Smart and skilled
Collocations, Stage 1chunk 14 of 22Describing people
Praise for what someone is good at: brains, Japanese, their job, taste.
- atama ga iibe smart, clever
- nihongo ga jouzube good at Japanese
- shigoto ga dekirube capable, good at one's job
- sensu ga iihave good taste, a good eye
Mix-ups Each noun takes its own word for 'good': atama ga ii (never jouzu), nihongo ga jouzu (a skill done well), shigoto ga dekiru (capable, not jouzu), sensu ga ii. nihongo ga dekiru only says you can speak it; jouzu says you speak it well.
atama ga ii
polite atama ga ii desube smart, clever
頭がいい あたまがいい 頭がいいです
adjectiveii いいii: goodtypical 9% of atama
trap Not sumaato (in Japanese that means slim or sleek): 'smart' is atama ga ii. Kashikoi is also correct but less everyday, and often said to children or pets.
The everyday 'smart': ano hito, atama ii ne, with ga dropped in casual speech. Ii conjugates from yoi, so the past is atama yokatta and the negative is atama yokunai.
tanaka-san, atama ii yo ne.
Tanaka's smart, right?
田中さん、頭いいよね。
tanaka-san wa atama ga ii desu yo ne.
Tanaka is smart, right?
田中さんは頭がいいですよね。
Atama ga warui is fine about yourself but rude about others. For someone who is good at their job, say shigoto ga dekiru.
Same adjective: kan (intuition), kiokuryoku (memory), mimi (hearing)Learn alongside: sutairu 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), jouzu (Stage 3)
nihongo ga jouzu
polite nihongo ga jouzu desube good at Japanese
日本語が上手 にほんごがじょうず 日本語が上手です
verbjouzu 上手jouzu: skilful, good at (praise for someone else's skill)
trap Jouzu is for praising others: watashi wa nihongo ga jouzu desu sounds like boasting. About yourself, say nihongo ga sukoshi dekimasu, or mada mada desu when complimented.
The compliment every learner hears, often after a single sentence: nihongo jouzu desu ne! Casual speech drops ga, and friends also say nihongo umai ne. The usual reply is iie, mada mada desu or sonna koto nai desu.
nihongo jouzu ni natta ne!
Your Japanese has got really good!
日本語上手になったね！
nihongo ga jouzu ni narimashita ne!
Your Japanese has improved!
日本語が上手になりましたね！
It's said after a single konnichiwa, so it's politeness more than a verdict.
Same verb: eigo (English), ryouri (cooking), e (drawing), uta (singing)Learn alongside: shigoto ga dekiruMain list: jouzu (Stage 3), mada (Stage 1), sonna koto nai (Stage 4)
shigoto ga dekiru
polite shigoto ga dekimasube capable, good at one's job
仕事ができる しごとができる 仕事ができます
verbdekiru できるdekiru: can do; here, be capable, perform welltypical 3% of shigoto
trap Not shigoto ga jouzu. Jouzu praises how skilfully something is done (nihongo ga jouzu, ryouri ga jouzu), while dekiru says someone is capable. Being good at your job is shigoto ga dekiru, usually as shigoto ga dekiru hito.
Praise for a capable coworker, usually shigoto dekiru (ga dropped), or before a noun, where ga often becomes no: shigoto ga dekiru hito / shigoto no dekiru hito (someone good at their job). Dekiru alone can carry it (dekiru hito da ne), and shigoto ga dekinai is blunt criticism. It's said about someone: telling a superior to their face that they're capable sounds presumptuous.
atarashii buchou, sugoku shigoto dekiru n da yo.
The new manager's really good at her job.
新しい部長、すごく仕事できるんだよ。
atarashii buchou wa totemo shigoto ga dekiru kata na n desu yo.
Our new manager is extremely capable.
新しい部長はとても仕事ができる方なんですよ。
Outside of praise it's literal: ashita shigoto dekinai (I can't work tomorrow). Yuushuu (excellent) is the formal word.
Same verb: benkyou (benkyou ga dekiru: do well at school), undou (undou ga dekiru: be good at sports, athletic)Learn alongside: nihongo ga jouzuMain list: dekiru (Stage 1), jouzu (Stage 3)
sensu ga ii
polite sensu ga ii desuhave good taste, a good eye
センスがいい センスがいいです
adjectiveii いいii: goodtypical 16% of sensu
trap 'Good taste' isn't aji (flavour). Sensu is a false friend: sensu nai means 'no taste', not 'that doesn't make sense' (imi wakannai). 'That makes sense' is naruhodo, and common sense is joushiki.
A stock compliment on clothes, a gift, a room or a playlist: sensu ii ne! Ga is usually dropped. The opposite is sensu nai (no taste), and sensu ga aru means a flair for something (ryouri no sensu ga aru).
sono fuku, sensu ii ne.
Great taste, that outfit.
その服、センスいいね。
sono fuku, sensu ga ii desu ne.
That outfit shows great taste.
その服、センスがいいですね。
Shumi ga ii also means good taste, but shumi mostly means 'hobby', and ii shumi shiteru ne is often sarcastic. Keep it apart from sutairu ga ii, which means a good figure, not style; someone who dresses well is oshare.
Same adjective: shumi (shumi ga ii: good taste)Learn alongside: sutairu ga ii, atama 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)