Complete Japanese Adverbs and Usages
Master 120+ Japanese adverbs with clear grammar rules, example sentences, and usage patterns.
This page lists 120+ Japanese adverbs — both adverbs formed from adjectives and standalone adverbs of time, frequency, degree, and manner. You will also learn the grammar rules for turning i-adjectives and na-adjectives into adverbs, how adverb placement works in Japanese sentences, and common negation patterns like あまり〜ない and 全然〜ない.
Key topics:
- ・Forming adverbs from i-adjectives (い → く)
- ・Forming adverbs from na-adjectives (な → に)
- ・Adverb placement in Japanese sentences
- ・Adverbs of time, frequency, degree, and manner
- ・Negation patterns: あまり〜ない, 全然〜ない, めったに〜ない
- ・Adverbs that take に (たしかに, 絶対に, 一生懸命)
General Japanese Adverbs
Grammar Rules
Rule 1: What are Japanese adverbs? (副詞 fukushi)
Japanese adverbs (副詞, fukushi) are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They add information about how, when, how much, or how often something happens. Unlike English, Japanese adverbs do not change form based on tense or person. They are placed before the word they modify.
Rule 2: Making adverbs from i-adjectives (い → く)
To turn an i-adjective into an adverb, remove the final い and add く. This is a very common pattern and is essential for describing how an action is performed. For example, 早い (early/fast) → 早く (quickly/early).
| i-adjective | Process | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| 早い | はやい → remove い + add く → 早 + く | 早く |
| 強い | つよい → remove い + add く → 強 + く | 強く |
| 新しい | あたらしい → remove い + add く → 新し + く | 新しく |
| 楽しい | たのしい → remove い + add く → 楽し + く | 楽しく |
| 難しい | むずかしい → remove い + add く → 難し + く | 難しく |
Note: いい is irregular: いい → 良く（よく）.
Rule 3: Making adverbs from na-adjectives (な → に)
To turn a na-adjective into an adverb, simply add に after the adjective stem. For example, 静か (quiet) → 静かに (quietly).
| na-adjective | Process | Adverb |
|---|---|---|
| 簡単（な） | かんたん（な） → remove な + add に → かんたん + に | 簡単に |
| 熱心（な） | ねっしん（な） → remove な + add に → ねっしん + に | 熱心に |
| 静か（な） | しずか（な） → remove な + add に → しずか + に | 静かに |
| 元気（な） | げんき（な） → remove な + add に → げんき + に | 元気に |
| 有名（な） | ゆうめい（な） → remove な + add に → ゆうめい + に | 有名に |
Note: In the Process column, the Japanese is written in hiragana only. Na-adjectives take に to become adverbs; i-adjectives take く.
Rule 4: Adverb placement in Japanese sentences
Japanese adverbs generally come before the verb or adjective they modify. They can also appear at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis, especially adverbs of time and frequency like 今日 (today) or いつも (always).
Rule 5: Adverbs of degree and negation patterns
Several Japanese adverbs are used with negative verbs to express "not very much," "not at all," "rarely," and "never." These are extremely common in daily conversation and are essential for natural Japanese.
Rule 6: Adverbs that take に
Some adverbs are formed with に from na-adjectives or nouns. Common examples include たしかに (certainly), 絶対に (definitely), 一般に (generally), 同様に (similarly), 一生懸命 (with all one's might), 非常に (very much), and 簡単に (simply).
Rule 7: Adverbs of time and frequency
Adverbs of time and frequency describe when or how often an action occurs. Common examples include 今日 (today), 明日 (tomorrow), 昨日 (yesterday), 毎日 (every day), いつも (always), よく (often), ときどき (sometimes), たまに (occasionally), and めったに〜ない (rarely).
Rule 8: Conjunctive and sentence adverbs
Some adverbs connect ideas between sentences or clauses. These include その結果 (as a result), その上 (moreover), それなのに (nevertheless), その間 (meanwhile), and また (also). They function like conjunctions and help create smooth, logical flow in conversation and writing.