Tsuyoi is the Japanese i-adjective for ‘strong’, explained

What does “tsuyoi” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “tsuyoi” often to mean ‘strong’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this i-adjective as it is often used in Japanese movies, video games, 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 “tsuyoi” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “tsuyoi”
  • Example #1: how to say “strong” in Japanese
• Tsuyokunai: the nai form of “tsuyoi”
  • Example #2: how to say “not strong” in Japanese
• Tsuyokatta: the ta form of “tsuyoi”
  • Example #3: how to say “was strong” in Japanese
• Tsuyokute: the te form of “tsuyoi”
  • Example #4: how to say “strong and” in Japanese
• Tsuyokereba: the ba form of “tsuyoi”
  • Example #5: how to say “if strong” in Japanese
• 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.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult. The meanings seem to be based on the same concept. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “strong” 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.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘mush’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “tsuyoi” to emphasize its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “tsuyoi”. 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. It’s worth knowing, I think. Anyway, when we want to mean ‘strong’ in Japanese, “tsuyoi” is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “tsuyoi” 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 “tsuyokunai”.

Tsuyokunai: the 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”, which means ‘not strong’, ‘not powerful’, or ‘not mighty’ in Japanese.

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

• tsuyoku – 強く (つよく) : one conjugation of “tsuyoi”. 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 “tsuyokunai” is literally the nai form of “tsuyoi” and means ‘not strong’, ‘not powerful’, or ‘not mighty’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.

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

Tsuyokatta: the 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”, which means ‘was strong’, ‘was powerful’, ‘was mighty’, or such in Japanese.

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

• tsuyokat – 強かっ (つよかっ) : one conjugation of “tsuyoi”. 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 “tsuyokatta” is literally the ta form of “tsuyoi” and means ‘was strong’, ‘was powerful’, ‘was mighty’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• mukashi – 昔 (むかし) : a noun meaning ‘the past’ or such in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say “before” in Japanese.

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

Tsuyokute: the 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”, which means ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’ in Japanese.

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

• tsuyoku – 強く (つよく) : one conjugation of “tsuyoi”. 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 “tsuyokute” is literally the te form of “tsuyoi”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “tsuyokute” is very useful when we want to use “tsuyoi” 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 “strong and” in Japanese

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 is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
• kakkoii – かっこいい : an i-adjective meaning ‘handsome’ or such in Japanese.

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

Tsuyokereba: the ba form of “tsuyoi”

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

• tsuyokereba – 強ければ (つよければ) : the ba form of “tsuyoi”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’ in Japanese.

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

• tsuyokere – 強けれ (つよけれ) : one conjugation of “tsuyoi”. 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 “tsuyokereba” is literally the ba form of “tsuyoi”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “tsuyokereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kimi – 君 (きみ) : 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 “kimi” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• aite – 相手 (あいて) : a noun meaning ‘partner’, ‘competitor’, or ‘opponent’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with the possessive case, “kare no”, to literally mean ‘his competitor’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used to say what the listener can become.
• naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or just ‘to be’ in Japanese.
• yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the second clause to state the idea softly.

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

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “tsuyoi” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through 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”, which means ‘not strong’, ‘not powerful’, or ‘not mighty’ in Japanese.
• tsuyokatta – 強かった (つよかった) : the ta form of “tsuyoi”, which means ‘was strong’, ‘was powerful’, ‘was mighty’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “tsuyoi”.
• tsuyokute – 強くて (つよくて) : the te form of “tsuyoi”, which means ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’ in Japanese. When we want to use “tsuyoi” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• tsuyokereba – 強ければ (つよければ) : the ba form of “tsuyoi”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘strong’, ‘powerful’, or ‘mighty’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.