Abunai is the Japanese word for ‘dangerous’, explained with conjugations

What does “abunai” mean in Japanese?

Japanese people say “abunai” to mean ‘dangerous’ in Japanese. Very simple, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word with an example sentence. And also, I will explain its major conjugations which Japanese people often use. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “abunai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “abunai”
  • Example #1: how to say “dangerous” in Japanese
• Nai form of “abunai”
  • Example #2: how to say “not dangerous” in Japanese
• Ta form of “abunai”
  • Example #3: how to say “was dangerous” in Japanese
• Te form of “abunai”
  • Example #4: how to say “dangerous and” in Japanese
• 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.

This i-adjective has several meanings, but all of them are based on the same concept. Japanese native speakers use it to describe something dangerous.

Then, let me explain how to use “abunai” 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 referring to a thing 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 a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “kono katana” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “abunai”. In this example, it works as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. Actually, 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 “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”.

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”, meaning ‘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 components, 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 it through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “katana” to say “that sword” in Japanese.

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

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”, meaning ‘was dangerous’, ‘were dangerous’, 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 ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “abunakatta” is literally the ta form of “abunai”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “abunakatta” to mean ‘was dangerous’, ‘were dangerous’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun.

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

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”, meaning ‘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 components, we can understand that “abunakute” is literally the te form of “abunai”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “abunakute” is very useful when we want to use “abunai” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection. 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.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ 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 “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
• unten – 運転 (うんてん) : a noun meaning ‘driving’ 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” before another adjective with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “abunai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “abunakereba”.

• abunakereba – 危なければ (あぶなければ) : the ba form of “abunai”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘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 components, we can understand that “abunakereba” is literally the ba form of “abunai”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “abunakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with 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 and particle used in the example sentence.

• 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 the noun phrase, “kare no unten”, to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• hanare – 離れ (はなれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “hanareru”, which means ‘to step away’, ‘to get away’, or ‘to leave’ 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”. This is used after “hanare” to make its te form, “hanare te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – 下さい (ください) : the command form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. When this follows a te-formed verb, however, it can work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works as an auxiliary verb after “hanare te”.

This is a typical usage of “abunakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause which means ‘if his driving is dangerous’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘dangerous’, this ba form is useful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the i-adjective, “abunai”, and 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”, meaning ‘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”, meaning ‘was dangerous’, ‘were dangerous’, 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”, meaning ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, ‘insecure’, or such in Japanese. This is useful when we want to use “abunai” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection.
• abunakereba – 危なければ (あぶなければ) : the ba form of “abunai”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’, or ‘insecure’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.