新しい

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 新しい本を買いました。▶ —
   I bought a new book.
2. 新しい言葉を覚えました。▶ —
   I learned a new word.

Collocations

Mnemonic

あたらしい — 新しい, Yamato. An i-adjective. Five moras long, a-ta-ra-shi-i — a slow-breath word. With its pair 古い furui (old), it marks the two ends of time. kunyomi あたらしい (Yamato): 新しい本, 新しい仕事 (new book, new job). Step into onyomi しん shin (Sino-Japanese) and the word compresses sharply — 新人 shinjin (newcomer), 新年 shinnen (new year), 新聞 shinbun (newspaper), 新幹線 shinkansen (bullet train). The same kanji breathes long in daily speech (あたらしい) and contracts to one mora in compounds (しん). Kunyomi for breath, onyomi for compression — two rhythms in Japanese vocabulary. The Korean reading shin is sister to the onyomi しん — 新聞 and 新年 carry over intact.

Quick check

1. What is the adverbial form (newly) of 新しい?

   • 新しく atarashiku (correct, -い → -く)
   • 新しいに (wrong)
   • 新しくて (~くて connects to next adj, not pure adv)
   • 新しいで (wrong)