Kind in Japanese: yasashii, explained with its major conjugations

How to say “kind” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “yasashii”. It is the Japanese adjective meaning ‘kind’. In this blog post, I will explain it with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

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

Definition and meanings of “yasashii”

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

• yasashii – 優しい (やさしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, ‘gentle’, or such in Japanese.

Its definition and meanings are simple and clear, but it has a homophone which means ‘easy’ in Japanese. Fortunately, the homophone has a different kanji expression, but we need to be careful with the situation and context to avoid possible confusion.

Then, let me explain how to use this adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “kind” 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 is used after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree, meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘quite’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used before “yasashii” to emphasize its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “yasashii”. When we want to say “kind” in Japanese, this adjective would be a very good choice. In the example, it works as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. It’s worth knowing.

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

Nai form of “yasashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasashikunai”.

• yasashikunai – 優しくない (やさしくない) : the nai form of “yasashii”, meaning ‘not kind’, ‘not thoughtful’, or such in Japanese.

This nai form consists of the following two parts:

• yasashiku – 優しく (やさしく) : one conjugation of “yasashii”. This can have the better 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 components, we can understand that “yasashikunai” is literally the nai form of “yasashii” and means ‘not kind’, ‘not thoughtful’, 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 kind” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.

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

Ta form of “yasashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasashikatta”.

• yasashikatta – 優しかった (やさしかった) : the ta form of “yasashii”, working as its past tense form. So, this means ‘was kind’, ‘were kind’, or such in Japanese.

This ta form consists of the following two parts:

• yasashikat – 優しかっ (やさしかっ) : one conjugation of “yasashii”. This can have the better 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 “yasashikatta” is literally the ta form of “yasashii”. In Japanese, ta forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “yasashikatta” to mean ‘was kind’, ‘were kind’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this ta form through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• mae – 前 (まえ) : a noun meaning ‘front’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb meaning ‘before’. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “before” in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “yasashikatta”. When we want to say “was kind” in Japanese, this ta form would be a very good choice.

Te form of “yasashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasashikute”.

• yasashikute – 優しくて (やさしくて) : the te form of “yasashii”, meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or such in Japanese.

This te form consists of the following two parts:

• yasashiku – 優しく (やさしく) : one conjugation of “yasashii”. This can have the better connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

A te form of an adjective can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb. So, “yasashikute” 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 “yasashii” before another adjective

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kawaii – 可愛い (かわいい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cute’ in Japanese.

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

Ba form of “yasashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasashikereba”.

• yasashikereba – 優しければ (やさしければ) : the ba form of “yasashii”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or such in Japanese.

This ba form consists of the following two parts:

• yasashikere – 優しけれ (やさしけれ) : one conjugation of “yasashii”. This can have the better connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

In Japanese, ba forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their conditional forms. So, “yasashikereba” can work to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this ba form through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to use “yasashikereba”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• anata – あなた : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ 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 “anata” to make the subject word in the conditional clause.
• ukeire – 受け入れ (うけいれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “ukeireru”, which means ‘to welcome’, ‘to be open’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with “rareru”.
• rareru – られる : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its passive form. In the example, this is used after “ukeire” to make its passive form, “ukeire rareru”, which means ‘to be welcomed’.

This is a typical usage of “yasashikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause which means ‘if you are kind’. When we want to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or such in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

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

• yasashii – 優しい (やさしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, ‘gentle’, or such in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• yasashikunai – 優しくない (やさしくない) : the nai form of “yasashii”, meaning ‘not kind’, ‘not thoughtful’, or such in Japanese.
• yasashikatta – 優しかった (やさしかった) : the ta form of “yasashii”, working as its past tense form. So, this means ‘was kind’, ‘were kind’, or such in Japanese.
• yasashikute – 優しくて (やさしくて) : the te form of “yasashii”, meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or such in Japanese. This can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb. When we want to use “yasashii” before another adjective, this is useful.
• yasashikereba – 優しければ (やさしければ) : the ba form of “yasashii”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or such in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.