Grammar Info
N5 Lesson 6: 3/13

な-Adjective + だ (Predicate)
な-Adjective (predicate)

Structure
Casual
Polite
[な]Adjective + ()

Examples:
静か +
元気 +
[な]Adjective + です

Examples:
静か + です
元気 + です
Details
Part of Speech Noun
Word Type Adjectival Noun
Register Standard
品詞 名詞
単語の種類 形容動詞
使用域 一般
Information
A predicate is a word that describes the topic/subject of a sentence. The Japanese equivalent of this is a 述語(じゅつご), which literally means ‘statement word’. As a predicate, な-Adjectives can appear by themselves (when the word they are describing does not need to be stated), or they may be used at the end of a sentence.
It is important to remember that all な-Adjectives can also function as nouns, and therefore tend to sound more like a noun than an adjective, when used as a predicate.
  • 素敵(すてき)。
    It's wonderful.
  • 彼氏(かれし)素敵(すてき)です
    My boyfriend is lovely.
When there are no other words apart from the adjective itself, it comes across similarly to ‘It’s pretty’, or ‘It’s hated’, and similar expressions in English. We just have to guess what the ‘it’ is from context.
Caution
Unlike い-Adjectives, な-Adjectives change form depending on where they are in the sentence. At the end of a sentence, they will always be followed by , or です (except in casual conversation where is omitted). However, when used before the word they are describing, they will always be followed by . Hence the name な-Adjectives.
In many sentences, either or could be used to mark the word/words that the predicate is describing. Which one sounds more natural will depend on many factors. In general, if you are specifically pointing out something as being different from other things in the same category, will be used.
  • 有名(ゆうめい)駅(えき)汚(きたな)です
    Popular stations are dirty. (In general)
  • この有名(ゆうめい)駅(えき)汚(きたな)です
    This popular station is dirty. (Compared to other popular stations)
In this example, is distinguishing a specific station as having a unique level of dirtiness compared to others. would sound unnatural in this type of sentence.
Fun Fact
Most な-Adjectives are words of foreign (Chinese/English) origin.
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夜(よる)海(うみ)静(しず)か
夜(よる)海(うみ)静(しず)かです
The night sea is quiet.
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さいきさん親切(しんせつ)
さいきさん親切(しんせつ)です
Saiki is kind.
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彼(かれ)静(しず)か
彼(かれ)静(しず)かです
He is quiet.
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