Adjective Entry Requirements

Reminder: Write each entry individually by hand. Do not use scripts to mass-produce entries. See

entry-guidelines

skill.

When creating or revising ADJECTIVE entries (both i-adjectives and na-adjectives), include all of the following:

Required Sections

1. Forms Information (MEDIUM PRIORITY)

Include derived forms where natural:

FORMS:
- Adverbial: {遠|とお}く (i-adj) / {静|しず}かに (na-adj)
- Noun form: {遠|とお}さ (where natural)

Note: Not all adjectives have natural noun forms. Only include if commonly used.

2. Conjugation Paradigm (MEDIUM PRIORITY)

Show key conjugations:

CONJUGATION:
- Negative: {遠|とお}くない / {静|しず}かではない
- Te-form: {遠|とお}くて / {静|しず}かで
- Past: {遠|とお}かった / {静|しず}かだった

3. Predicate vs. Modifier Usage (MEDIUM PRIORITY)

Indicate which form is more common:

USAGE PATTERN:
- More common as: Predicate / Modifier / Equal
- Example: この{道|みち}は{遠|とお}い (predicate) vs. {遠|とお}い{道|みち} (modifier)

4. Similar Words Section (MEDIUM PRIORITY)

For adjectives with semantic overlap, include distinctions:

SIMILAR WORDS:
- {楽|らく} vs. {簡単|かんたん} vs. {易|やさ}しい
  - {楽|らく}: comfortable, at ease (subjective feeling)
  - {簡単|かんたん}: simple, straightforward (objective complexity)
  - {易|やさ}しい}: gentle, easy to understand (approachable)

Key adjective groups to distinguish:

• {嬉|うれ}しい vs. {楽|たの}しい (happiness vs. enjoyment)
• {怖|こわ}い vs. {恐|おそ}ろしい (scared vs. terrifying)
• {大きい|おおきい} vs. {広|ひろ}い (big vs. spacious)
• {新|あたら}しい vs. {若|わか}い (new vs. young)
• {難|むずか}しい vs. {大変|たいへん} (difficult vs. hard/serious)

5. Register Label (MEDIUM PRIORITY)

Mark as: Casual / Neutral / Formal / Emphatic

Example: すごい - [Register: Casual/Emphatic]

Low Priority Sections

6. Kanji Orthography Notes

When kanji vs. hiragana matters:

ORTHOGRAPHY:
- すごい is commonly written in hiragana; {凄|すご}い appears in formal writing
- {可愛|かわい}い vs. かわいい - both common

Template for Notes Section

Important: Follow the formatting guidelines in the

vocabulary-notes

skill for proper structure.

[Adjective] is an [i-adjective/na-adjective].

FORMS:
- Adverbial: [form]
- Noun form: [form] (if natural)

SIMILAR WORDS:
- [word 1] vs. [word 2]: [distinction]

[Register notes if applicable]

[Any special usage patterns or restrictions]

I-Adjective vs. Na-Adjective Specifics

I-Adjectives

• End in い (but not all い-ending words are i-adjectives)
• Conjugate directly: {高|たか}い → {高|たか}くない
• Connect with くて: {高|たか}くて{広|ひろ}い

Na-Adjectives

• Require な before nouns: {静|しず}かな{部屋|へや}
• Use で to connect: {静|しず}かで{広|ひろ}い
• Negative with ではない/じゃない

Special Cases

• {きれい|綺麗} - na-adjective despite ending in い
• {嫌|きら}い - na-adjective
• Note these exceptions explicitly in entries

Example Sentences

See the

example-sentences

skill for complete requirements including:

• Minimum counts: 5 examples per sense (basic/core) or 3 (general)
• Progressive length: Examples should get longer from first to last
• Vocabulary restrictions by tier
• Quality standards and formatting

Sense Numbers in Examples

For adjectives with multiple senses, each example must include a

sense_numbers

field:

"examples": [
  {
    "id": "00001_adj_ex1",
    "japanese": "...",
    "english": "...",
    "sense_numbers": [1]
  }
]

Adjective-specific guidelines:

• Examples demonstrating predicate vs. modifier usage typically share the same sense
• Different nuances of meaning (e.g., physical vs. emotional) may require separate senses
• Figurative or extended meanings should have their own sense numbers
• Show both predicate form (Xは{adj}) and modifier form ({adj}+noun)
• Demonstrate adverbial form usage where natural

Required Tags for Adjectives

All adjective entries must include these tags in

metadata.tags

:

"metadata": {
  "tags": {
    "pos": ["adjective-i"],           // adjective-i, adjective-na, adjective-no, adjective-taru
    "formality": "neutral",           // formal, neutral, informal, vulgar
    "politeness": "plain",            // honorific, humble, polite, plain
    "semantic": ["descriptive"]       // Choose appropriate category
  }
}

POS tag values for adjectives:

• adjective-i

  : い-adjectives (高い, 大きい, 美しい)

• adjective-na

  : な-adjectives (静か, 便利, きれい)

• adjective-no

  : の-adjectives (本当の, 普通の)

• adjective-taru

  : たる-adjectives (堂々たる, 悠々たる) - literary/formal

Semantic categories for adjectives:

• emotion

  : 嬉しい, 悲しい, 怖い (feelings)

• size

  : 大きい, 小さい, 長い, 高い (dimensions)

• color

  : 赤い, 青い, 白い (colors)

• descriptive

  : Fallback for adjectives not fitting specific categories

Quality Checklist for Adjectives

• All kanji have furigana (headword, examples, AND notes)
• Verify:

  python3 build/verify_furigana.py <entry_id>

  shows "✓ OK"
• Tags complete: pos, formality, politeness, semantic
• Part of speech correctly identified (i-adj vs. na-adj)
• Adverbial form provided
• Key conjugations shown
• Similar words distinguished (if applicable)
• Examples show both predicate and modifier uses
• Register noted if not neutral
• Special cases (きれい, 嫌い type) flagged if applicable
• All examples have valid sense_numbers