鈍い
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Base i-adjective form ending in 『い』. Describes lack of sharpness in objects or slowness in actions / Thinking.
Theme
In a kitchen, User and their friend Mika are preparing dinner and notice a knife isn't cutting well.
鈍い
にぶい
dull (e.g., a knife)
Core Language Building BlocksCore Adjectives
Memory Hook
Imagine a dull knife that can't cut anything—it's so 'dull' it makes you feel 'slow' and 'thickheaded' trying to use it. Think: 'Dull knife → 鈍い (nibui, 'dull').'
Cultural Note
In Japanese, 『鈍い』 (nibui) is often used to describe objects like knives or blades that aren't sharp, but it can also describe people who are slow to react or understand, similar to 'dense' in English. It's a common term in everyday conversations about tools or intelligence.
Forms
Base: 鈍いBase i-adjective form ending in 『い』. Describes lack of sharpness in objects or slowness in actions / Thinking.
Negative: 鈍くないDrop 『い』 → add 『くない』 (kunai, negative) → 『鈍くない』 (nibukunai).
Past: 鈍かったDrop 『い』 → add 『かった』 (katta, past) → 『鈍かった』 (nibukatta).
Adverbial: 鈍くDrop 『い』 → add 『く』 (ku, adverbial) → 『鈍く』 (nibuku).
Comparative: より鈍いComparative formed with modifier 『より』 (yori, 'more than') + base adjective.
Superlative: 一番鈍いSuperlative formed with 『一番』 (ichiban, 'number one / Most') + adjective.