Wakai is the Japanese i-adjective for ‘young’, explained

What does “wakai” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “wakai” often to mean ‘young’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this i-adjective 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 “wakai” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “wakai”
  • Example #1: how to say “young” in Japanese
• Wakakunai: the nai form of “wakai”
  • Example #2: how to say “not young” in Japanese
• Wakakatta: the ta form of “wakai”
  • Example #3: how to say “was young” in Japanese
• Wakakute: the te form of “wakai”
  • Example #4: how to say “young and” in Japanese
• Wakakereba: the ba form of “wakai”
  • Example #5: how to say “if young” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “wakai”

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

• wakai – 若い (わかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘young’, ‘youthful’, or ‘immature’ in Japanese.

Japanese native speakers use this i-adjective often to describe young people or their behavior.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this i-adjective through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “young” 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.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• mada – まだ : an adverb meaning ‘still’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “wakai”. In the 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. Anyway, when we want to mean ‘young’ in Japanese, this i-adjective is always a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “wakai” 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 “wakakunai”.

Wakakunai: the nai form of “wakai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “wakakunai”.

• wakakunai – 若くない (わかくない) : the nai form of “wakai”, which means ‘not young’, ‘not youthful’, or ‘not immature’ in Japanese.

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

• wakaku – 若く (わかく) : one conjugation of “wakai”. 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 very similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “wakakunai” is literally the nai form of “wakai” and means ‘not young’, ‘not youthful’, or ‘not immature’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not young” 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.
• musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

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

Wakakatta: the ta form of “wakai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “wakakatta”.

• wakakatta – 若かった (わかかった) : the ta form of “wakai”, which means ‘was young’, ‘was youthful’, ‘was immature’, or such in Japanese.

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

• wakakat – 若かっ (わかかっ) : one conjugation of “wakai”. 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 “wakakatta” is literally the ta form of “wakai” and means ‘was young’, ‘was youthful’, ‘was immature’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
• mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘as well’, or ‘too’. In the example, this works after “watashi no kareshi” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.

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

Wakakute: the te form of “wakai”

Below are the definition and meanings of “wakakute”.

• wakakute – 若くて (わかくて) : the te form of “wakai”, which means ‘young’, ‘youthful’, or ‘immature’ in Japanese.

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

• wakaku – 若く (わかく) : one conjugation of “wakai”. 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 “wakakute” is literally the te form of “wakai”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “wakakute” is very useful when we want to use “wakai” 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 “young and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• hime – 姫 (ひめ) : a noun meaning ‘princess’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• utsukushii – 美しい (うつくしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘beautiful’ in Japanese.

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

Wakakereba: the ba form of “wakai”

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

• wakakereba – 若ければ (わかければ) : the ba form of “wakai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘young’, ‘youthful’, or ‘immature’ in Japanese.

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

• wakakere – 若けれ (わかけれ) : one conjugation of “wakai”. 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 “wakakereba” is literally the ba form of “wakai”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “wakakereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘young’, ‘youthful’, or ‘immature’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if young” 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.
• jikan – 時間 (じかん) : a noun meaning ‘time’ in Japanese.
• aru – ある : a verb meaning ‘to be’, ‘to exist’, ‘to have’, or such 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 example sentence to state the speaker’s idea softly.

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

Summary

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

• wakai – 若い (わかい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘young’, ‘youthful’, or ‘immature’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• wakakunai – 若くない (わかくない) : the nai form of “wakai”, which means ‘not young’, ‘not youthful’, or ‘not immature’ in Japanese.
• wakakatta – 若かった (わかかった) : the ta form of “wakai”, which means ‘was young’, ‘was youthful’, ‘was immature’, or such in Japanese. So, this is the past tense form of “wakai”.
• wakakute – 若くて (わかくて) : the te form of “wakai”, which means ‘young’, ‘youthful’, or ‘immature’ in Japanese. When we want to use “wakai” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• wakakereba – 若ければ (わかければ) : the ba form of “wakai”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘young’, ‘youthful’, or ‘immature’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.