Yurui is the Japanese word for ‘loose’, explained

What does “yurui” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “yurui” often to mean ‘loose’ 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 this word together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “yurui” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “yurui”
  • Example #1: how to say “loose” in Japanese
• Yurukunai: the nai form of “yurui”
  • Example #2: how to say “not loose” in Japanese
• Yurukatta: the ta form of “yurui”
  • Example #3: how to say “was slack” in Japanese
• Yurukute: the te form of “yurui”
  • Example #4: how to say “loose and” in Japanese
• Yurukereba: the ba form of “yurui”
  • Example #5: how to say “if loose” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “yurui”

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

• yurui – 緩い (ゆるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘loose’, ‘slack’, or such in Japanese.

Japanese native speakers use this i-adjective to describe something not tight or someone with a laid back atmosphere. So, this can work in more or less the same way as the English adjectives written above.

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 “loose” 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.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• pantsu – パンツ (ぱんつ) : a noun meaning ‘pants’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku no pantsu” to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “yurui”. 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. When we want to describe something not tight or someone with a laid back atmosphere in Japanese, anyway, this i-adjective is a good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “yurui” 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 “yurukunai”.

Yurukunai: the nai form of “yurui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yurukunai”.

• yurukunai – 緩くない (ゆるくない) : the nai form of “yurui”, which means ‘not loose’, ‘not slack’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yuruku – 緩く (ゆるく) : one conjugation of “yurui”. 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 “yurukunai” is literally the nai form of “yurui” and means ‘not loose’, ‘not slack’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• atarashii – 新しい (あたらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.

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

Yurukatta: the ta form of “yurui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yurukatta”.

• yurukatta – 緩かった (ゆるかった) : the ta form of “yurui”, which means ‘was loose’, ‘was slack’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yurukat – 緩かっ (ゆるかっ) : one conjugation of “yurui”. 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 “yurukatta” is literally the ta form of “yurui” and means ‘was loose’, ‘was slack’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘very’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this works in front of “yurukatta” to emphasize its meaning.

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

Yurukute: the te form of “yurui”

Below are the definition and meanings of “yurukute”.

• yurukute – 緩くて (ゆるくて) : the te form of “yurui”, which means ‘loose’, ‘slack’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yuruku – 緩く (ゆるく) : one conjugation of “yurui”. 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 “yurukute” is literally the te form of “yurui”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “yurukute” is very useful when we want to use “yurui” 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 “loose and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “uwagi” to mean ‘this jacket’ in Japanese.
• uwagi – 上着 (うわぎ) : a noun meaning ‘jacket’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• dasai – ダサい (ださい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘lame’ in Japanese.

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

Yurukereba: the ba form of “yurui”

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

• yurukereba – 緩ければ (ゆるければ) : the ba form of “yurui”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘loose’, ‘slack’, or such in Japanese.

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

• yurukere – 緩けれ (ゆるけれ) : one conjugation of “yurui”. 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 “yurukereba” is literally the ba form of “yurui”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “yurukereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘loose’, ‘slack’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if loose” 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 “pantsu” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• beruto – ベルト (べると) : a noun meaning ‘belt’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “beruto” to make the object in the second clause.
• tsukat – 使っ (つかっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “tsukau“, which means ‘to use’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “yurukute”. In this example, this is used after “tsukat” to make its te form, “tsukat te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “tsukat te” to add the meaning of ‘please’.

This is a typical usage of “yurukereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “pantsu ga yurukereba”, which means ‘if your pants are loose’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘loose’, ‘slack’, or such in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

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

• yurui – 緩い (ゆるい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘loose’, ‘slack’, or such in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• yurukunai – 緩くない (ゆるくない) : the nai form of “yurui”, which means ‘not loose’, ‘not slack’, or such in Japanese.
• yurukatta – 緩かった (ゆるかった) : the ta form of “yurui”, which means ‘was loose’, ‘was slack’, or such in Japanese.
• yurukute – 緩くて (ゆるくて) : the te form of “yurui”, which means ‘loose’, ‘slack’, or such in Japanese. When we want to use “yurui” in front of another adjective, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
• yurukereba – 緩ければ (ゆるければ) : the ba form of “yurui”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘loose’, ‘slack’, or such in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.