質素 (shisso) conjugation
simplicity, modesty, frugality
質素 (しっそ, shisso) is a na-adjective. Na-adjectives behave like nouns. The word itself never changes — you conjugate だ/です after it, and you need な to put it in front of a noun.
Conjugation table
| Form | Plain (casual) | Polite (~です) | When you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dictionary / plain | 質素だ shissoda | 質素です shissodesu | The form you look up. Also the casual “is ~”. |
| Negative | 質素じゃない shissojanai | 質素じゃないです shissojanaidesu | “is not ~”. |
| Past | 質素だった shissodatta | 質素でした shissodeshita | “was ~”. |
| Past negative | 質素じゃなかった shissojanakatta | 質素じゃなかったです shissojanakattadesu | “was not ~”. |
| Te-form | 質素で shissode | — | Links to the next clause: “~ and …”. |
| Adverb | 質素に shissoni | — | Turns it into “~ly”, describing a verb. |
| Before a noun | 質素な〜 shissona〜 | — | How it attaches when it modifies a noun. |
| Conditional (~ば/なら) | 質素なら shissonara | — | “if it is ~”. |
| Conditional (~たら) | 質素だったら shissodattara | — | “if / when it is ~”. The everyday conditional. |
| Become (~なる) | 質素になる shissoninaru | 質素になります shissoninarimasu | “becomes ~” — the change-of-state form. |
| Too much (~すぎる) | 質素すぎる shissosugiru | 質素すぎます shissosugimasu | “too ~”. |
| Looks ~ (~そう) | 質素そう shissosou | 質素そうです shissosoudesu | “looks / seems ~” from appearance. |
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Why it conjugates this way
Na-adjectives behave like nouns. The word itself never changes — you conjugate だ/です after it, and you need な to put it in front of a noun.
See the full rules in the adjective conjugation guide.