“Good” in Japanese is いい, pronounced ii.
Pronunciation
The word has 2 beats (morae), each about the same length. Tap a syllable to hear it, or play the whole word:
How to use it
Good. Irregular: its forms come from the older よい: よくない (not good), よかった (was good).
Example sentences
- いい天気ですね。いいてんきですね。Nice weather, isn’t it?
- 映画はよかったです。えいがはよかったです。The film was good.
Conjugation
The most useful forms of いい. The rules are explained in い- vs. な-adjectives.
| Form | Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Plain | いい | good |
| Polite present | いいです | is good |
| Negative | よくないです | isn’t good |
| Past | よかったです | was good |
| Past negative | よくなかったです | wasn’t good |
| て-form | よくて | good and… |
| Adverb (く) | よく | adverb form (+ verb) |
Quick practice
Test yourself0/3
What does {{いい}} mean?
How do you read {{いい}}?
Which word means “long”?
Related words: Adjectives
悪いbad暑いhot (weather)熱いhot (to the touch)寒いcold (weather)冷たいcold (to the touch)高いexpensive安いcheap長いlong
FAQ
How do you say good in Japanese?
Good in Japanese is いい, pronounced “ii”.
Is いい on the JLPT?
Yes. いい (ii) is a common word at JLPT N5 level, so it's worth learning early.