いろと からだ
Some colours conjugate. Some flatly refuse.
The ones ending in い behave exactly like たかい — everything Phase G taught applies.
あかい くるま
A noun describes a noun with の — the の from Unit 2. Never みどり くるま.
みどりの くるま
Same が as すき in Unit 35: the sentence is about you, が marks the detail.
めが きれいです
みどり くるま…？
みどりの くるま。 みどりは めいし ですから。
ふたつの いろ
Colours look like one set and behave like two. The five that end in い are い-adjectives — they conjugate, and they sit straight in front of a noun. The others are nouns, and a noun needs の to describe another noun. 🔊 Tap any row.
あかいの くるま — あかい is already an adjective, so の has nothing to do. みどり くるま — みどり is a noun, and two nouns can't just sit next to each other. Both survive for years in people's Japanese because nothing ever points them out. Now something has.
いろを つかう
Once you know which kind a colour is, nothing else is new — the adjectives use Phase G, the nouns use the の from Unit 2.
The five that end in い are い-adjectives, and everything Phase G taught applies: あかい → あかくないです → あかかったです. They sit straight in front of a noun with nothing between. みどり and ちゃいろ are nouns. A noun describes another noun with の — the の from Unit 2. So it is みどりの くるま, never みどり くるま and never みどりい.
からだの ことば
Three of these you already have. 🔊 Tap to hear each one.
はな is both nose and flower — you met the flower back in Phase G. In writing the kanji separate them (鼻 and 花), but spoken, and in kana, they are identical. The sentence tells you which: はなが きれいです about a garden is a flower, about a face is a nose. Japanese has a great many of these, and context does all the work.
Body parts take が, the same が as すき in Unit 35 — the sentence is about the person, and が marks the part being described.
Body parts take が with the thing being said about them — the same が as すき and じょうず in Unit 35, where the sentence is about you but the が marks the detail. All the adjectives you need are already yours from Phase G.
かいわ
Four exchanges. The last two are the phrases you'll reach for most — how to say something hurts, and that you're hungry.
どんな いろが すきですか。
What colour do you like?
あおい いろが すきです。
I like blue.
その かばんは なにいろ ですか。
What colour is that bag?
ちゃいろです。
It's brown.
どう しましたか。
What's the matter?
あたまが いたいです。
I have a headache.
おなかが すきましたか。
Are you hungry?
はい、ひるごはんを たべたいです。
Yes, I want to have lunch.
クイズ
Twelve questions. Half turn on which kind of colour word it is — and every wrong choice is the other kind's behaviour applied to the wrong word.
Question 1 / 12 · 0 correct