Yasashii is the Japanese i-adjective for ‘kind’, explained

What does “yasashii” mean in Japanese?

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

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “yasashii”
  • Example #1: how to say “kind” in Japanese
• Yasashikunai: the nai form of “yasashii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not kind” in Japanese
• Yasashikatta: the ta form of “yasashii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was kind” in Japanese
• Yasashikute: the te form of “yasashii”
  • Example #4: how to say “kind and” in Japanese
• Yasashikereba: the ba form of “yasashii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if kind” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “yasashii”

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

• yasashii – 優しい/易しい (やさしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese.

“Yasashii” has two different kanji expressions. The first one means ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or ‘generous’ in Japanese. So, it focuses on someone’s personality. The second one means ‘easy’ in Japanese. We need to use a proper one depending on the context and situation. It’s also worth mentioning here that the second one is rarely used and thus the first one is much more common.

The definition and meanings of “yasashii” 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 “kind” 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, 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.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no kareshi” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “yasashii”. 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 “watashi no yasashii kareshi” to mean ‘my kind boyfriend’ in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think. When we want to mean ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or ‘generous’ in Japanese, anyway, this i-adjective is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yasashii” 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 “yasashikunai”.

Yasashikunai: the nai form of “yasashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasashikunai”.

• yasashikunai – 優しくない/易しくない (やさしくない) : the nai form of “yasashii”, which means ‘not kind’, ‘not thoughtful’, ‘not generous’, or ‘not easy’ in Japanese.

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

• yasashiku – 優しく/易しく (やさしく) : one conjugation of “yasashii”. 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 “yasashikunai” is literally the nai form of “yasashii” and means ‘not kind’, ‘not thoughtful’, ‘not generous’, or ‘not easy’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• koibito – 恋人 (こいびと) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’, ‘girlfriend’, or ‘partner’ in Japanese.

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

Yasashikatta: the ta form of “yasashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasashikatta”.

• yasashikatta – 優しかった/易しかった (やさしかった) : the ta form of “yasashii”, which means ‘was kind’, ‘was thoughtful’, ‘was generous’, ‘was easy’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yasashikat – 優しかっ/易しかっ (やさしかっ) : one conjugation of “yasashii”. 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 “yasashikatta” is literally the ta form of “yasashii” and means ‘was kind’, ‘was thoughtful’, ‘was generous’, ‘was easy’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this ta form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was kind” 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.
• 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 mean ‘before’ in Japanese.

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

Yasashikute: the te form of “yasashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yasashikute”.

• yasashikute – 優しくて/易しくて (やさしくて) : the te form of “yasashii”, which means ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese.

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

• yasashiku – 優しく/易しく (やさしく) : one conjugation of “yasashii”. 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 “yasashikute” is literally the te form of “yasashii”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “yasashikute” is very useful when we want to use “yasashii” 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 “kind and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• atarashii – 新しい (あたらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.
• kawaii – 可愛い (かわいい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘cute’ in Japanese.

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

Yasashikereba: the ba form of “yasashii”

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

• yasashikereba – 優しければ/易しければ (やさしければ) : the ba form of “yasashii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese.

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

• yasashikere – 優しけれ/易しけれ (やさしけれ) : one conjugation of “yasashii”. 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 “yasashikereba” is literally the ba form of “yasashii”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “yasashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• anata – あなた : 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 “anata” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• ukeire – 受け入れ (うけいれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “ukeireru”, which means ‘to welcome’, ‘to be open’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with “rareru”.
• rareru – られる : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its passive form. In the example, this is used after “ukeire” to make its passive form, “ukeire rareru”, which means ‘to be welcomed’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “yasashikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “anata ga yasashikereba”, which means ‘if you are kind’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

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

• yasashii – 優しい/易しい (やさしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• yasashikunai – 優しくない/易しくない (やさしくない) : the nai form of “yasashii”, which means ‘not kind’, ‘not thoughtful’, ‘not generous’, or ‘not easy’ in Japanese.
• yasashikatta – 優しかった/易しかった (やさしかった) : the ta form of “yasashii”, which means ‘was kind’, ‘was thoughtful’, ‘was generous’, ‘was easy’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “yasashii”.
• yasashikute – 優しくて/易しくて (やさしくて) : the te form of “yasashii”, which means ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese. When we want to use “yasashii” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• yasashikereba – 優しければ/易しければ (やさしければ) : the ba form of “yasashii”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.