Fusawashii is the Japanese word for ‘suitable’, explained

What does “fusawashii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “fusawashii” often to mean ‘suitable’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word 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 “fusawashii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “fusawashii”
  • Example #1: how to say “suitable” in Japanese
• Fusawashikunai: the nai form of “fusawashii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not suitable” in Japanese
• Fusawashikatta: the ta form of “fusawashii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was suitable” in Japanese
• Fusawashikute: the te form of “fusawashii”
  • Example #4: how to say “suitable and” in Japanese
• Fusawashikereba: the ba form of “fusawashii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if suitable” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “fusawashii”

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

• fusawashii – 相応しい (ふさわしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘suitable’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘suited’ or ‘appropriate’ in Japanese.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult. The meanings seem to be based on similar concepts. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• anata – あなた : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ 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 “anata” to make its possessive case, “anata no”, which means ‘your’ in Japanese.
• sensei – 先生 (せんせい) : a noun meaning ‘teacher’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• ni – に : a case particle often used to say what someone or something is comparable to. This is often translated into English as “as”. In the example, this is used after “sensei” to indicate the job which she is suitable for.

This is a typical usage of “fusawashii”. In this example, it works as the complement in the sentence. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier in front of a noun. For example, we can say “fusawashii sensei” to mean a ‘suitable teacher’ or such. It’s worth knowing.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “fusawashii” 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 “fusawashikunai”.

Fusawashikunai: the nai form of “fusawashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “fusawashikunai”.

• fusawashikunai – 相応しくない (ふさわしくない) : the nai form of “fusawashii”, which means ‘not suitable’, ‘not suited’, or ‘not appropriate’ in Japanese.

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

• fusawashiku – 相応しく (ふさわしく) : one conjugation of “fusawashii”. 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 parts, we can understand that “fusawashikunai” is literally the nai form of “fusawashii” and means ‘not suitable’, ‘not suited’, or ‘not appropriate’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to mean ‘my’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “fusawashikunai”. When we want to mean ‘not suitable’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Fusawashikatta: the ta form of “fusawashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “fusawashikatta”.

• fusawashikatta – 相応しかった (ふさわしかった) : the ta form of “fusawashii”, which means ‘was suitable’, ‘was suited’, ‘was appropriate’, or such in Japanese.

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

• fusawashikat – 相応しかっ (ふさわしかっ) : one conjugation of “fusawashii”. 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 “fusawashikatta” is literally the ta form of “fusawashii” and means ‘was suitable’, ‘was suited’, ‘was appropriate’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• 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 “kare” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
• kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to mean ‘your’ in Japanese.

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

Fusawashikute: the te form of “fusawashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “fusawashikute”.

• fusawashikute – 相応しくて (ふさわしくて) : the te form of “fusawashii”, which means ‘suitable’, ‘suited’, or ‘appropriate’ in Japanese.

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

• fusawashiku – 相応しく (ふさわしく) : one conjugation of “fusawashii”. 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 “fusawashikute” is literally the te form of “fusawashii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “fusawashikute” is very useful when we want to use “fusawashii” 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 “suitable and” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• yasashii – 優しい (やさしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘kind’ in Japanese.

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

Fusawashikereba: the ba form of “fusawashii”

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

• fusawashikereba – 相応しければ (ふさわしければ) : the ba form of “fusawashii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘suitable’, ‘suited’, or ‘appropriate’ in Japanese.

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

• fusawashikere – 相応しけれ (ふさわしけれ) : one conjugation of “fusawashii”. 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 “fusawashikereba” is literally the ba form of “fusawashii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “fusawashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘suitable’, ‘suited’, or ‘appropriate’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if suitable” 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 “anata” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• koko – ここ : a pronoun used to refer to a place close to the speaker.
• de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “koko” to say “here” in Japanese.
• hatarake – 働け (はたらけ) : one conjugation of the potential verb, “hatarakeru”, which means ‘can work’ 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, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “hatarake” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “fusawashikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “anata ga sensei ni fusawashikereba”, which means ‘if you are suitable to be a teacher’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘suitable’, ‘suited’, or ‘appropriate’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

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

• fusawashii – 相応しい (ふさわしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘suitable’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘suited’ or ‘appropriate’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• fusawashikunai – 相応しくない (ふさわしくない) : the nai form of “fusawashii”, which means ‘not suitable’, ‘not suited’, or ‘not appropriate’ in Japanese.
• fusawashikatta – 相応しかった (ふさわしかった) : the ta form of “fusawashii”, which means ‘was suitable’, ‘was suited’, ‘was appropriate’, or such in Japanese.
• fusawashikute – 相応しくて (ふさわしくて) : the te form of “fusawashii”, which means ‘suitable’, ‘suited’, or ‘appropriate’ in Japanese. When we want to use “fusawashii” in front of another adjective, this te form is useful to make a smooth connection.
• fusawashikereba – 相応しければ (ふさわしければ) : the ba form of “fusawashii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘suitable’, ‘suited’, or ‘appropriate’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.