Strong in Japanese: tsuyoi, explained with its major conjugations

How to say “strong” in Japanese

There are multiple ways to say “strong” in Japanese. In this blog post, however, I will focus on the most widely-used adjective, “tsuyoi”. I will explain this adjective and its major conjugations with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “tsuyoi” properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

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

Definition and meanings of “tsuyoi”

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

• tsuyoi – 強い (つよい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “strong” 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, it is used after “kare” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb used to emphasize the meaning of its following word. In the example, it is used to emphasize the meaning of “tsuyoi”. This word works as an adverb of degree, so is often translated into English as “very”, “much”, or such.

This is a typical usage of “tsuyoi”. When we want to say “strong” in Japanese, this word would be the best choice. In this example, it works as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. It’s worth knowing, I think.

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

Nai form of “tsuyoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tsuyokunai”.

• tsuyokunai – 強くない (つよくない) : the nai form of “tsuyoi”, meaning ‘not strong’, ‘not powerful’, or ‘not mighty’ in Japanese.

Grammatically this nai form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• tsuyoku – 強く (つよく) : one conjugation of “tsuyoi”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective 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 “tsuyokunai” literally means ‘not strong’, ‘not powerful’, or ‘not mighty’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.

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

Ta form of “tsuyoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tsuyokatta”.

• tsuyokatta – 強かった (つよかった) : the ta form of “tsuyoi”, working as its past tense form. So this ta form means ‘was strong’, ‘were strong’, or such.

Grammatically this ta form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• tsuyokat – 強かっ (つよかっ) : one conjugation of “tsuyoi”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to make its ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “tsuyokatta” is literally the ta form of “tsuyoi”. In Japanese, ta forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their past tense forms. So, we can use “tsuyokatta” to mean ‘was strong’, ‘were strong’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• mukashi – 昔 (むかし) : a noun meaning ‘past’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb meaning “before” in Japanese. In the example, it works as an adverb.

This is a typical usage of “tsuyokatta”. When we want to say “was strong” in Japanese, this ta form is a good option.

Te form of “tsuyoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tsuyokute”.

• tsuyokute – 強くて (つよくて) : the te form of “tsuyoi”.

Grammatically this te form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• tsuyoku – 強く (つよく) : one conjugation of “tsuyoi”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• utsukushii – 美しい (うつくしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “tsuyokute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with the i-adjectivme, “utsukushii”. When we want to use “tsuyoi” before another adjective or a verb, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “tsuyoi”

Below are the definition and meanings of “tsuyokereba”.

• tsuyokereba – 強ければ (つよければ) : the ba form of “tsuyoi”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’.

Grammatically this ba form can be broken down into the following two parts:

• tsuyokere – 強けれ (つよけれ) : one conjugation of “tsuyoi”. This conjugation can have the better connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its ba form.

In Japanese, ba forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their conditional forms. So, “tsuyokereba” can work to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to use “tsuyokereba”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this case particle is used after “kare” to make its possessive case, “kare no”, which means ‘his’ in Japanese.
• aite – 相手 (あいて) : a noun meaning ‘partner’, ‘competitor’, or such. The meaning can vary widely depending on the situation and context.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something can become after a change or action. In the example, this is used to say that “you” can become “aite”.
• naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “tsuyokereba”. In this example, it works as the conditional clause meaning ‘if you are strong’. When we want to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’ in Japanese, this ba form is very useful.

The original nuance of the Japanese sentence is more like ‘if you are strong, you can become his competitor’. In the example, it has been translated as “if you are strong, you can compete with him” though.

Summary

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

• tsuyoi – 強い (つよい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• tsuyokunai – 強くない (つよくない) : the nai form of “tsuyoi”, meaning ‘not strong’, ‘not powerful’, or ‘not mighty’ in Japanese.
• tsuyokatta – 強かった (つよかった) : the ta form of “tsuyoi”, working as its past tense form. So this ta form means ‘was strong’, ‘were strong’, or such.
• tsuyokute – 強くて (つよくて) : the te form of “tsuyoi”. This can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb. This is useful when we want to use adjectives in a row.
• tsuyokereba – 強ければ (つよければ) : the ba form of “tsuyoi”, used to make a conditional clause with the meaning of ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.