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) |
When used as an adjective, these forms describe something that is pleasant or enjoyable. You might use いい感じ to convey that something feels good or has a good vibe, or いいね as an informal way to say "good" in casual conversation or on social media. Additionally, the phrase いいよ serves as a casual way to say "it's good" or "it's okay."
Which one should you use?
While いい and 良い are often interchangeable, いい is more common in casual spoken Japanese. In contrast, 良い is used in formal writing and is required for specific grammatical conjugations.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
ii
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid trying to conjugate the colloquial form いい into the past tense as いかった (ikatta).
Did you know?
- If someone offers you something and you respond with いいよ, it can actually mean 'no thank you' depending on the context, functioning as a polite way to decline.
- A person might say いいですね not because they agree, but as a social lubricant to show they are listening and acknowledging the speaker.
- The word 良い appears in the Nihon Shoki, a chronicle from circa 720, showing that this concept of 'good' has been expressed similarly for over a millennium.
Examples in context
- いい人です。He's a good person.This sentence uses the form 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 the form 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 the form 良い to describe the state of the economy.Tatoeba #7558237 by Ninja, translation #1265409 by Scott
- これはいいレストランです。This is a good restaurant.
- 彼女は優れたスキルを持っています。She has excellent skills.
- この映画、とても面白かったよ！This movie was really good!
- いいね！Good! / That's great!
- このうどん、めっちゃええ！This udon is really good!
- これ、よしとする？Shall we consider this good?
- 882 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are relaxing at a cafe after a walk.
- 美咲 Misakiいい天気ですね。ii tenki desu ne.It's good weather, isn't it?
- 蓮 Renはい、とてもいい天気です。hai, totemo ii tenki desu.Yes, it is very good weather.
- 美咲 Misaki散歩もできて、いい気分です。sanpo mo dekite, ii kibun desu.I feel good because we could take a walk.
- 蓮 Ren僕も、いい気分ですよ。boku mo, ii kibun desu yo.I feel good too.
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.
