Itoshii is the Japanese word for ‘lovely’, explained

What does “itoshii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “itoshii” often to mean ‘lovely’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. 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 “itoshii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “itoshii”
  • Example #1: how to say “lovely” in Japanese
• Itoshikunai: the nai form of “itoshii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not lovely” in Japanese
• Itoshikatta: the ta form of “itoshii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was lovely” in Japanese
• Itoshikute: the te form of “itoshii”
  • Example #4: how to say “lovely and” in Japanese
• Itoshikereba: the ba form of “itoshii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if lovely” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “itoshii”

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

• itoshii – 愛しい (いとしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘lovely’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘adorable’ or ‘to miss’ in Japanese.

Japanese native speakers use this i-adjective often to describe someone or something that they cherish.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ 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 “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• koneko – 子猫 (こねこ) : a noun meaning ‘kitten’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• 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 “watashi no koneko” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “itoshii”. 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 “watashi no itoshii koneko” to mean ‘my lovely kitten’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “itoshii” 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 “itoshikunai”.

Itoshikunai: the nai form of “itoshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “itoshikunai”.

• itoshikunai – 愛しくない (いとしくない) : the nai form of “itoshii”, which means ‘not lovely’, ‘not adorable’, or ‘not to miss’ in Japanese.

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

• itoshiku – 愛しく (いとしく) : one conjugation of “itoshii”. 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 “itoshikunai” is literally the nai form of “itoshii” and means ‘not lovely’, ‘not adorable’, or ‘not to miss’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject in the sentence.

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

Itoshikatta: the ta form of “itoshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “itoshikatta”.

• itoshikatta – 愛しかった (いとしかった) : the ta form of “itoshii”, which means ‘was lovely’, ‘was adorable’, ‘missed’, or such in Japanese.

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

• itoshikat – 愛しかっ (いとしかっ) : one conjugation of “itoshii”. 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 “itoshikatta” is literally the ta form of “itoshii” and means ‘was lovely’, ‘was adorable’, ‘missed’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to mean ‘my’ in Japanese.
• imouto – 妹 (いもうと) : a noun meaning ‘little sister’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

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

Itoshikute: the te form of “itoshii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “itoshikute”.

• itoshikute – 愛しくて (いとしくて) : the te form of “itoshii”, which means ‘lovely’, ‘adorable’, or ‘to miss’ in Japanese.

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

• itoshiku – 愛しく (いとしく) : one conjugation of “itoshii”. 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 “itoshikute” is literally the te form of “itoshii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “itoshikute” is very useful when we want to use “itoshii” 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 “lovely and” 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. In the example, this works together with the case particle, “no”, to mean ‘her’ in Japanese.
• inu – 犬 (いぬ) : a noun meaning ‘dog’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• kawaii – 可愛い (かわいい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cute’ in Japanese.

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

Itoshikereba: the ba form of “itoshii”

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

• itoshikereba – 愛しければ (いとしければ) : the ba form of “itoshii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘lovely’, ‘adorable’, or ‘to miss’ in Japanese.

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

• itoshikere – 愛しけれ (いとしけれ) : one conjugation of “itoshii”. 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 “itoshikereba” is literally the ba form of “itoshii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “itoshikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lovely’, ‘adorable’, or ‘to miss’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• sou – そう : an adverb meaning ‘so’ or such in Japanese.
• tsutae – 伝え (つたえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsutaeru“, which means ‘to tell’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “itoshikute”. In the example, this is used after “tsutae” to make its te form, “tsutae te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “tsutae te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “itoshikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kanojo ga itoshikereba”, which means ‘if she is lovely’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘lovely’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

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

• itoshii – 愛しい (いとしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘lovely’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘adorable’ or ‘to miss’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• itoshikunai – 愛しくない (いとしくない) : the nai form of “itoshii”, which means ‘not lovely’, ‘not adorable’, or ‘not to miss’ in Japanese.
• itoshikatta – 愛しかった (いとしかった) : the ta form of “itoshii”, which means ‘was lovely’, ‘was adorable’, ‘missed’, or such in Japanese.
• itoshikute – 愛しくて (いとしくて) : the te form of “itoshii”, which means ‘lovely’, ‘adorable’, or ‘to miss’ in Japanese. When we want to use “itoshii” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• itoshikereba – 愛しければ (いとしければ) : the ba form of “itoshii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘lovely’, ‘adorable’, or ‘to miss’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.