幼い
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Base i-adjective form ending in 『い』. Describes youthfulness or immature behavior.
Theme
At a family gathering, User and their cousin Miyuki reminisce about childhood memories while looking at old photo albums.
幼い
おさない
very young, childish
Core Language Building BlocksCore Adjectives
Memory Hook
Imagine a very young child acting childish. 'Osanai' sounds like 'oh, so nai' — as in 'oh, so not grown up!' — describing someone very young or childish. 'Oh, so nai!' → 幼い (osanai, 'very young, childish').
Cultural Note
In Japan, 『幼い』 (osanai) is often used to describe young children or immature behavior. It can carry a neutral or slightly negative connotation when referring to childishness in adults, emphasizing lack of maturity.
Forms
Base: 幼いBase i-adjective form ending in 『い』. Describes youthfulness or immature behavior.
Negative: 幼くないDrop 『い』 → add 『くない』 (kunai, negative) → 『幼くない』 (osanakunai).
Past: 幼かったDrop 『い』 → add 『かった』 (katta, past) → 『幼かった』 (osanakatta).
Adverbial: 幼くDrop 『い』 → add 『く』 (ku, adverbial) → 『幼く』 (osanaku).
Comparative: より幼いComparative formed with modifier 『より』 (yori, 'more than') + base adjective.
Superlative: 一番幼いSuperlative formed with 『一番』 (ichiban, 'number one / Most') + adjective.