How to say "adjective" in Japanese

• 形容詞けいようしJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounThe common word for 'adjective' as a part of speech; in Japanese grammar it is the term for the i-adjective class. It is what you use in grammatical explanation and general talk about words.
  名詞めいしを修飾しゅうしょくするものは、形容詞けいようしまたは形容詞けいようし相当そうとう語句ごくです。↗

  Things that modify nouns are adjectives or equivalent to adjectives.
• アジェクティブ
  nounA katakana borrowing of the English word. Less common than 形容詞, it is seldom what you want unless you are deliberately echoing the English term, as in linguistic discussion.
• 形けい
  nounShort for 形容詞, whose sense it shares, but found mainly as a compact label in tables and notes; on its own it usually means 'shape', so it is rarely the word you need.

Choose 形容詞, the common word, for the part of speech and for Japanese i-adjectives; 「アジェクティブ」 is a less common loanword from English; 形 is merely a shortened form of 形容詞.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 形容詞けいようしadjective
• アジェクティブadjective
• 形けいadjective