Japanese Grammar Bank

TURNING ADJECTIVES INTO NOUNS

Turning adjectives into nouns in Japanese is called nominalising, and it gives us more flexibility when speaking or writing.

Without nominalisation, adjectives would normally be stuck only modifying nouns.

After they are formed into nouns, they can be the subject, topic, or object of the sentence, or take all kinds of prepositions like in, on, at, with, by, to, etc.

USING さ FOR い & な ADJECTIVES

い-adjectives use さ

Forming adjectives into nouns is very simple for い adjectives:

PATTERN

Remove い + add さ instead

Example:

ADJECTIVEREMOVE い AND ADD さNOUN
高い 高い + さ 高さ
takaitakai + satakasa
Tall>>Height

Now that 高い has been nominalised into 高さ, it can be used like a noun in any number of situations.

For example, it can now take the particle を.

高さを比べるtakasa wo kuraberuCompare height

な-adjectives use さ

Use the stem form of the word (without な), and add さ.

PATTERN

Stem form without な + add さ

Example:

ADJECTIVEADD さNOUN
便利 便利 + さ 便利さ
benribenri + sabenrisa
Convenient>>Convenience

MORE USAGES OF さ

さ is not strictly limited to adjectives.

It can also modify word suffixes that behave like い adjectives, like:

  • ~たい
  • ~やすい
  • ~にくい
  • ~づらい
  • ~らしい
  • and ~っぽい.

Examples:

KANJIROMAJIENGLISH
女らしさonnarashisaFemininity
女らしいonnarashiiFeminine
子どもっぽいkodomoppoiChildish
子どもっぽさkodomopposaChildishness

Nominalising adjectives with さ is like adding -ness to a word in English.

It refers to the degree of the adjective that something possesses.

For this reason, さ has a nuance of certainty. It implies that the adjective is certainly present. The word “redness” for instance, implies that some degree of red exists.

TURNING ADJECTIVES INTO NOUNS WITH み

Another way to nominalize is to add み to the end of adjectives.

It is conjugated in the same way that さ is, but instead of adding さ, we add み.

PATTERN

Remove い + add み instead

Example:

KANJIROMAJIENGLISH
痛いitaiPainful
痛みitamiPain

There are differences between さ and み.

  • さ can be applied to any い adjective,
  • while み is used on a more limited number of adjectives.

While さ refers to quantity, み refers more to quality, and gives the impression of a personal experience of the adjective.

“み refers more to quality”

Let us continue to examine the adjective 痛い.

Here is a breakdown of the different conjugations and their respective translations:

KANJIROMAJIENGLISH
痛いitaiPainful
痛さitasaDegree of pain
痛みitamiThe feeling/experience of pain

Let’s now examine the adjective 重い:

KANJIROMAJIENGLISH
重いomoiHeavy
重さomosaHeaviness, weight of an object
重みomomiImportance, weight of a thought

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FAQs

How to turn い adjectives into nouns?

Turning adjectives into nouns is very simple for い adjectives:

Remove the い and add さ instead.

Example: 高い (Tall) becomes 高さ (Height)

How to turn な adjectives into nouns?

Use the stem form of the word (without な), and add さ.

Example: 便利 (Convenient) becomes 便利さ (Convenience)

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How to use さ?

さ is used to turn な adjectives into nouns, but can also modify word suffixes that behave like い adjectives, like:

~たい

~やすい

~にくい

~づらい

~らしい

and ~っぽい.

Example:

女らしさ (Femininity) becomes 女らしい (Feminine)

子どもっぽい (Childish) becomes 子どもっぽさ (Childishness)

How to use み?

Adding み at the end of an adjective also nominalise it.

It is conjugated in the same way that さ is, but instead of adding さ, we add み.

There are differences between さ and み.

さ can be applied to any い adjective,

while み is used on a more limited number of adjectives.

While さ refers to quantity, み refers more to quality, and gives the impression of a personal experience of the adjective.

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