Japanese dictionary
How to say "good" in Japanese
いいいい · ii
"Good" in Japanese is いい (ii). For food, say おいしい (oishii). For a skill, say 上手 (jōzu).
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Ways to say "good" in Japanese
| Japanese | When to use it |
|---|---|
| いいいい · ii | Good. Everyday word. |
| よいよい · yoi | Good. More formal; used in writing. |
| おいしいおいしい · oishii | Good; delicious (food). |
| 上手じょうず · jōzu | Good at (a skill). |
How to use it
いい changes to よ in other forms: よかった (yokatta, was good) and よくない (yokunai, not good).
"That's good to hear" is よかったです (yokatta desu).
Example sentences
- いい天気ですね。Ii tenki desu ne.Nice weather, isn't it?
- このラーメンはおいしいです。Kono rāmen wa oishii desu.This ramen is good.
- 日本語が上手ですね。Nihongo ga jōzu desu ne.Your Japanese is good.
- それはよかったです。Sore wa yokatta desu.That's good to hear.
- いいアイデアだと思います。Ii aidea da to omoimasu.I think that's a good idea.
- 体によくないですよ。Karada ni yokunai desu yo.That's not good for you.
Questions
Why does いい become よかった?
いい comes from the older word よい. Its other forms still use よ: よかった (was good), よくない (not good), よくて (good and...).
How do you say food tastes good in Japanese?
Say おいしい (oishii): おいしいです (It's delicious).
Using Japanese at work?
See Executive JapaneseExecutive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.