Boring in Japanese: tsumaranai, explained with its conjugations

How to say “boring” in Japanese

Native speakers would say “tsumaranai” to mean ‘boring’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain this word with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “tsumaranai” properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

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

Definition and meanings of “tsumaranai”

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

• tsumaranai – つまらない : an i-adjective meaning ‘boring’ in Japanese. Depending on the subject word used together, this can also mean ‘bored’.

Native speakers use this i-adjective to mean ‘boring’ or ‘bored’ in Japanese. Basically, when it follows the subject word referring to a thing, not a person, it means ‘boring’; when it follows the subject word referring to a person, it means ‘bored’. It’s worth mentioning, however, that someone can be boring to someone else. In that situation, “tsumaranai” can mean ‘boring’ even after the subject word referring to a person.

Then, let me explain how to use “tsumaranai” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “boring” 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 “eiga” to say “this movie” in Japanese.
• eiga – 映画 (えいが) : a noun meaning ‘movie’ 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 the noun phrase, “kono eiga”, to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “tsumaranai”. In this example, it works as a complement to say “boring” in Japanese. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. For example, we can say “tsumaranai eiga” to mean ‘boring movie’ in Japanese. It’s wroth knowing. Anyway, when we want to say “boring” in Japanese, “tsumaranai” is a very good option.

In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain major conjugations of “tsumaranai”. The first one is “tsumaranakunai”.

Nai form of “tsumaranai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tsumaranakunai”.

• tusmaranakunai – つまらなくない : the nai form of “tsumaranai”, meaning ‘not boring’ or ‘not bored’ in Japanese.

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

• tsumaranaku – つまらなく : one conjugation of “tsumaranai”. 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 “tsumaranakunai” is literally the nai form of “tsumaranai” and means ‘not boring’ or ‘not bored’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• manga – 漫画 (まんが) : a noun meaning ‘manga’ in Japanese.

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

Ta form of “tsumaranai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tsumaranakatta”.

• tsumaranakatta – つまらなかった : the ta form of “tsumaranai”, meaning ‘was boring’, ‘was bored’, or such in Japanese.

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

• tsumaranakat – つまらなかっ : one conjugation of “tsumaranai”. 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 “tsumaranakatta” is literally the ta form of “tsumaranai”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “tsumaranakatta” to mean ‘was boring’, ‘was bored’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words 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 “eiga” to say “that movie” in Japanese.
• mo – も : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘too’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this follows the noun phrase, “ano eiga”, to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.

This is a typical usage of “tsumaranakatta”. When we want to say “was boring” in Japanese, this ta form is a very good choice.

Te form of “tsumaranai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tsumaranakute”.

• tsumaranakute – つまらなくて : the te form of “tsumaranai”, meaning ‘boring’ or ‘bored’ in Japanese.

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

• tsumaranaku – つまらなく : one conjugation of “tsumaranai”. 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 “tsumaranakute” is literally the te form of “tsumaranai”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “tsumaranakute” is very useful when we want to use “tsumaranai” 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 “boring and” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• nagai – 長い (ながい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘long’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “tsumaranakute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “nagai”. Like this, when we want to use “tsumaranai” before another adjective with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “tsumaranai”

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

• tsumaranakereba – つまらなければ : the ba form of “tsumaranai”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘boring’ or ‘bored’.

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

• tsumaranakere – つまらなけれ : one conjugation of “tsumaranai”. 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 “tsumaranakereba” is literally the ba form of “tsumaranai”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, “tsumaranakereba” is very useful when we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘boring’ or ‘bored’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words 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 “kono eiga” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• tome – 止め (とめ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tomeru”, which means ‘to stop’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “tsumaranakute”. In the example, this is used after “tome” to make its te form, “tome te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – 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’ to the preceding verb.

This is a typical usage of “tsumaranakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kono eiga ga tsumaranakereba”, which means ‘if this movie is boring’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘boring’ or ‘bored’ in Japanese, this ba form is useful.

Summary

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

• tsumaranai – つまらない : an i-adjective meaning ‘boring’ in Japanese. Depending on the subject word used together, this can also mean ‘bored’.
• tusmaranakunai – つまらなくない : the nai form of “tsumaranai”, meaning ‘not boring’ or ‘not bored’ in Japanese.
• tsumaranakatta – つまらなかった : the ta form of “tsumaranai”, meaning ‘was boring’, ‘was bored’, or such in Japanese.
• tsumaranakute – つまらなくて : the te form of “tsumaranai”, meaning ‘boring’ or ‘bored’ in Japanese. When we want to use “tsumaranai” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, this te forms is very useful.
• tsumaranakereba – つまらなければ : the ba form of “tsumaranai”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘boring’ or ‘bored’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.