いい
ii[iː]
The English word 'good' is translated into Japanese as いい (ii) or 良い.
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 something that is pleasant or enjoyable. It can also be used as a noun, in which case the word 善 is used to refer to the forces of good.
Which one should you use?
While both 良い (yoi) and いい (ii) mean 'good', いい is much more common in casual, spoken Japanese. In contrast, 良い is used in more formal or written contexts.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
ii
Did you know?
- In certain contexts, saying いいです (ii desu) can actually mean 'no thank you'. It functions as a polite way to decline an offer by suggesting that the current situation is already 'good' enough.
- While いい (ii) and 良い (yoi) both mean 'good', the word いい cannot be conjugated into the past tense as いいかった. Instead, speakers must use the form よかった (yokatta), which derives from 良い.
- In Japanese, the phrase いいですね (ii desu ne) is often used not just to agree, but to express a gentle envy or a wish that the speaker could also experience something 'good'.
Examples in context
- いい人です。He's a good person.This sentence uses いい to describe a person.Tatoeba #229344 by bunbuku, translation #2368 by CK
- いい考えだ。It's a good idea.This sentence uses いい to describe an idea.Tatoeba #3366812 by arnab, translation #3334010 by CK
- 景気が良い。The economy is good.This sentence uses 良い to describe the state of the economy.Tatoeba #7558237 by Ninja, translation #1265409 by Scott
- このレストランの料理はとても良いです。The food at this restaurant is very good.
- 明日のイベント楽しみだね、いいよね。I'm looking forward to tomorrow's event, isn't it going to be good?
- 最近いいドラマを見つけたよ。I found a good drama recently.
- 882 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are enjoying a walk in a beautiful park.
- 結衣 Yui天気、すごくいいですね。Tenki, sugoku ii desu ne.The weather is really good, isn't it?
- 健太 Kentaはい、いい天気ですね。Hai, ii tenki desu ne.Yes, it is good weather.
- 結衣 Yui散歩すると、いい気分になります。Sanpo suru to, ii kibun ni narimasu.Walking makes me feel good.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんも、リラックスできていますね。Yui-san mo, rirakkusu dekite imasu ne.You look relaxed too, Yui.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good” translations and entries いい, 良い, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
