Smart in Japanese: kashikoi, explained with its major conjugations

How to say “smart” in Japanese

Japanese people often say “sumāto” which originally came from the pronunciation of “smart”, but normally it means ‘slim’, ‘lean’, ‘thin’, or such in Japanese. To mean ‘smart’ in Japanese, they would say “kashikoi” instead. In this blog post, I will explain this word and its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

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

Definition and meanings of “kashikoi”

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

• kashikoi – 賢い (かしこい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘smart’, ‘wise’, ‘clever’, or such in Japanese.

It has some meanings, but these have the same concept. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “smart” 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.

This is a typical usage of “kashikoi”. When we want to say “smart” in Japanese, this word would be a 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 “kashikoi”. The first one is “kashikokunai”.

Nai form of “kashikoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “kashikokunai”.

• kashikokunai – 賢くない (かしこくない) : the nai form of “kashikoi”, meaning ‘not smart’, ‘not wise’, or such in Japanese.

This nai form consists of the following two parts:

• kashikoku – 賢く (かしこく) : one conjugation of “kashikoi”. 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 “kashikokunai” is literally the nai form of “kashikoi” and means ‘not smart’, ‘not wise’, 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 smart” 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 “kashikokunai”. When we want to say “not smart” in Japanese, this nai form is a very good choice.

Ta form of “kashikoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “kashikokatta”.

• kashikokatta – 賢かった (かしこかった) : the ta form of “kashikoi”, working as its past tense form. So, this means ‘was smart’, ‘were smart’, or such in Japanese.

This ta form consists of the following two parts:

• kashikokat – 賢かっ (かしこかっ) : one conjugation of “kashikoi”. 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 “kashikokatta” is literally the ta form of “kashikoi”. In Japanese, ta forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “kashikokatta” to mean ‘was smart’, ‘were smart’, 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 “kashikoi”

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 “kashikokatta”. When we want to say “was smart” in Japanese, this ta form would be a very good choice.

Te form of “kashikoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “kashikokute”.

• kashikokute – 賢くて (かしこくて) : the te form of “kashikoi”, meaning ‘smart’, ‘wise’, ‘clever’, or such in Japanese.

This te form consists of the following two parts:

• kashikoku – 賢く (かしこく) : one conjugation of “kashikoi”. 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, “kashikokute” 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 “kashikoi” before another adjective

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 “kashikokute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “yasashii”. When we want to use “kashikoi” before another adjective or a verb, its te form is useful.

Ba form of “kashikoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “kashikokereba”.

• kashikokereba – 賢ければ (かしこければ) : the ba form of “kashikoi”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘smart’, ‘wise’, ‘clever’, or such in Japanese.

This ba form consists of the following two parts:

• kashikokere – 賢けれ (かしこけれ) : one conjugation of “kashikoi”. 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, “kashikokereba” can work to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘smart’, ‘wise’, ‘clever’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to use “kashikokereba”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• juubun – 十分 (じゅうぶん) : an adverb meaning ‘enough’ or such in Japanese.
• kagakusha – 科学者 (かがくしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘scientist’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate a state which someone or something is in after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “kagakusha” to say what “you” can become. “Kagakusha” is not a word for a state, but being a scientist can be considered as a state here.
• na – な : one conjugation of the verb, “naru”, which means ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• reru – れる : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after “na” to make its potential form, “na reru”, which means ‘can become’.

This is a typical usage of “kashikokereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause which means ‘if you are smart enough’. When we want to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘smart’. ‘wise’, ‘clever’, or such in Japanese, this ba form is useful.

Summary

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

• kashikoi – 賢い (かしこい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘smart’, ‘wise’, ‘clever’, or such in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• kashikokunai – 賢くない (かしこくない) : the nai form of “kashikoi”, meaning ‘not smart’, ‘not wise’, or such in Japanese.
• kashikokatta – 賢かった (かしこかった) : the ta form of “kashikoi”, working as its past tense form. So, this means ‘was smart’, ‘were smart’, or such in Japanese.
• kashikokute – 賢くて (かしこくて) : the te form of “kashikoi”, meaning ‘smart’, ‘wise’, ‘clever’, or such in Japanese. This can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb. When we want to use “kashikoi” before another adjective, this is useful.
• kashikokereba – 賢ければ (かしこければ) : the ba form of “kashikoi”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘smart’, ‘wise’, ‘clever’, or such in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.