Abunai is the Japanese i-adjective for ‘dangerous’, explained

What does “abunai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “abunai” often to mean ‘dangerous’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this i-adjective as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “abunai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “abunai”
  • Example #1: how to say “dangerous” in Japanese
• Abunakunai: the nai form of “abunai”
  • Example #2: how to say “not dangerous” in Japanese
• Abunakatta: the ta form of “abunai”
  • Example #3: how to say “was dangerous” in Japanese
• Abunakute: the te form of “abunai”
  • Example #4: how to say “dangerous and” in Japanese
• Abunakereba: the ba form of “abunai”
  • Example #5: how to say “if dangerous” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “abunai”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “abunai”.

• abunai – 危ない (あぶない) : an i-adjective meaning ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, ‘insecure’, or such in Japanese.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult. The meanings seem to be based on the same concept. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “dangerous” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “katana” to say “this sword” in Japanese.
• katana – 刀 (かたな) : a noun meaning ‘sword’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kono katana” to make the subject in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “abunai” to emphasize its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “abunai”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “abunai katana” to mean a ‘dangerous sword’ in Japanese. So, it can work in more or less the same way as the English adjective, “dangerous”, does. It’s worth knowing, I think.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “abunai” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “abunakunai”.

Abunakunai: the nai form of “abunai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “abunakunai”.

• abunakunai – 危なくない (あぶなくない) : the nai form of “abunai”, which means ‘not dangerous’, ‘not unsafe’, ‘not insecure’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “abunakunai” consists of the following two parts:

• abunaku – 危なく (あぶなく) : one conjugation of “abunai”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “abunakunai” is literally the nai form of “abunai” and means ‘not dangerous’, ‘not unsafe’, ‘not insecure’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not dangerous” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “chiiki” to say “that area” in Japanese.
• chiiki – 地域 (ちいき) : a noun meaning ‘area’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

This is a typical usage of “abunakunai”. When we want to say “not dangerous” in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.

Abunakatta: the ta form of “abunai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “abunakatta”.

• abunakatta – 危なかった (あぶなかった) : the ta form of “abunai”, which means ‘was dangerous’, ‘was unsafe’, ‘was insecure’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “abunakatta” consists of the following two parts:

• abunakat – 危なかっ (あぶなかっ) : one conjugation of “abunai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “abunakatta” is literally the ta form of “abunai” and means ‘was dangerous’, ‘was unsafe’, ‘was insecure’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was dangerous” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• yoru – 夜 (よる) : a noun meaning ‘night’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “yoru” and “mori”. The formed phrase literally means “night’s forest” in Japanese. It has been translated into English as “forest at night”, though.
• mori – 森 (もり) : a noun meaning ‘forest’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “abunakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “abunai”, this ta form is the best option.

Abunakute: the te form of “abunai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “abunakute”.

• abunakute – 危なくて (あぶなくて) : the te form of “abunai”, which means ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, ‘insecure’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “abunakute” consists of the following two parts:

• abunaku – 危なく (あぶなく) : one conjugation of “abunai”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “abunakute” is literally the te form of “abunai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “abunakute” is very useful when we want to use “abunai” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “dangerous and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
• unten – 運転 (うんてん) : a noun meaning ‘driving’ in Japanese.
• itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
• kowai – 怖い (こわい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘scary’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “abunakute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kowai”. When we want to use “abunai” in front of another adjective, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Abunakereba: the ba form of “abunai”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “abunakereba”.

• abunakereba – 危なければ (あぶなければ) : the ba form of “abunai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, or ‘insecure’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “abunakereba” consists of the following two parts:

• abunakere – 危なけれ (あぶなけれ) : one conjugation of “abunai”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “abunakereba” is literally the ba form of “abunai”. In Japanese, the ba-forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “abunakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, or ‘insecure’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if dangerous” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “boku no unten” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• oshie – 教え (おしえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “oshieru“, which means ‘to teach’, ‘to tell’, or ‘to let someone know’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “abunakute”. In this example, this is used after “oshie” to make its te form, “oshie te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “oshie te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “abunakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “boku no unten ga abunakereba”, which means ‘if my driving is dangerous’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘dangerous’, this ba form is useful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “abunai” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• abunai – 危ない (あぶない) : an i-adjective meaning ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, ‘insecure’, or such in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• abunakunai – 危なくない (あぶなくない) : the nai form of “abunai”, which means ‘not dangerous’, ‘not unsafe’, ‘not insecure’, or such in Japanese.
• abunakatta – 危なかった (あぶなかった) : the ta form of “abunai”, which means ‘was dangerous’, ‘was unsafe’, ‘was insecure’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “abunai”.
• abunakute – 危なくて (あぶなくて) : the te form of “abunai”, which means ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, ‘insecure’, or such in Japanese. This is useful when we want to use “abunai” in front of another adjective, a verb, or an auxiliary verb.
• abunakereba – 危なければ (あぶなければ) : the ba form of “abunai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, or ‘insecure’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.