Weak in Japanese: yowai, explained with its major conjugations

How to say “weak” in Japanese

In most cases, Japanese people say “yowai” to mean ‘weak’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain this word and its major conjugations with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to say “weak” in various situations. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “yowai”
  • Example #1: how to say “weak” in Japanese
• Definition and meaning of “yowakunai”
  • Example #2: how to say “not weak” in Japanese
• Definition and meaning of “yowakatta”
  • Example #3: how to use the past tense form of “yowai”
• Definition and meaning of “yowakute”
  • Example #4: how to use “yowakute” before another adjective
• Definition and meaning of “yowakereba”
  • Example #5: how to use “yowakereba”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “yowai”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “yowai”.

• yowai – 弱い (よわい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘weak’ in Japanese.

Basically Japanese people use “yowai” to mean ‘weak’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and contact, however, it can also mean ‘light’, ‘mild’, or such.

The definition and meaning are quite simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use “yowai” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “weak” 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.

This is a typical usage of “yowai”. When we want to say “weak” in Japanese, it 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.

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

Definition and meaning of “yowakunai”

Below are the definition and meaning of “yowakunai”.

• yowakunai – 弱くない (よわくない) : the nai form of “yowai”, meaning ‘not weak’ in Japanese.

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

• yowaku – 弱く (よわく) : one conjugation of “yowai”. 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” in English.

From these two components, we can understand that “yowakunai” literally means ‘not weak’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word and particle used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is used after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “yowakunai”. When we want to say “not weak” in Japanese, this nai form would be the best choice.

Definition and meaning of “yowakatta”

Below are the definition and meaning of “yowakatta”.

• yowakatta – 弱かった (よわかった) : the ta form of “yowai”, working as its past tense form.

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

• yowakat – 弱かっ (よわかっ) : one conjugation of “yowai”. 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 “yowakatta” is literally the ta form of “yowai”. In the Japanese language, ta forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their past tense forms. So, we can say “yowakatta” to mean ‘was weak’, ‘were weak’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the particles used in the example sentence.

• wa – は : the same as explained in the last examples. In this example, again it is used after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• yori – より : a case particle used to provide a basis of comparison. In the example, it is used after “kare” to provide the basis of comparison with “kanojo”.

This is a typical usage of “yowakatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “yowai”, this is the best choice.

Definition and meaning of “yowakute”

Below are the definition and meaning of “yowakute”.

• yowakute – 弱くて (よわくて) : the te form of “yowai”.

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

• yowaku – 弱く (よわく) : one conjugation of “yowai”. 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, “yowakute” is very useful when we want to use adjectives in a row. Let me explain its usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to use “yowakute” before another adjective

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• chiisai – 小さい (ちいさい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘small’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “yowakute”. In the example, it precedes the i-adjective, “chiisai”. When we want to use “yowai” before another adjective or a verb, its te form is very useful.

Definition and meaning of “yowakereba”

Below are the definition and meaning of “yowakereba”.

• yowakereba – 弱ければ (よわければ) : the ba form of “yowai”.

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

• yowakere – 弱けれ (よわけれ) : one conjugation of “yowai”. 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 the Japanese language, ba forms of verbs and adjectives can work as their conditional forms. So, “yowakereba” can work to make a conditional clause with the meaning of “weak”. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to use “yowakereba”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ikinoko – 生き残 (いきのこ) : one conjugation of the verb, “ikinokoru”, which means ‘to survive’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• re – れ : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “reru”, which is used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, it is used after the conjugated verb, “ikinoko”, to make its potential form, “ikinoko re”, which means ‘can survive’.

This is a typical usage of “yowakereba”. In this example, it is used to make the conditional clause which means ‘if you are weak’. When we want to make a conditional clause with the meaning of “weak” in Japanese, this ba form would be a good option.

Summary

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

• yowai – 弱い (よわい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘weak’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and contact, however, this can also mean ‘light’, ‘mild’, or such. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• yowakunai – 弱くない (よわくない) : the nai form of “yowai”, meaning ‘not weak’ in Japanese.
• yowakatta – 弱かった (よわかった) : the ta form of “yowai”, working as its past tense form. So, this can mean ‘was weak’, ‘were weak’, or such.
• yowakute – 弱くて (よわくて) : the te form of “yowai”. This can have a smooth connection with another adjective or a verb.
• yowakereba – 弱ければ (よわければ) : the ba form of “yowai”. This can work to make a conditional clause with the meaning of “weak” in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.