Cinema にほんご

Cinema にほんご - Midnight Noir / Episode 08
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N5 Lesson 08 · Midnight Noir にほんご / Series 1 · みんなの日本語 第 8 課

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Reading:

Episode 08: Words for the City

Mike walks the city by night. To report what he sees, he needs the language of precision — adjectives. The shape of a wall. The quality of silence. The newness of a tool.

An old building sits on the corner of an empty street. Concrete walls. No signs. No light from inside.

ビルは 古ふるfuruいです。

Mike slips inside through a back door. The corridor is silent — too silent. He listens. He waits.

部屋へやheyaは 静しずshizuかです。

He has done this work for years. The work demands focus. The work demands energy. The work demands a steady hand.

マイクは 元気げんきgenkiな スパイです。

The lens he broke yesterday must be replaced. A new tool for a new chapter. He steps into a small electronics shop, hood up, eyes down.

マイクは 新あたらataraしい カメラを 買かkaいます。

→ Read the related chapter (Chapter 3: The First Exchange)
Available in 日本語 / English / 中文 / 繁體中文 / Tiếng Việt

Key Sentences

1. N は い-adj です (the building is old)

ビルは 古ふるfuruいです。

  • The building is old.
  • 这栋楼很旧。 / 這棟樓很舊。
  • Tòa nhà cũ.

2. N は な-adj です (the room is quiet)

部屋へやheyaは 静しずshizuかです。

  • The room is quiet.
  • 房间很安静。 / 房間很安靜。
  • Căn phòng yên tĩnh.

3. な-adj + な + N (an energetic spy)

マイクは 元気げんきgenkiな スパイです。

  • Mike is an energetic spy.
  • 麦克是一个精力充沛的间谍。 / 麥克是一個精力充沛的間諜。
  • Mike là một điệp viên năng động.

4. い-adj + N (a new camera)

マイクは 新あたらataraしい カメラを 買かkaいます。

  • Mike buys a new camera.
  • 麦克买一台新的相机。 / 麥克買一台新的相機。
  • Mike mua một máy ảnh mới.

Vocabulary

日本語English简体繁體Tiếng Việt
古ふるfuruいold (い-adj)旧舊cũ
新あたらataraしいnew (い-adj)新新mới
大おおooきいbig (い-adj)大大to, lớn
小ちいchiiさいsmall (い-adj)小小nhỏ
面白おもしろomoshiroいinteresting (い-adj)有意思有意思thú vị
静しずshizuかquiet (な-adj)安静安靜yên tĩnh
にぎやかlively (な-adj)热闹熱鬧nhộn nhịp
元気げんきgenkienergetic, well (な-adj)精力充沛精力充沛khoẻ, năng động
有名ゆうめいyuumeifamous (な-adj)有名有名nổi tiếng
親切しんせつshinsetsukind (な-adj)亲切親切tử tế
きれいpretty, clean (な-adj)漂亮 / 干净漂亮 / 乾淨đẹp / sạch
ビルbuilding大楼大樓tòa nhà
部屋へやheyaroom房间房間căn phòng
とてもvery非常非常rất
あまりnot very (with negative)不太不太không lắm

Grammar Patterns

N は い-adj です

The い-adjective itself is the predicate. No な, no extra particle.

N は な-adj です

The な-adjective also serves as predicate. The な drops before です.

い-adj + N

Place the い-adjective directly before the noun. No particle in between.

な-adj + な + N

When a な-adjective modifies a noun, you must add な between them.

Grammar Picture

Describing — predicate: N (subject) は い-adj です。 ビル topic 古い (old) N (subject) は な-adj です。 部屋 topic 静か (quiet) Describing — before noun: い-adj N (no な) 新しい カメラ (new camera) な-adj な N 元気な スパイ (energetic spy) Legend: い-adj な-adj noun particle subject

Need more detail? Open the sections below.

い-adj vs な-adj — how to tell them apart

The dictionary form is the clue:

  • い-adj: ends in 「い」 (with kanji + い okurigana)
    古い, 新しい, 大きい, 小さい, 高い, 安い, 面白い, おいしい
  • な-adj: no い ending; needs 「な」 before a noun
    静か, 元気, 親切, 有名, にぎやか

Watch out — false い-adj:

  • 「きれい」 ends in い but is a な-adj: きれいな 部屋
  • 「ゆうめい (有名)」 also ends in い but is a な-adj: 有名な 人

The endings come from the kanji, not from the adjective type. Memorize these as な-adj exceptions.

Predicate vs modifier — when do you add な?

な appears only when a な-adj sits before a noun:

  • Predicate (after noun): 部屋は 静かです。 ← no な
  • Modifier (before noun): 静かな 部屋 ← な present

For い-adj, there’s no な at all:

  • Predicate: 部屋は 古いです。
  • Modifier: 古い 部屋 ← just place it directly
とても vs あまり — intensifiers

Both modify adjectives, but they have opposite polarities:

  • とても + (positive): 部屋は とても 静かです。 = The room is very quiet.
  • あまり + (negative): 部屋は あまり 静かじゃありません。 = The room is not very quiet.

「あまり」 cannot be used with positive — never say 「あまり 静かです」.

Listing adjectives — そして / 〜が

Two ways to chain descriptions:

  • そして (and): 部屋は 静かです。 そして、 きれいです。 = The room is quiet. And, it’s clean.
  • 〜が (but): 部屋は 静かですが、 古いです。 = The room is quiet, but it’s old.

「そして」 starts a new sentence; 「〜が」 connects within one. Both come up often in adjective practice.

Roleplay Practice

Try this dialog with a partner (or aloud, switching roles).

Scene: Mike enters the electronics shop. A clerk approaches.

Clerk: いらっしゃいませ。
(Welcome.)

Mike: 新あたらataraしい カメラは ありますか?
(Do you have new cameras?)

Clerk: はい、 これは 新あたらataraしいです。 とても 面白おもしろomoshiroいです。
(Yes, this one is new. It’s very interesting.)

Mike: 小ちいchiiさいカメラは ありますか?
(Do you have small cameras?)

Clerk: はい、 これは 小ちいchiiさいです。 そして、 有名ゆうめいyuumeiな カメラです。
(Yes, this one is small. And, it’s a famous camera.)

Mike: これを 買かkaいます。
(I’ll buy this one.)

Tip: Switch roles. Try other adjective pairs — 大きい / 小さい, 古い / 新しい, 静か / にぎやか.

How do you say this in Japanese?

How to Use This Lesson

For Self-Study (45 minutes)

  1. Read Grammar Patterns (5 min) — notice the two adjective types.
  2. Practice Key Sentences (10 min) — read each aloud, swap subjects.
  3. Learn Vocabulary (10 min) — group い-adj together, な-adj together.
  4. Read Mini Story (5 min) — feel how Mike describes the city.
  5. Roleplay (10 min) — try the shop scene with new adjective pairs.
  6. Review tomorrow — describe three things in your room today.
Check Yourself (click to expand)
Q1. Which is correct: ‘a new camera’?
  • A. 新あたらataraしいな カメラ
  • B. 新あたらataraしい カメラ
  • C. 新あたらataraしいの カメラ
Show answer

✓ B. 新あたらataraしい カメラ

「新しい」 is an い-adj — no な, no の between adjective and noun.

Q2. Which is correct: ‘a quiet room’?
  • A. 静しずshizuかな 部屋へやheya
  • B. 静しずshizuか 部屋へやheya
  • C. 静しずshizuかの 部屋へやheya
Show answer

✓ A. 静しずshizuかな 部屋へやheya

「静か」 is a な-adj — add な before the noun.

Q3. 「きれい」 is a:
  • A. い-adj (because it ends in い)
  • B. な-adj (exception — ends in い but is な-adj)
  • C. noun
Show answer

✓ B. な-adj

「きれい」 looks like an い-adj but behaves as a な-adj: きれいな 人.

Q4. In the Mini Story, the building is described as:
  • A. 新あたらataraしい (new)
  • B. 古ふるfuruい (old)
  • C. 大おおooきい (big)
Show answer

✓ B. 古ふるfuruい (old)

Q5. Write: How would you say ‘Tokyo is a lively city’ in Japanese?

Try it. Then check below.

Show answer

Sample: 東京とうきょうtoukyouは にぎやかな まちです。 (Tokyo is a lively city.)

「にぎやか」 is な-adj, so add な before まち.

For Teachers (click to expand)

For Teachers (45-60 minutes in class)

  • Warm-up (5 min): Describe your room — clean? quiet? big? small?
  • Sort drill (10 min): Mix 15 adjective cards. Students sort them into い-adj / な-adj columns.
  • Predicate drill (10 min): Show pictures. Students make 「___は ___です」 sentences.
  • Modifier drill (10 min): Same pictures, but now 「___な / ___い ___」 (adj + noun).
  • Roleplay (15 min): Electronics shop / café / city introduction. Pairs invent their own.
  • Check Yourself (5-10 min): Individual quiz, group review.

Common pitfall: Students try 「静かい 部屋」 (treating 静か as い-adj). Reinforce that な-adj is closer to a noun in behavior — needs な connector.

Cultural note: 「きれい」 vs 「うつくしい」 — both mean beautiful, but 「きれい」 also covers “clean” and is far more common in everyday speech.

Cinema にほんご still

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