N4 Adjective Transformations

[Adjective]+[Verb]: meaning, usage and examples

[Adjective]+[Verb] means: Adverbial form of adjectives.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 大おおきく口くちを開あけてください。

   Please open your mouth wide.

2. 静しずかに話はなしてください。

   Please speak quietly.

3. 野菜やさいを小ちいさく切きってください。

   Please cut the vegetables into small pieces.

4. 日曜日にちようびに部屋へやをきれいに掃除そうじしました。

   I cleaned my room nicely on Sunday.

When to use it

Changes an adjective into an adverb so it can describe how an action is done: 早はやい 'early' → 早はやく起おきる 'get up early', 上手じょうず 'skillful' → 上手じょうずに歌うたう 'sing well'. The same forms are used with なる to show a change: 暗くらくなる, きれいになる. It is one of the most common patterns in everyday speech.

Nuance

Neutral and used everywhere. いい becomes よく, which can also mean 'often' (よく行いきます). A few く forms can also act as nouns on their own: 近ちかく 'nearby', 遠とおく 'far away', 多おおく 'many'.

Compare

Compare the adjective before a noun: 早はやい電車でんしゃ (an early train) vs 早はやく来くる (come early). Compare くなる / になる (become): 部屋へやが静しずかになりました is a change of state, while 静しずかに話はなしました is how someone spoke.

Tip: Common mistake: 静しずかく. な-adjectives always take に (静しずかに, 元気げんきに, 上手じょうずに) and い-adjectives take く (早はやく, 強つよく).