In this article, we will have a complete list of adverbs at the end, as well as some explanations and adverbs categorized by type. To facilitate navigation, we will leave an index below:
The first part of the article is without romanization (romaji), but the list of adverbs at the end of the article has all of them with their romanization.
We also recommend reading:
- Keiyoushi – Japanese adjectives of type i [い]
- Adverbs and small expressions in Japanese
- Learn three times more Japanese with compound verbs
Table of Contents
Japanese Adverbs by Category
Japanese Time Adverbs
- 今 – Ima – Now, at this moment
- 今日 – Kyō – Today, on this day
- 昨日 – Kinō – Yesterday
- 明日 – Ashita – Tomorrow
- まだ – But, still, until now, despite that, however
- もう – Previously, before a certain time, already, right now
- いつ – When, soon, while
Japanese Place Adverbs
- 下に – shitani – Under, beneath
- 上に – ueni – On top of, over
- そばに – Near, next to
- 前に – maeni – In front of
- 後ろに – ushironi – Behind
Japanese Manner Adverbs
- きっと – Certainly
- ゆっくり – Slowly
- どんなに – How, in what way
Japanese Quantity Adverbs
- よく – How much, well, good, quite
- 何 – nani – What
- いくら – How much does it cost, how much
- とても – Very
- 大変 – taihen – Very, extremely, serious
- たくさん – A lot, quite a bit
- 十分 – juubun – Enough
- だけ – Only, uniquely
- 少し- sukoshi – A little
- ちょっと – A little, especially, particularly
- もっと – More
Other Japanese Adverbs
- いつも – Always, constantly
- 何度も – nandomo – Repeatedly, many times, frequently
- 大きに – Very (Thank you very much)
- どうして – why?, how?, in what way?
- どこか – in/to some or any place / somehow
- 又 – mata – again, another time, also, but
- 例えば – For example
How to Use Adverbs in Japanese
Normally, Japanese adverbs are used before the verbs or adjectives they refer to. For example, in たくさん食べる, the Japanese adverb (たくさん – a lot) appears before the verb (食べる – taberu – to eat). Below are a few more examples.
- 私はテレビをテーブルの前におく。/ Watashi wa terebi o tēburu no mae ni oku;
- 私はゆっくり歩きます。/ Watashi wa yukkuri arukimasu;
- ちょっと待ってください。/ Chottomatte kudasai;
- 彼は静かに勉強します。/ Kare wa shizuka ni benkyō shimasu;
Transforming Adjectives into Adverbs
Many adverbs can be created from Japanese adjectives. The method is very similar to what we do in the Portuguese language.
In many words in the Portuguese language, we just need to add the ending -mente after an adjective. In this way, the adjective fácil becomes the adverb rapidamente and so on.
In the Japanese language, you just need to add the ending [く] for Japanese adjectives [い], or the particle [に] for Japanese adjectives [な]. This way, we can create Japanese adverbs for each type of adjective. Let’s see the examples:
- 新しい > 新し [Atarashii > Atarashiku]
- 強い > 強く [Tsuyoi > Tsuyoku]
- 簡単な > 簡単に [Kantanna > Kantanni]
- 便利な > 便利に [Benrina > Benrini]
Now you can practice transforming all the adjectives you know into adverbs in Japanese.
With the Suffix tekini
Some words can be transformed into adverbs by adding the suffix tekini.
具体 se transforma em 具体的に
具体 Gutai / Concrete, specific > 具体的に Gutaitekini / Specifically
質問の内容が具体的に伝わるように書いてください。 Shitsumon no naiyō ga gutaitekini tsutawaru yō ni kaite kudasai;
Verbs with the Function of Japanese Adverbs
Some verbs, when used in the te/de form, can occasionally be used as adverbs.
- 喜ぶ muda para 喜んで. / Yorokobu > Yorokonde
- 喜んで行きます。
- 喜んでお手伝いしますよ。
Repeating and Creating Adverbs
Some Japanese adverbs can be created from the repetition of a word or sound. Many students often confuse these expressions with onomatopoeias, but it is worth remembering that onomatopoeias are generally written in katakana and have a different context.
しばしば – Frequently, many times…
彼はしばしば恋に落ちる。 Kare wa shibashiba koiniochiru.
データはしばしば不正確だ。 Dēta wa shibashiba fuseikakuda
いちいち – One by one, each, every one, everything…
彼の言うことはいちいち頭に来る Kare no iu koto wa ichīchi atama ni kuru.
時々 – Tokidoki – Sometimes, occasionally, frequently…
時々テレビを見る。 Tokidoki terebiwomiru.
彼は時々希望を失う。 Kare wa tokidoki kibō o ushinau.
The Japanese character 々 is used to indicate the repetition of the same kanji. It is as if 時々 were 時時.
The Untranslatable Adverbs
There are adverbs that do not have a clear translation to a word in the Portuguese language. Here are four common cases.
やっぱり – This word is just a colloquial form of やはり. It is an adverb used with the meaning of “Just as I thought,” “As expected,” or “After all.”
See the example: I knew he was gay;
彼はやっぱりゲイですね Kare wa yappari geidesu ne
まさか – This Japanese adverb has a meaning similar to “don’t tell me!”, “impossible!”, “It must be a joke!”, “Incredible!” or “Are you kidding me?!”. As far as I can tell, this adverb has a somewhat negative connotation.
See the example: Don’t tell me Chris is a criminal?
まさか犯人はクリス？ Masaka han'nin wa Kurisu?
Sasugani [流石に] – Some approximate translations of this Japanese adverb would be “as should be expected,” “this is something very natural,” “indeed,” or “without a doubt.”
流石に彼は速く走る。 Sasuga ni kare wa hayakuhashiru;
とにかく – Tonikaku can mean “anyway,” “in any case,” “generally,” “one way or another,” “in any case”…
とにかく家へ帰る。 Tonikaku ie e kaeru;
Complete List of Adverbs in Japanese
| Japanese | Romanization | Portuguese |
| どこに？ | doko ni? | where? |
| 右に | migi ni | to the right |
| 左に | hidari ni | to the left |
| 前に | mae ni | in front of |
| 手で | te de | by hand |
| ところで、… | tokorode, … | by the way, … |
| 今 | ima | now |
| それに | soreni | besides, … |
| 何か | nani ka | something |
| 誰か | dare ka | someone |
| ある人 | aru hito | someone (had an idea) |
| 何か | nani ka | anything |
| 近くに | chikaku ni | next to |
| 窓辺に | mado beni | at the window |
| 近くで | chikaku de | at the foot of… |
| …の周りを | … no mawari wo | around (look) |
| …にもかかわらず | … ni mo kakawara zu | despite… |
| おおよそ | ōyoso | approximately |
| おおよその | ōyosono | approximate |
| ここで | kokode | here |
| 後ろに | ushiro ni | behind… |
| 各 | kaku | each |
| 約 | yaku | about (10 kg) |
| 前の | mae no | in front of |
| ここから | koko kara | from here |
| 誰かの | dare ka no | of someone |
| どこからでも | doko kara demo | from anywhere |
| 中から | naka kara | from inside |
| そこから | soko kara | from there |
| 側面から | sokumen kara | from the side |
| 誰の…でもない | dare no … de mo nai | of no one |
| 再び | futatabi | again |
| 新たに | arata ni | again, anew |
| わざと | wazato | on purpose |
| 急に | kyū ni | suddenly |
| どこからか | doko kara ka | from somewhere |
| 戻って | modotte | back |
| …すぎる | … sugiru | too much |
| 右の | migi no | right |
| 真っ直ぐに | massugu ni | straight |
| と | to | and (you ~ I) |
| 可能な | kanō na | is possible |
| どこかで | doko ka de | somewhere |
| 前方へ | zenpō he | forward |
| どこにも | doko ni mo | nowhere |
| 第一に | dai ichi ni | first of all |
| 第二に | dai ni ni | secondly |
| 第三に | dai san ni | thirdly |
| どこでも | doko demo | everywhere |
| 引き換えに | hikikae ni | in exchange |
| …の返礼として | … no henrei toshite | in exchange for … |
| あのとき | ano toki | then |
| 間 | kan | between |
| …の間で | … no made | between (in the middle of) |
| 特に | tokuni | especially |
| 左の | hidari no | left |
| 正確に | seikaku ni | exactly |
| よく | yoku | often |
| …のおかげで | … no okage de | thanks to … |
| そこで | sokode | there |
| 遠くに | tōku ni | far away |
| でも | demo | but (however) |
| 中央 | chūō | middle |
| 多くの人々 | ōku no hitobito | many people |
| 非常に | hijō ni | very |
| 多量の | taryō no | much |
| …かなり前に | … kanari mae ni | long before … |
| 多くの | ōku no | many |
| 何もない | nani mo nai | nothing |
| 誰も…ない | dare mo … nai | no one |
| 初めは | hajime wa | at first |
| 中央に | chūō ni | in the middle |
| 一度も | ichi do mo | never |
| もう一方の | mōippōno | the other (second) |
| または | matawa | or (to be ~ not to be) |
| 他の | hokano | other |
| …のために | … no tame ni | for (~ my mother) |
| どこかへ | dokoka he | to some place |
| こちらへ | kochira he | this way |
| 右へ | migi he | to the right |
| 左へ | hidari he | to the left |
| そこへ | soko he | there |
| どこへも | doko he mo | to nowhere |
| どちらへ？ | dochira he? | Where to? |
| 永遠に | eien ni | forever |
| 後ろへ | ushiro he | back |
| 初めて | hajimete | for the first time |
| そばに | soba ni | near |
| 近く | chikaku | nearby |
| 遠くない | tōku nai | close, not far away |
| 偶然に | gūzen ni | by accident |
| なぜか［何故か］ | naze ka | for some reason |
| 後ろから | ushiro kara | from behind |
| 例えば | tatoeba | for example |
| 従って | shitagatte | therefore … |
| 何らかの理由で | nanrakano riyū de | for any reason |
| なぜなら | nazenara | because … |
| どうして？ | dōshite? | why? |
| ほとんど…ない | hotondo … nai | unlikely |
| 恐らく［おそらく］ | osoraku | probably |
| 恐らく［おそらく］ | osoraku | probably |
| どれでも | dore demo | any |
| ほとんど | hotondo | almost |
| …ということ | … toyuu koto | that (conjugation) |
| 何 | nani | what (pronunciation) |
| 誰 | dare | who |
| 残り | nokori | remaining |
| もっぱら | moppara | only |
| ことによると | kotoni yoru to | perhaps |
| も | mo | also (~ I) |
| また | mata | also (would like ~ to …) |
| たくさん | takusan | so much |
| とても | totemo | so |
| あらゆる人 | arayuru hito | everyone |
| 至急に | shikyū ni | urgently |
| 普通は | futsū wa | usually |
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