Fun in Japanese: tanoshii, explained with its conjugations

How to say “fun” in Japanese

Japanese native speakers would say “tanoshii”. It is the Japanese word for ‘fun’, ‘enjoyable’, or ‘amusing’. In this blog post, I will explain this word with an example sentence. And also, I will explain its major conjugations which native speakers often use. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “tanoshii” properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

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

Definition and meanings of “tanoshii”

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

• tanoshii – 楽しい (たのしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘fun’, ‘enjoyable’, or ‘amusing’ in Japanese.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “fun” 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 “gēmu” to say “this game” in Japanese.
• gēmu – ゲーム (げーむ) : a noun meaning ‘game’, especially ‘video game’, 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 gēmu”, to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “tanoshii”. In this example, it works as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier to describe its following noun. So, for example, we can say “tanoshii gēmu” to mean ‘a fun game’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think.

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

Nai form of “tanoshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tanoshikunai”.

• tanoshikunai – 楽しくない (たのしくない) : the nai form of “tanoshii”, meaning ‘not fun’, ‘not enjoyable’, or ‘not amusing’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, this nai form consists of the following two parts:

• tanoshiku – 楽しく (たのしく) : one conjugation of “tanoshii”. 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 “nai” is similar to that of “not”.

From these two components, we can understand that “tanoshikunai” is literally the nai form of “tanoshii” and means ‘not fun’, ‘not enjoyable’, or ‘not amusing’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not fun” 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 “gēmu” to say “that game” in Japanese.

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

Ta form of “tanoshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tanoshikatta”.

• tanoshikatta – 楽しかった (たのしかった) : the ta form of “tanoshii”, meaning ‘was fun’, ‘were fun’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, this ta form consists of the following two parts:

• tanoshikat – 楽しかっ (たのしかっ) : one conjugation of “tanoshii”. 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 “tanoshikatta” is literally the ta form of “tanoshii”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can use “tanoshikatta” to mean ‘was fun’, ‘were fun’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this ta form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• mo – も : a binding particle working to make 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 “ano gēmu” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
• mae – 前 (まえ) : a noun meaning ‘front’ or ‘fore’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb to say “before” in Japanese. In the example, it works as an adverb.

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

Te form of “tanoshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tanoshikute”.

• tanoshikute – 楽しくて (たのしくて) : the te form of “tanoshii”, meaning ‘fun’, ‘enjoyable’, or ‘amusing’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, this te form consists of the following two parts:

• tanoshiku – 楽しく (たのしく) : one conjugation of “tanoshii”. 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 “tanoshikute” is literally the te form of “tanoshii”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “tanoshikute” is very useful when we want to use “tanoshii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection. Then, let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “fun and” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

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

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

Ba form of “tanoshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tanoshikereba”.

• tanoshikereba – 楽しければ (たのしければ) : the ba form of “tanoshii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence.

Grammatically, this ba form consists of the following two parts:

• tanoshikere – 楽しけれ (たのしけれ) : one conjugation of “tanoshii”. 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 “tanoshikereba” is literally the ba form of “tanoshii”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “tanoshikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘fun’, ‘enjoyable’, or ‘amusing’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kat – 買っ (かっ) : 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.
• te – て : the same as used in “tanoshikute”. In the example, this is used after “kat” to make its te form, “kat 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 verb, however, it can work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ to the preceding verb. In the example, this follows the te-formed verb, “kat te”, to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “tanoshikereba”. In the example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kono gēmu ga tanoshikereba”, which means ‘if this game is fun’. When we want to say “if fun”, “if enjoyable”, or “if amusing” in Japanese, this ba forms is a good option.

Summary

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

• tanoshii – 楽しい (たのしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘fun’, ‘enjoyable’, or ‘amusing’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• tanoshikunai – 楽しくない (たのしくない) : the nai form of “tanoshii”, meaning ‘not fun’, ‘not enjoyable’, or ‘not amusing’ in Japanese.
• tanoshikatta – 楽しかった (たのしかった) : the ta form of “tanoshii”, meaning ‘was fun’, ‘were fun’, or such in Japanese.
• tanoshikute – 楽しくて (たのしくて) : the te form of “tanoshii”, meaning ‘fun’, ‘enjoyable’, or ‘amusing’ in Japanese. When we want to use “tanoshii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, this te form is useful.
• tanoshikereba – 楽しければ (たのしければ) : the ba form of “tanoshii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence. When we want to say “if fun”, “if enjoyable”, or “if amusing” in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.