単調 (tanchou) conjugation
monotony, monotone, dullness
単調 (たんちょう, tanchou) 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 | 単調だ tanchouda | 単調です tanchoudesu | The form you look up. Also the casual “is ~”. |
| Negative | 単調じゃない tanchoujanai | 単調じゃないです tanchoujanaidesu | “is not ~”. |
| Past | 単調だった tanchoudatta | 単調でした tanchoudeshita | “was ~”. |
| Past negative | 単調じゃなかった tanchoujanakatta | 単調じゃなかったです tanchoujanakattadesu | “was not ~”. |
| Te-form | 単調で tanchoude | — | Links to the next clause: “~ and …”. |
| Adverb | 単調に tanchouni | — | Turns it into “~ly”, describing a verb. |
| Before a noun | 単調な〜 tanchouna〜 | — | How it attaches when it modifies a noun. |
| Conditional (~ば/なら) | 単調なら tanchounara | — | “if it is ~”. |
| Conditional (~たら) | 単調だったら tanchoudattara | — | “if / when it is ~”. The everyday conditional. |
| Become (~なる) | 単調になる tanchouninaru | 単調になります tanchouninarimasu | “becomes ~” — the change-of-state form. |
| Too much (~すぎる) | 単調すぎる tanchousugiru | 単調すぎます tanchousugimasu | “too ~”. |
| Looks ~ (~そう) | 単調そう tanchousou | 単調そうです tanchousoudesu | “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.