Atarashii is the Japanese word for ‘new’, explained with its conjugations

What does “atarashii” mean in Japanese?

Japanese people say “atarashii” to mean ‘new’ 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 “atarashii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “atarashii”
  • Example #1: how to say “new” in Japanese
• Nai form of “atarashii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not new” in Japanese
• Ta form of “atarashii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was new” in Japanese
• Te form of “atarashii”
  • Example #4: how to say “new and” in Japanese
• Ba form of “atarashii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if new” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “atarashii”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “atarashii”.

• atarashii – 新しい (あたらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.

Japanese people use this i-adjective to describe something new. So, it can work in more or less the same way as the English adjective, “new”, does. Let me explain how it works through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘this’ in Japanese. This normally refers to a thing close to the speaker.
• 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 “kore” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “gakkou” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “atarashii”. In this example, it works as a modifier to describe “gakkou” with the meaning of ‘new’. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a complement. Actually, we can say “kono gakkou wa atarashii” to mean ‘this school is new’ in Japanese. So, its usage is really similar to that of “new” in English. Anyway, when we want to say “new” in Japanese, “atarashii” would be the best choice.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “atarashii” 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 “atarashikunai”.

Nai form of “atarashii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “atarashikunai”.

• atarashikunai – 新しくない (あたらしくない) : the nai form of “atarashii”, meaning ‘not new’ in Japanese.

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

• atarashiku – 新しく (あたらしく) : one conjugation of “atarashii”. 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. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese nai form. 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 “atarashikunai” is literally the nai form of “atarashii” and means ‘not new’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ 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 “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “watashi no gakkou”, to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “atarashikunai”. When we want to say “not new” in Japanese, this nai form is a very good choice.

Ta form of “atarashii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “atarashikatta”.

• atarashikatta – 新しかった (あたらしかった) : the ta form of “atarashii”, meaning ‘was new’ or ‘were new’ in Japanese.

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

• atarashikat – 新しかっ (あたらしかっ) : one conjugation of “atarashii”. 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 “atarashikatta” is literally the ta form of “atarashii”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can use “atarashikatta” to mean ‘was new’ or ‘were new’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

This is a typical usage of “atarashikatta”. When we want to use the past tense of “new” in Japanese, this ta form is the best choice.

Te form of “atarashii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “atarashikute”.

• atarashikute – 新しくて (あたらしくて) : the te form of “atarashii”, meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.

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

• atarashiku – 新しく (あたらしく) : one conjugation of “atarashii”. 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 “atarashikute” is literally the te form of “atarashii”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “atarashikute” is very useful when we want to use “atarashii” 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 “new and” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kirei – 綺麗 (きれい) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “kireina“, which means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is a typical usage of “atarashikute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with the conjugated na-adjective, “kirei”. When we want to use “atarashii” before another adjective with a smooth connection like this, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “atarashii”

Below are the definition and meaning of “atarashikereba”.

• atarashikereba – 新しければ (あたらしければ) : the ba form of “atarashii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘new’.

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

• atarashikere – 新しけれ (あたらしけれ) : one conjugation of “atarashii”. 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 “atarashikereba” is literally the ba form of “atarashii”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “atarashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘new’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• bunka – 文化 (ぶんか) : a noun meaning ‘culture’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun.
• mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this follows “bunka” to make the subject word in the second clause with adding the meaning of ‘also’.

This is a typical usage of “atarashikereba”. In the example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “gakkou ga atarashikereba”, which means ‘if a school is new’. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘new’, this ba form is very useful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “atarashii” and how to use it through the example sentence. And also, I’ve explained its major conjugations. Let me summarize them as follows.

• atarashii – 新しい (あたらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘new’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• atarashikunai – 新しくない (あたらしくない) : the nai form of “atarashii”, meaning ‘not new’ in Japanese.
• atarashikatta – 新しかった (あたらしかった) : the ta form of “atarashii”, meaning ‘was new’ or ‘were new’ in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “atarashii”.
• atarashikute – 新しくて (あたらしくて) : the te form of “atarashii”, meaning ‘new’ in Japanese. When we want to use “atarashii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, this te form is very useful.
• atarashikereba – 新しければ (あたらしければ) : the ba form of “atarashii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘new’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.