Yoi is the Japanese word for ‘good’, explained

What does “yoi” mean in Japanese?

There are some homophones, but native speakers use “yoi” normally to mean ‘good’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “yoi” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “yoi”
  • Example #1: how to say “good” in Japanese
• Yokunai: the nai form of “yoi”
  • Example #2: how to say “not good” in Japanese
• Yokatta: the ta form of “yoi”
  • Example #3: how to say “was good” in Japanese
• Yokute: the te form of “yoi”
  • Example #4: how to say “good and” in Japanese
• Yokereba: the ba form of “yoi”
  • Example #5: how to say “if good” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “yoi”

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

• yoi – 良い (よい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘fine’, or such in Japanese.

Native speakers use this i-adjective to describe something good in Japanese. In speaking, most probably, they use its colloquial version, “ii”, more often. However, the conjugations of these two versions are the same, so I will focus on the official one, “yoi”, in this blog post.

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 “good” 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.
• kangae – 考え (かんがえ) : a noun meaning ‘idea’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “yoi kangae” to make the object in the sentence.
• mot – 持っ (もっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “motsu”, which means ‘to have’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “mot” to make its te form, “mot te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, this is used after the te-formed verb, “mot te”, to express the continuity of its action, ‘to have’.

This is a typical usage of “yoi”. In this example, it works as a modifier in front of “kangae” to say “a good idea” in Japanese. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a complement in a sentence. For example, we can say “kanojo no kangae wa yoi” to mean ‘her idea is good’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think. Anyway, when we want to say “good” in Japanese, this i-adjective is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yoi” 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 “yokunai”.

Yokunai: the nai form of “yoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yokunai”.

• yokunai – 良くない (よくない) : the nai form of “yoi”, which means ‘not good’, ‘not well’, ‘not fine’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yoku – 良く (よく) : one conjugation of “yoi”. 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 “yokunai” is literally the nai form of “yoi” and means ‘not good’, ‘not well’, ‘not fine’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ 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 “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.

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

Yokatta: the ta form of “yoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yokatta”.

• yokatta – 良かった (よかった) : the ta form of “yoi”, which means ‘was good’, ‘was well’, ‘was fine’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yokat – 良かっ (よかっ) : one conjugation of “yoi”. 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 “yokatta” is literally the ta form of “yoi” and means ‘was good’, ‘was well’, ‘was fine’, 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 good” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• osusume – おすすめ : a noun meaning ‘recommendation’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “yokatta” to emphasize its meaning.

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

Yokute: the te form of “yoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yokute”.

• yokute – 良くて (よくて) : the te form of “yoi”, which means ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘fine’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yoku – 良く (よく) : one conjugation of “yoi”. 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 “yokute” is literally the te form of “yoi”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “yokute” is very useful when we want to use “yoi” in front of another adjective or a verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “tabemono” to say “the food” in Japanese.
• tabemono – 食べ物 (たべもの) : a noun meaning ‘food’ in Japanese.
• yasui – 安い (やすい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cheap’ in Japanese.

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

Yokereba: the ba form of “yoi”

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

• yokereba – 良ければ (よければ) : the ba form of “yoi”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘fine’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yokere – 良けれ (よけれ) : one conjugation of “yoi”. 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 “yokereba” is literally the ba form of “yoi”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “yokereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘fine’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tenki – 天気 (てんき) : a noun meaning ‘weather’ 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 “tenki” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• umi – 海 (うみ) : a noun meaning ‘sea’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “umi” to say where the speaker will go.
• iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku“, which means ‘to go’ 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 “iki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “yokereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “tenki ga yokereba”, which means ‘if the weather is good’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘good’, ‘well’, or such in Japanese, this ba form is useful.

Summary

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

• yoi – 良い (よい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘fine’, or such in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• yokunai – 良くない (よくない) : the nai form of “yoi”, which means ‘not good’, ‘not well’, ‘not fine’, or such in Japanese.
• yokatta – 良かった (よかった) : the ta form of “yoi”, which means ‘was good’, ‘was well’, ‘was fine’, or such in Japanese.
• yokute – 良くて (よくて) : the te form of “yoi”, which means ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘fine’, or such in Japanese. When we want to use “yoi” in front of another adjective, this te form is useful to make a smooth connection.
• yokereba – 良ければ (よければ) : the ba form of “yoi”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘good’, ‘well’, ‘fine’, or such in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.