Takai is the Japanese word for ‘high’, explained

What does “takai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “takai” to mean ‘high’ or sometimes ‘expensive’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. 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 “takai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “takai”
  • Example #1: how to say “high” in Japanese
• Takakunai: the nai form of “takai”
  • Example #2: how to say “not expensive” in Japanese
• Takakatta: the ta form of “takai”
  • Example #3: how to say “was expensive” in Japanese
• Takakute: the te form of “takai”
  • Example #4: how to say “expensive and” in Japanese
• Takakereba: the ba form of “takai”
  • Example #5: how to say “if high” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “takai”

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

• takai – 高い (たかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘high’ or ‘expensive’ in Japanese.

Native speakers use this i-adjective to mean ‘high’ or sometimes ‘expensive’ in Japanese. Being expensive can be considered as being high in price.

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 “high” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “yama” to say “that mountain” in Japanese.
• yama – 山 (やま) : a noun meaning ‘mountain’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “ano yama” to make the subject in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘so’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works before “takai” to emphasize its meaning.

This is a typical usage of “takai”. 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 “takai yama” to mean a ‘high mountain’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing. Anyway, when we want to mean ‘high’ in Japanese, this i-adjective is a good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “takai” 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 “takakunai”.

Takakunai: the nai form of “takai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “takakunai”.

• takakunai – 高くない (たかくない) : the nai form of “takai”, which means ‘not high’ or ‘not expensive’ in Japanese.

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

• takaku – 高く (たかく) : one conjugation of “takai”. 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 “takakunai” is literally the nai form of “takai” and means ‘not high’ or ‘not expensive’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “kuruma” to say “this car” in Japanese.
• kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

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

Takakatta: the ta form of “takai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “takakatta”.

• takakatta – 高かった (たかかった) : the ta form of “takai”, which means ‘was high’, ‘was expensive’, or such in Japanese.

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

• takakat – 高かっ (たかかっ) : one conjugation of “takai”. 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 “takakatta” is literally the ta form of “takai” and means ‘was high’, ‘was expensive’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was expensive” 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, the first “no” is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• no – の : the same as explained above. The second “no” is used after “watashi no musume” to say “my daughter’s” in Japanese.

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

Takakute: the te form of “takai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “takakute”.

• takakute – 高くて (たかくて) : the te form of “takai”, which means ‘high’ or ‘expensive’ in Japanese.

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

• takaku – 高く (たかく) : one conjugation of “takai”. 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 “takakute” is literally the te form of “takai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “takakute” is very useful when we want to use “takai” 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 “expensive 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 say “her” in Japanese.
• hayai – 速い (はやい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘fast’ in Japanese.

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

Takakereba: the ba form of “takai”

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

• takakereba – 高ければ (たかければ) : the ba form of “takai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘high’ or ‘expensive’ in Japanese.

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

• takakere – 高けれ (たかけれ) : one conjugation of “takai”. 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 “takakereba” is literally the ba form of “takai”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “takakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘high’ or ‘expensive’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• 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 “yama” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• nobori – 登り (のぼり) : one conjugation of the verb, “noboru”, which means ‘to climb’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• taku – たく : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “tai”, which is used after a verb to make its desire form. In the example, this is used after “nobori” to mean ‘to want to climb’ in Japanese.
• nai – ない : the same as used in “takakunai”. In this example, this is used after “nobori taku” to deny its meaning and thus to say “don’t want to climb” in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “takakereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “yama ga takakereba”, which means ‘if the mountain is high’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘high’ or ‘expensive’, this ba form is a very good option.

Summary

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

• takai – 高い (たかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘high’ or ‘expensive’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• takakunai – 高くない (たかくない) : the nai form of “takai”, which means ‘not high’ or ‘not expensive’ in Japanese.
• takakatta – 高かった (たかかった) : the ta form of “takai”, which means ‘was high’, ‘was expensive’, or such in Japanese.
• takakute – 高くて (たかくて) : the te form of “takai”, which means ‘high’ or ‘expensive’ in Japanese. When we want to use “takai” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• takakereba – 高ければ (たかければ) : the ba form of “takai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘high’ or ‘expensive’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.