Looks and voice
Collocations, Stage 1chunk 4 of 22Describing people
Describing what someone looks and sounds like: tall, short, loud, long hair, a good figure.
- se ga takaibe tall
- se ga hikuibe short (height)
- koe ga ookiihave a loud voice, be loud
- kami ga nagaihave long hair
- sutairu ga iihave a good figure
Mix-ups Each noun picks its own size word: height is takai/hikui (never ookii or mijikai), hair is nagai, and a loud voice is ookii, since koe ga takai means high-pitched. sutairu ga ii is a good figure, not fashion (that's oshare).
se ga takai
polite se ga takai desube tall
背が高い せがたかい 背が高いです
adjectivetakai 高いtakai: high; also expensivetypical 42% of se
trap Not kare wa takai: takai on its own is for things (high, expensive), so a person's height needs se ga takai.
The plain way to call someone tall: ano hito, se takai ne, with ga dropped in casual speech. Before a noun, ga often becomes no: se no takai hito (a tall person).
uchi no ani, se takai n da.
My big brother's tall.
うちの兄、背高いんだ。
uchi no ani wa se ga takai n desu.
My older brother is tall.
うちの兄は背が高いんです。
Sei ga takai is a common spoken variant. The 'tall' sense of takai applies to a person only inside this phrase. For an exact height, use shinchou: shinchou nan senchi? (how tall are you?).
Same adjective: tenjou (ceiling), hiiru (heels)Learn alongside: se ga hikuiMain list: takai (Stage 3)
se ga hikui
polite se ga hikui desube short (height)
背が低い せがひくい 背が低いです
adjectivehikui 低いhikui: low, not hightypical 6% of se
trap Not se ga mijikai: in Japanese height is high or low, so short is hikui. Mijikai is for length and duration, never height.
The opposite of se ga takai, often said about yourself: watashi, se hikui kara... Casual speech drops ga.
watashi, se hikui kara, ue no tana todokanai n da.
I'm short, so I can't reach the top shelf.
私、背低いから、上の棚届かないんだ。
watashi wa se ga hikui node, ue no tana ni todokanai n desu.
I'm short, so I can't reach the top shelf.
私は背が低いので、上の棚に届かないんです。
Casual speech also says chiisai (chiisai hito); chibi is teasing slang.
Same adjective: tenjou (ceiling), hiiru (heels)Learn alongside: se ga takaiMain list: takai (Stage 3), chiisai (Stage 4), nagai (Stage 4)
koe ga ookii
polite koe ga ookii desuhave a loud voice, be loud
声が大きい こえがおおきい 声が大きいです
adjectiveookii 大きいookii: big; for sounds and voices, loudtypical 4% of koe
trap Not koe ga takai, which in everyday speech means high-pitched. urusai also works for 'you're being noisy', but it sounds annoyed (urusai! = shut up) and calls the person noisy or nagging, not their voice loud. To describe a loud voice, say koe ga ookii (casually koe dekai).
Said about someone who talks loudly (ano hito, koe ookii yo ne) or to quieten someone: chotto, koe ookii! Casual speech drops ga, and friends often say koe dekai (dekai is blunter and more slangy than ookii). The opposite, koe ga chiisai, means quiet or soft-spoken (koe chiisai yo = speak up, I can't hear you).
chotto, koe ookii yo!
Hey, you're being loud!
ちょっと、声大きいよ！
sumimasen, chotto koe ga ookii desu yo.
Excuse me, you're being a bit loud.
すみません、ちょっと声が大きいですよ。
'Speak up' is motto ookii koe de, and 'in a loud voice' is ookina koe de. In older speech and period dramas, shh, koe ga takai! means 'keep your voice down'.
Same adjective: oto (sound), boryuumu (volume)Main list: ookii (Stage 4), chiisai (Stage 4)
kami ga nagai
polite kami ga nagai desuhave long hair
髪が長い かみがながい 髪が長いです
adjectivenagai 長いnagai: long (length or time)typical 3% of kami
trap Not nagai kami o motte iru ('has long hair'): Japanese doesn't 'have' hair. Say kami ga nagai, the same frame as se ga takai, or nagai kami o shite iru, nagai kami no hito.
Describes someone's hair in the person wa kami ga nagai frame: imouto, kami nagai yo, with ga dropped. Before a noun ga becomes no (kami no nagai hito), and 'your hair's got long' is kami nobita ne.
imouto, kami nagai n da yo.
My little sister's got long hair.
妹、髪長いんだよ。
imouto wa kami ga nagai n desu yo.
My younger sister has long hair.
妹は髪が長いんですよ。
Short hair is kami ga mijikai, but people often just say shooto (shooto ni shita = I went short).
Same adjective: ashi (legs), tsume (nails), matsuge (eyelashes)Main list: nagai (Stage 4)
sutairu ga ii
polite sutairu ga ii desuhave a good figure
スタイルがいい スタイルがいいです
adjectiveii いいii: goodtypical 24% of sutairu
trap False friend: sutairu ga ii is about the body, not fashion. To praise how someone dresses, say oshare or fuku no sensu ga ii.
A common compliment on someone's figure, usually meaning slim and well-proportioned: sutairu ii ne, with ga dropped. It's said of men and women alike, and an amazing figure is sutairu batsugun.
sutairu ii ne! moderu mitai.
You've got a great figure! Like a model.
スタイルいいね！モデルみたい。
sutairu ga ii desu ne! moderu mitai desu.
You have a great figure! You look like a model.
スタイルがいいですね！モデルみたいです。
For a toned build, kitaeteru ne (you work out, don't you) is the usual compliment.
Same adjective: kao (kao ga ii: good-looking), shisei (shisei ga ii: good posture)Learn alongside: atama ga ii, sensu ga ii, seikaku ga ii (Stage 2), seikaku ga warui (Stage 2), kanji ga ii (Stage 2), ii fun'iki (Stage 3), hyouban ga ii (Stage 3), seiseki ga ii (Stage 3), me ga warui (Stage 4)Main list: ii (Stage 1)