Yasashii is the Japanese word for ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’

What does “yasashii” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “yasashii” to mean ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain this word with its kanji expressions. And also, I will explain its major conjugations which native speakers often use. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “yasashii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “yasashii”
  • Example #1: how to say “kind” in Japanese
• Nai form of “yasashii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not kind” in Japanese
• Ta form of “yasashii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was kind” in Japanese
• Te form of “yasashii”
  • Example #4: how to say “kind and” in Japanese
• 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 the two different kanji expressions. The first one means ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, or ‘generous’; the second one means ‘easy’. It’s worth mentioning, however, that the use of the second one is quite limited. So, when native speakers say “yasashii”, most probably it means ‘kind’ or such. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “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.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree, meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, ‘quite’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this emphasizes the meaning of “yasashii”.

This is a typical usage of “yasashii”. In the example, it works as a complement to say “she is kind” in Japanese. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. So, it can work in more or less the same way as the English adjective, “kind”, does. It’s worth knowing, I think. Anyway, when we want to say “kind” in Japanese, this i-adjective is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yasashii” and how it works through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “yasashikunai”.

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”, meaning ‘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 components, 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 is the new word used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “yasashikunai”. When we want to say “not kind” in Japanese, this nai form is a very good choice.

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”, meaning ‘was kind’, ‘was thoughtful’, ‘was generous’, or ‘was easy’ 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 ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “yasashikatta” is literally the ta form of “yasashii”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can use “yasashikatta” to mean ‘was kind’, ‘was thoughtful’, ‘was generous’, or ‘was easy’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• mae – 前 (まえ) : a noun meaning ‘front’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb meaning ‘before’. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “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 choice.

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”, meaning ‘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 components, we can understand that “yasashikute” is literally the te form of “yasashii”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “yasashikute” is very useful when we want to use “yasashii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “kind and” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• 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” before another adjective with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “yasashii”

Below are 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”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘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 components, we can understand that “yasashikereba” is literally the ba form of “yasashii”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “yasashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with 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 word 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’.

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

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the i-adjective, “yasashii”, with its kanji expressions. And also I’ve explained its major conjugations with 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”, meaning ‘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”, meaning ‘was kind’, ‘was thoughtful’, ‘was generous’, or ‘was easy’ 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”, meaning ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese. When we want to use “yasashii” before another adjective or a verb, this te form is useful.
• yasashikereba – 優しければ/易しければ (やさしければ) : the ba form of “yasashii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘kind’, ‘thoughtful’, ‘generous’, or ‘easy’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.