Cheap in Japanese: yasui, explained with its major conjugations

How to say “cheap” in Japanese

In other words, how can we say ‘low in price’ in Japanese? Japanese native speakers would say “yasui”. It is the Japanese word for ‘cheap’ or ‘inexpensive’. In this blog post, I will explain this word and its major conjugations with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “yasui” properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “yasui”
  • Example #1: how to say “cheap” in Japanese
• Nai form of “yasui”
  • Example #2: how to say “not cheap” in Japanese
• Ta form of “yasui”
  • Example #3: how to use the past tense form of “yasui”
• Te form of “yasui”
  • Example #4: how to use “yasui” before another adjective
• Ba form of “yasui”
  • Example #5: how to use “yasukereba”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “yasui”

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

• yasui – 安い (やすい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cheap’ or ‘inexpensive’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meanings are very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to a thing close to the speaker. This is similar to the English determiner, “this”.
• 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, it is used after the noun phrase, “kono katana”, to make the subject word in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “yasui”. When we want to say “cheap” in Japanese, this word is a very good choice. In this example, it is used as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. So, we can say “yasui katana” to mean ‘cheap sword’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.

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

Nai form of “yasui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasukunai”.

• yasukunai – 安くない (やすくない) : the nai form of “yasui”, meaning ‘not cheap’ or ‘not inexpensive’ in Japanese.

Grammatically this nai form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• yasuku – 安く (やすく) : one conjugation of “yasui”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective 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 “yasukunai” literally means ‘not cheap’ or ‘not inexpensive’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun which refers to a thing not close to the speaker. This is similar to the English determiner, “that”.

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

Ta form of “yasui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasukatta”.

• yasukatta – 安かった (やすかった) : the ta form of “yasui”, working as its past tense form. So, this ta form means ‘was cheap’, ‘were cheap’, ‘was inexpensive’, ‘were inexpensive’, or such.

Grammatically this ta form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• yasukat – 安かっ (やすかっ) : one conjugation of “yasui”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to make its ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “yasukatta” is literally the ta form of “yasui”. In Japanese, ta forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “yasukatta” to mean ‘was cheap’, ‘were cheap’, ‘was inexpensive’, ‘were inexpensive’, or such. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to use the past tense form of “yasui”

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• tate – 盾 (たて) : a noun meaning ‘shield’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun.

This is a typical usage of “yasukatta”. When we want to say “was cheap” in Japanese, this ta form is a good option.

Te form of “yasui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasukute”.

• yasukute – 安くて (やすくて) : the te form of “yasui”.

Grammatically this te form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• yasuku – 安く (やすく) : one conjugation of “yasui”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form.

A te form of an adjective can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb. So, “yasukute” is very useful when we want to use adjectives in a row. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to use “yasui” before another adjective

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• karui – 軽い (かるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘light’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “yasukute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with the i-adjective, “karui”. When we want to use “yasui” before another adjective or a verb, this te form is very useful.

Ba form of “yasui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasukereba”.

• yasukereba – 安ければ (やすければ) : the ba form of “yasui”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘cheap’ or ‘inexpensive’.

Grammatically this ba form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• yasukere – 安けれ (やすけれ) : one conjugation of “yasui”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its ba form.

In Japanese, ba forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their conditional forms. So, “yasukereba” can work to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘cheap’ or ‘inexpensive’. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to use “yasukereba”

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, it is used after the noun phrase, “kono katana”, to make the subject word in the conditional clause.
• kai – 買い (かい) : one conjugation of the verb, “kau”, which means ‘to buy’ or ‘to purchase’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, it is used to make “kai” sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “yasukereba”. In this example, it is used to make the conditional clause, “kono katana ga yasukereba”, which means ‘if this sword is cheap’. When we want to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘cheap’ or ‘inexpensive’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the i-adjective, “yasui”, and its major conjugations with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• yasui – 安い (やすい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cheap’ or ‘inexpensive’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• yasukunai – 安くない (やすくない) : the nai form of “yasui”, meaning ‘not cheap’ or ‘not inexpensive’ in Japanese.
• yasukatta – 安かった (やすかった) : the ta form of “yasui”, working as its past tense form. So, this ta form means ‘was cheap’, ‘were cheap’, ‘was inexpensive’, ‘were inexpensive’, or such.
• yasukute – 安くて (やすくて) : the te form of “yasui”. This can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb. This is useful when we want to use adjectives in a row.
• yasukereba – 安ければ (やすければ) : the ba form of “yasui”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘cheap’ or ‘inexpensive’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.