Atarashii is the Japanese i-adjective for ‘new’, explained

What does “atarashii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “atarashii” to mean ‘new’ 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 it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “atarashii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “atarashii”
  • Example #1: how to say “new” in Japanese
• Atarashikunai: the nai form of “atarashii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not new” in Japanese
• Atarashikatta: the ta form of “atarashii”
  • Example #3: how to say “were new” in Japanese
• Atarashikute: the te form of “atarashii”
  • Example #4: how to say “new and” in Japanese
• Atarashikereba: the 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.

Native speakers use this i-adjective to describe something new in Japanese. So, the usage is very similar to that of “new” in English, I think.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective 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 used to refer to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to mean ‘this’ in Japanese.
• 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 in the sentence.
• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. 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 “atarashii gakkou” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “atarashii”. In this example, it works as the modifier in front of “gakkou” to mean a ‘new school’ in Japanese. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a complement. For example, we can say “kono gakkou wa atarashii” to mean ‘this school in new’ in Japanese. So, this can work in more or less the same way as the English adjective, “new”, does. Anyway, when we want to mean ‘new’ in Japanese, “atarashii” is a very good option.

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”.

Atarashikunai: the 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”, which means ‘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 parts, 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 this form 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.
• kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no kuruma” 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 option.

Atarashikatta: the ta form of “atarashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “atarashikatta”.

• atarashikatta – 新しかった (あたらしかった) : the ta form of “atarashii”, which means ‘was new’, ‘were new’, or such 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 past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

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

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tamago – 卵 (たまご) : a noun meaning ‘egg’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ or such in Japanese.

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

Atarashikute: the 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”, which means ‘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 parts, we can understand that “atarashikute” is literally the te form of “atarashii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “atarashikute” is very useful when we want to use “atarashii” 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 “new and” 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.
• kaban – 鞄 (かばん) : a noun meaning ‘bag’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• kirei – 綺麗 (きれい) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “kireina“, which means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.

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

Atarashikereba: the ba form of “atarashii”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “atarashikereba”.

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

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 parts, we can understand that “atarashikereba” is literally the ba form of “atarashii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “atarashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding 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 plural.
• 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 works after “bunka” to make the subject 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’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘new’, this ba form is very useful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “atarashii” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. 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”, which means ‘not new’ in Japanese.
• atarashikatta – 新しかった (あたらしかった) : the ta form of “atarashii”, which means ‘was new’, ‘were new’, or such 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”, which means ‘new’ in Japanese. When we want to use “atarashii” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• atarashikereba – 新しければ (あたらしければ) : the ba form of “atarashii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.