Japanese adverbs, or 副詞[fukishi], have an important mission: providing additional information about , , and even whole sentences. They help communication flow by making sentences more vivid, precise, and exciting. For example…
It’s raining, but how is it raining? ぱらぱら[parapara](lightly), しとしと[shitoshito](steadily), or ザーザー (zāzā, “heavily”)?
Tom speaks Japanese, but how well does he speak? 少し[sukoshi](a little), まあまあ[māmā](so so), or ぺらぺら[perapera](fluently)?
In this article, we’ll talk about how to use different types of adverbs in Japanese sentences. Luckily, Japanese adverbs mostly don’t change their forms, but there are some rules about word order you’ll want to learn! We’ll also talk a bit about how you can create adverbs in Japanese like you might create “slowly” from “slow” in English. Intrigued? Let’s get started!
Just like in English, Japanese adverbs can have a lot of different functions, and each group follows somewhat different rules. In Japanese grammar we typically separate them into three main categories:
Adverbs of manner answer the question “how?”, like ゆっくり[yukkuri](slowly).
Adverbs of time and frequency answer the questions “when?”, like もうすぐ[mōsugu](soon), or “how often?”, like ときどき[tokidoki](sometimes) .
Adverbs of degree answer the question “to what extent?”, like とても[totemo](very).
Adverbs of correspondence inform the listener what to expect in the rest of the sentence, like もし[moshi](if).
Let’s go through each of these types of adverbs to discover how and where to use them in Japanese sentences!
Japanese adverbs of manner, or 様態副詞[yōtai fukushi], are words like ゆっくり[yukkuri](slowly) that provide information on how someone acts or how something happens. Here are some examples.
Adverbs of Manner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
一気に ikkini in one go | はっきり(と) hakkiri(to)* clearly, bluntly | 軽々と karugaruto easily | ぼんやり(と) bonyari(to)* vaguely, blankly |
Adverbs of manner generally modify verbs, for example:
ペットボトルの水を 一気に 飲んだ。
Pettobotoru no mizu o ikkini nonda.
I drank the bottled water in one gulp.
その子は ぼんやり(と)窓の外を 見ていた。
Sono ko wa bonyari(to) mado no soto o mite ita.
The child was looking blankly through the window.
The placement of an adverb of manner in a sentence is rather flexible in Japanese, but there are two rules you should always follow:
The adverb of manner must precede the word it modifies.
The adverb of manner can’t break up other chunks or phrases within the sentence.
Let’s see what this means in the following examples.
✅急な山道を ゆっくり歩いた。
Kyūna yamamichi o yukkuri aruita.
I walked along the steep mountain path at a leisurely pace.
✅ ゆっくり急な山道を 歩いた。
Yukkuri kyūna yamamichi o aruita.
At a leisurely pace, I walked along the steep mountain path.
However, you wouldn’t want to use any of the following word orders, since they break the rules above!
❌急なゆっくり山道を歩いた。
Kyūna yukkuri yamamichi o aruita.
I walked along the steep at a slow pace .
❌急な山道ゆっくりを歩いた。
Kyūna yamamichi yukkuri o aruita.
I walked along at a slow pace the steep mountain path.
❌急な山道を歩いたゆっくり。
Kyūna yamamichi o aruita yukkuri.
I walked along the steep mountain path at a slow pace.
In English, most adverbs of manner end in “-ly.” In Japanese, there’s no one ending like this, but there are some common patterns in Japanese adverbs of manner. Let’s look at a few!
In Japanese, you can change the forms of some Japanese adjectives to use them as adverbs. Here’s a quick summary of how to form adverbs like these:
Adjective Type | Rule | Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|---|---|
i-adjective | Replace the ending い[i] with く[ku] | 安い yasui cheap | 安く yasuku cheaply |
na-adjective | Add に[ni] to the dictionary form | 上手 jōzu good, skillful | 上手に jōzuni well, skillfully |
Can you spot the differences between the adjective and adverb uses of these words?
ニックさんは 上手な 日本語を話します。
Nikku san wa jōzuna nihongo o hanashimasu.
Nick speaks good Japanese.
ニックさんは 上手に日本語を 話します。
Nikku san wa jōzuni nihongo o hanashimasu.
Nick speaks Japanese well.
To learn more about how to form adverbs from Japanese adjectives, check out our post on using Japanese adjectives as adverbs and nouns!
“Sound symbolic” adverbs are words whose pronunciation mimic the sound or feeling of the action they describe. In English, sound symbolic adverbs aren’t that common, but you can hear them in casual speech, with a phrase like “He ran smack into that wall!”
Japanese uses adverbs like these much more than English does. Here are some examples.
Adverb | What does it mimic? |
|---|---|
ドスンと dosunto with a thud | a thudding sound |
びりびり(と) biribiri(to) into shreds | the sound of repeated ripping |
ザーザー(と) zāza(to) heavily (for rain) | the sound of rain coming down hard |
にやり(と) niyari(to) grinning, into a grin, with a grin | the physical feeling of grinning wide |
ぽろぽろ(と) poroporo(to) in large drops | the shape of a number of large drops |
スヤスヤ(と) suyasuya (to) quietly, contentedly | the sound and feeling of quiet breathing |
ころころ korokoro tumbling (small things) | the way a small object rolls |
どたんばたん dotanbatan shufflingly | the sound of a group of people shuffling around |
Let’s see some examples of how these adverbs are used in Japanese sentences.
驚いて ドスンと尻餅をついた。
Odoroite dosunto shirimochi o tsuita.
Surprised, I fell on my behind with a thud.
サラは手紙を びりびり(と)破った。
Sara wa tegami o biribiri(to) yabutta.
Sarah tore the letter to shreds.
涙がぽろぽろ(と)こぼれた。
Namida ga poroporo(to) koboreta.
Teardrops rolled down my cheeks.
lit. Tears spilled out in large drops.
赤ちゃんが スヤスヤ(と)寝ている。
Akachan ga suyasuya (to) neteiru.
A baby is sleeping peacefully.
Have you noticed that many of these sound symbolic adverbs optionally end in と[to]? This ending can help you make your own sound symbolic adverbs! Just repeat a short element twice, as in トントン[ tonton](tap-tap), add と[to] to the end, and then you’ve got an adverb!
You’ll see these kinds of expressions all over in manga (Japanese comic books). See if you can spot them!
Some adverbs of manner are just words you need to learn, like the adverbs describing how intentional an action was:
あの選手はわざと転んだようだ。
Ano senshu wa wazato koronda yōda.
It seems that that player fell intentionally.
うっかり秘密を漏らしてしまった。
Ukkari himitsu o morashite shimatta.
I inadvertently betrayed their confidence.
Adverbs of time and frequency provide information about when or how often something happens.
Adverbs of time tell you about when something happened, for example:
さっき
sakki
a short while ago
かつて
katsute
at one point in time, once
もうすぐ
mōsugu
soon
これから
korekara
from now on, after this
Here are some examples of how to use these in a sentence.
さっき友達から 電話があった。
Sakki tomodachi kara denwa ga atta.
I got a phone call from a friend of mine a short while ago.
もうすぐ朝が来る。
Mōsugu asa ga kuru.
The morning will come soon.
Adverbs of frequency tell you “how often” something happened, for example:
いつも
itsumo
always
たまに
tamani
occasionally
These adverbs may modify verbs, but can also modify adjectives or even the whole sentence.
メイちゃんは いつも元気だ。
Mei chan wa itsumo genki da.
Mei is always full of energy.
たまに寿司屋で食事する。
Tamani sushiya de shokuji suru.
Occasionally, I eat at a sushi restaurant.
Check out this table of Japanese adverbs of frequency to see more adverbs like these!
Adverbs of degree, or 程度副詞[teido fukushi] in Japanese, provide information on the extent of a condition. These include words like とても[totemo](very) or 少し[sukoshi](a little).
ほとんどわかります。
Hotondo wakarimasu.
I mostly understand.
Adverbs of degree can modify words or phrases from any part of speech that has a range. For example:
今日は かなり 寒い。
Kyō wa kanari samui.
It’s quite cold today.
ちょっと 疲れた。
Chotto tsukareta.
I’m a little tired.
すぐ 上の部屋だ。
Sugu ue no heya da.
It’s a room right above this.
たいへん よくできました。
Taihen yoku dekimashita.
You did very well.
Check out our Japanese adverb reference sheet to see some adverbs of degree you can use in different contexts.
Some adverbs of degree such as あまり[amari]((not) very) and 全然[zenzen]((not) at all) are only used in negative sentences.
このケーキは あまりおいしくない。
Kono kēki wa amari oishikunai.
This cake is not very tasty.
中国語は 全然 話せません。
Chūgokugo wa zenzen hanasemasen.
I can’t speak Chinese at all.
These adverbs of negative degree are often translated using the word “not,” as in “(not) very” or “(not) at all.” Remember, though, that they don’t actually negate the sentence! Make sure to use these Japanese adverbs along with the negative form of verbs or adjectives.
✅ 全然 わかりません。
Zenzen wakarimasen.
I don’t understand it at all.
❌全然 わかります。
Zenzen wakarimassu.
I understand it at all.
If you are anime or manga fan, or have young Japanese friends, you might have heard or seen 全然[zenzen] used with the affirmative form of adjectives as in 全然かわいい[zenzen kawaii] to mean “absolutely cute.” Please know that it’s a slang use and not grammatically correct.
Adverbs of quantity are a type of degree adjective that convey information about the intensity or number of repetitions of an action. Some examples might be たくさん[takusan](a lot) or ちょっと[chotto](a little bit). These adverbs usually modify verbs.
ゆうべはぎょうざを たくさん食べた。
Yūbe wa gyōza o takusan tabeta.
I ate a lot of gyoza last night.
lit. I ate gyoza a lot last night.
できるまで ちょっと時間がかかります。
Dekirumade chotto jikan ga kakarimasu.
It’ll take a little bit of time until it’s done.
Check out this table with more Japanese adverbs of quantity!
As you have no doubt noticed, some adverbs have multiple functions, working as adverbs of degree, frequency, or quantity depending on the context. Observe which role each adverb is playing in the following sentences.
100点ですよ。 よくできました。
Hyakuten desu yo. Yoku dekimashita.
You got 100 points. Well done.
よく行く店を紹介してください。
Yoku iku mise o shōkai shitekudasai.
Please recommend to me restaurants you often go to.
このコーヒー、 かなり苦いね。
Kono kōhii, kanari nigai ne.
This coffee is quite bitter, isn’t it?
コーヒー、 かなり飲んだね。
Kōhii, kanari nonda ne.
You drank coffee quite a lot, didn’t you?
Japanese 呼応の副詞[ko’ō no fukushi], often called “adverbs of correspondence” tell a listener something about how to interpret a . You might have heard them called 陳述副詞[chinjutsu fukushi](declarative adverb) or 文副詞[bun fukushi](sentence adverb).
We call these adverbs of “correspondence” because they generally signal an incoming or “corresponding” verb form. For example もし[moshi] signals an incoming verb.
もし宝くじが 当たったら、世界中を旅行したいです。
Moshi takarakuji ga atattara, sekaijū o ryokō shitai desu.
If I won the lottery, I’d like to travel all over the world.
In English, you can’t drop the word “if” from the sentence above, but in Japanese the adverb もし is optional. The verb form is enough to signal that you’re providing a condition, but this little word lets the listener know a condition is incoming,like a little yellow warning flag.
Let’s see some more examples of Japanese adverbs of correspondence in action!
ぜひ一緒にハイキングに 行きましょう。
Zehi issho ni haikingu ni ikimashō.
By all means, let’s go hiking together.
もしかすると、来週に延期になる かもしれません。
Moshikasuruto, raishū ni enki ni naru kamo shiremasen.
Possibly it might be postponed to next week.
パリで暮らせるなんて、 まるで夢を見ている ようだ。
Pari de kuraseru nante, marude yume o miteiru yōda.
That I will be able to live in Paris–it seems as if I’m having a dream.
だいじょうぶ、決して他の人には 話しません。
Daijōbu, kesshite hoka no hito ni wa hanashimasen.
Don’t worry, I’ll never tell anyone else.
Adverbs of correspondence are particularly useful in Japanese because the verb (or other ) usually comes at the very end of a clause. Since this verb is effectively the most important piece of meaning, adding a “warning flag” before it can help you understand everything that comes before that ending.
Want to see more of them? Have a look at this chart of Japanese adverbs of correspondence!
Two adverbs of correspondence can be used even without the verb form they correspond to. These are:
きっと[kitto](surely), which corresponds to a conviction with 〜にちがいない[ …ni chigainai](must):
✅ジョンはきっと来るにちがいない。
Jon wa kitto kuru ni chigainai.
John will surely come.
✅ジョンは きっと来る。
Jon wa kitto kuru.
John will surely come.
たぶん[tabun](probably), which corresponds to a conjecture with 〜だろう[…darō](I think):
✅明日はたぶん雨だろう。
Ashita wa tabuname darō.
It's probably going to rain tomorrow.
✅明日はたぶん雨だ。
Ashita wa tabun ame da.
It's probably going to rain tomorrow.
In both cases, the shorter versions are actually more common in everyday conversation.
In this article, we have explored the topic of Japanese adverbs. Here are some important points to remember:
Adverbs of manner that provide information on how someone acts or something happens.
They can come anywhere in the sentence before the verb they modify, as long as they don’t break up a “chunk” or phrase.
Many end in と[to] but this can often be dropped.
Those that come from adjectives generally use the endings く[ku] or に[ni].
Many are “sound symbolic,” using sounds that mimic the action or the sound of the action.
Adverbs of time and frequency explain “when?” or “how often?” something happens.
Adverbs of degree answer the question “to what extent?”
Adverbs of correspondence “warn” the listener that they should expect a certain ending on a clause, and we say they “correspond” to that ending.
Ready to practice what you’ve learned? Check out our Japanese adverb activity sheet! Or, if you’d rather learn some vocabulary, head over to our Japanese adverb reference sheet instead!
