いい
ii[iː]
The Japanese word for good is いい (ii), meaning pleasant or enjoyable. Wiktionary also lists 良い (yoi).
Meaning: pleasant, enjoyable (adj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| いい | ii | [iː] (narrow) |
| 良い | yoi | [jo̞i] (narrow) [e̞i] (narrow) |
This adjective is used to describe things that are pleasant, enjoyable or positive. While the adjective itself describes quality, the related noun 善 refers specifically to the forces of good.
Which one should you use?
The form いい is the standard version used in spoken conversation, while 良い is more common in written text or formal contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When conjugating this adjective, you must use the stem from yoi rather than ii. To form the adverb 'well', use よく. To form the past tense 'it was good', use よかったです. For the negative past tense 'was not good', use よくなかった.
How do you pronounce it?
ii
What mistakes should you avoid?
When changing the adjective to an adverb or conjugating it into different tenses, do not use the form ii. You must use the stem from yoi instead.
Did you know?
- In spoken Japanese, いい is often used to politely decline an offer. When someone asks if you want more tea, saying いいです usually means 'No, thank you' rather than 'Yes, that is good'.
- The word いい has a distant relative in the word いい加減 (ii kagen). While いい means 'good' and kagen means 'condition', together they can ironically mean 'irresponsible' or 'half-hearted'.
- The common spoken form いい is actually a phonetic evolution of the classical form よし (yoshi). Over centuries, the sounds shifted from yoshi to yoi and finally to ii.
Examples in context
- いい人です。He's a good person.This sentence is useful for describing a person using いい.Tatoeba #229344 by bunbuku, translation #2368 by CK
- いい考えだ。It's a good idea.This sentence is useful for describing an idea using いい.Tatoeba #3366812 by arnab, translation #3334010 by CK
- 景気が良い。The economy is good.This sentence is useful for describing the economy using 良い.Tatoeba #7558237 by Ninja, translation #1265409 by Scott
- 音楽は良いですね。The music is good, isn't it?
- この映画、すごくいいよ！This movie is really good!
- この料理、めっちゃええわ！This dish is really good!
- この店、めっちゃええで！This shop is really good!
- 882 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are discussing a movie they just watched.
- 結衣 Yui今の映画、いい感じだったね。Ima no eiga, ii kanji datta ne.That movie just now was quite pleasant, wasn't it?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、音楽がいいね。Un, ongaku ga ii ne.Yeah, the music is good.
- 結衣 Yui明日もいい天気になるかな。Ashita mo ii tenki ni naru kana.I wonder if the weather will be nice tomorrow too.
- 陽太 Yotaきっといい天気だよ。Kitto ii tenki dayo.I'm sure it will be a pleasant day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good” translations and entries いい, 良い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries いい, 良い, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
