Japanese Adverbs

Explanation for How Japanese Adverbs Work

Adverbs basically modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Unlike English adverbs, Japanese ones
can be placed anywhere in sentences if they appear before verbs. Let’s go over how it works for
each function.

Adverbs of Manner

When you swim in the sea, you can swim fast, slowly, well, very hard, etc. These types of adverbs
give such contexts and thus they are generally used for verbs.

わたし いっしょうけんめい にほんご べんきょう

 [ 私 は / が]   一 生 懸命 日 本 語を 勉強  する / します

[Topic / Subject] Adverb Direct Object Verb 

 [I will] study Japanese very hard.

いっしょうけんめい べんきょう
In the above example, “ 一 生 懸命 　: very hard” modifies “ 勉 強 する: to study.”
Regardless of where the adverb is placed, the meaning won’t change. The followings have the same
meanings.

いっしょうけんめい わたし にほんご

一 生 懸命  [ 私 は / が] 日 本 語を（する / します）。

わたし にほんご しょうけんめい べんきょう

 [ 私 は / が] 日 本 語を 生 懸命   勉 強 （する / します）。

Adjectives Treated as Adverbs

You can let adjectives work as adverbs of manner. Almost all the adjectives can become adverbs.
Here are the conjugation rules.
I-adjectives: To Replace い with く

Words Adjectives Adverbs

つよ つよ
Strong 強 い 強 く

よわ よわ
Weak 弱 い 弱 く

はや はや
early, quick 早 い 早 く

はや はや
fast, quick 速 い 速 く

cute, pretty かわいい かわいく

Na-adjectives: To Add に instead of な

Words Adjectives Adverbs

じょうず じょうず
well, good 上 手な 上 手に

へた へた
Poor 下手な 下手に

ねっしん ねっしん
eager, enthusiastic 熱心 な 熱心 に

まじめ まじめ
Serious 真面目な 真面目に

げんき げんき
healthy, lively 元 気な 元 気に

That’s very simple and useful, isn’t it? One point you should know is that some adverbs that are not
related to adjectives end with に. The following is a list for general adverbs. You need to remember
each vocabulary term; however, the usage remains the same.

Adverbs Not Related to Adjectives

 いっしょうけんめい very hard
一 生 懸命

ゆっくり slowly

のんびり quietly, freely, leisurely

だんだん gradually, little by little

じょじょ gradually, little by little

徐々 に

つぎつぎ in succession
次々 （に）

Here, let’s take some more sentence examples. 

かのじょ わら わら
彼女 は かわいく（ 笑 う /  笑 います）。
[My] girlfriend cutely smiles.

うた げんき うた うた
歌 を 元 気に（ 歌 う /  歌 います）。
[I will] sing songs lively.

にほんご はな はな
日 本 語を ゆっくり（ 話 す /  話 します）。
[I will] speak Japanese slowly.

はい はい
のんびりに（ 入 る /  入 ります）。
[I will] leisurely go into a hot spring.

Adverbs of Degree

These types of adverbs can express degree; however they will not necessarily be used only for
びじん つか
adjectives. For example, the noun: 美 人  means “good-looking woman” and the verb:  疲 れる
means “to be tired.” You can express how beautiful and tired she is by using adverbs.
 さとう
佐 藤 さん は / が とても きれい（だ / です）

Topic / Subject Adverb Predicate (Adjective)

Satou san is very beautiful.

さとう びじん
佐 藤 さん は / が とても 美 人 （だ / です）

Topic / Subject Adverb Predicate (Noun)

Satou san is a very good-looking woman.

つか つか
バスケットボールは とても 疲 れる /  疲 れます

Topic Adverb Verb

As for basketball, [I will] be very tired.

Again, since Japanese adverbs can be placed anywhere in sentences if they appear before verbs, the
following is also correct and has the same meaning as the examples above.

さとう
とても 佐 藤 さんは きれい（だ / です）。

さとう びじん
とても 佐 藤 さんは 美 人 （だ / です）。

つか
とても バスケットボールは（れる /  疲 れます）。

Vocabulary List

We have made this in descending order and put English translations if similar ones are available.
Note: Translation between languages cannot be perfect, e.g. “very” appears several times.

High

きわ extremely
極 めて

ひじょう very much

非 常 に
 じつ
実 に really
ほんとう *本当に is colloquial
本当 に

とても very

たいへん very
大変

ずいぶん very

Middle

かなり fairly

そうとう
considerably
相当

だいぶ quite

Low

なかなか quite

まあまあ passably

そこそこ reasonably

たいして* not very

あまり* not very

ぜんぜん* not at all

*They must be with negative forms.

Other Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of degree can be further subdivided. We have listed them here for your reference. Since the
usage remains the same, you can use them in the way you have learned so far.

Frequency

わたし  よく としょかん い い

 [ 私 は / が]  図 書館 に  行く / 行きます
 [Topic / Subject] Adverb Destination Verb

 [I] often go to the library.

あした あめ
明日  は / が ときどき 雨 （だ / です）

Topic / Subject Adverb Predicate

As for tomorrow, [it will] sometimes rain.

Vocabulary List in Descending Order

いつも always

ふつう
普 通 （は）
usually
ふだん
普 段 （は）

よく
しょっちゅう often
たびたび

ときどき sometimes

たまに occasionally

あまり* rarely

めったに* hardly

*They have to be with negative forms.

Level of Certainty

わたし ぜったい にほんご べんきょう

 [ 私 は / が]   絶対 に 日 本 語を 勉 強  する / します
 [Topic / Subject] Adverb Direct Object Verb

 [I will] definitely study Japanese.

あした かなら は
明日  は / が 必 ず 晴れ（だ / です）

Topic / Subject Adverb Predicate

As for tomorrow, [it] will be sunny without exception.

Vocabulary List in Descending Order

ぜったい definitely
絶対 に

かなら without exception

必 ず

たしかに certainly

きっと surely

おそらく probably

たぶん maybe

Amount

わたし た た
 [ 私 は / が]  ごはんを たくさん  食べる / 食べます

[Topic / Subject] Direct Object Adverb Verb

 [I] eat meals a lot.

わたし さけ の の
 [ 私 は / が]  あまり 飲まない / 飲みません
お 酒 を
 [Topic / Subject] Adverb Direct Object Verb

[I] don’t drink alcohol very much.

Vocabulary List in Descending Order

すべ
全 て
entirely, completely, wholly
ぜんぶ
全 部

すっかり completely, thoroughly

たくさん a lot, many

じゅうぶん enough, sufficiently

十 分

あまり* not very

すこ a little
少 し

ちょっと just a little

ほとんど* mostly, nearly, almost [zero]

ぜんぜん
全然 * not at all

*They have to be with negative forms.

Others

There are adverbs which cannot be categorized. The usage won’t change and hence we think you
will use it properly. Here, we will pick up some of them.

わたし がっこう い い
 [ 私 は / が]  やっぱり 行かない / 行きません
学校 には

[Topic / Subject] Adverb Destination + Contrast Verb

 [I will] not go to school after all.

 *Implies that he/she will go to another place.

わたし にほん りょこう

 [ 私 は / が]  ついに   旅行  する / します
日 本 を

[Topic / Subject] Adverb Direct Object Verb

 [I will] finally travel in Japan.

Vocabulary List

なるべく as much as possible, if possible

いちおう more or less, though not quite satisfactorily

一応

ようやく
at last (for good things)
やっと

とうとう 
finally (for good and bad things)
ついに

むしろ rather

ますます increasingly, more and more

too, also, likewise

still, as before
やはり
even so, either way, in any event
やっぱり
as expected
after all

Summary

1. Adverbs basically modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs

2. Adverbs can be placed anywhere in sentences if they appear before verbs

3. I-adjectives can be treated as adverbs by replacing い with く

4. Na-adjectives can be treated as adverbs by adding に instead of な

You have learned a lot of adverbs so far. What you have to memorize here is how to use adverbs,
not all of the vocabulary. Please memorize words step by step. Now, you know how to modify verbs,
adjectives, and nouns by using adverbs. Next, you will tackle advanced topics involving adjectives.