Grammar › Core Patterns
〜的(な) — turning a noun into a “-tic/-ical” adjective
A quick way to make an adjective: 一般的な意見 — a general/common opinion
Attaching 的 to many nouns (especially borrowed or abstract ones) turns them into a な-adjective meaning “-tic,” “-ical,” or “in the manner of” — 一般 (general) → 一般的 (general, in nature), 経済 (economy) → 経済的 (economical). It's an extremely productive pattern for building new vocabulary on the fly.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + 的 + な + noun | 一般的な意見 — a general/common opinion |
| Noun + 的に (adverb) | 経済的に — economically (speaking) |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| それは一般的な意見だと思います。 | それはいっぱんてきないけんだとおもいます。 sorehaippantekinaikendatoomoimasu。 | I think that's a common/general opinion. |
| もっと経済的な方法を考えましょう。 | もっとけいざいてきなほうほうをかんがえましょう。 mottokeizaitekinahouhouwokangaemashou。 | Let's think of a more economical way. |
| 彼は個人的にその案に反対だ。 | かれはこじんてきにそのあんにはんたいだ。 karehakojintekinisonoannihantaida。 | Personally, he's against that proposal. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
的 attaches to nouns, not to adjectives or verbs directly — trying to build a 的-word from an existing い-adjective (高い → 高的 ✗) doesn't work; it needs a genuine noun as its base.