Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| いい | ii | [iː] (narrow) |
| 良い | yoi | [jo̞i] (narrow) [e̞i] (narrow) |
These words are used to describe something that is pleasant or enjoyable. If you are referring to the concept of "good" in a moral or ethical sense, such as the forces of good, the term 善 is used.
Which one should you use?
While both terms share the same meaning, いい is the standard form used in spoken conversation. In contrast, 良い is more common in written text or formal speech. Furthermore, 良い is used for grammatical conjugations, whereas the colloquial いい cannot be conjugated directly.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Because いい cannot be conjugated directly, you must use the form 良い for different grammatical functions. To use the word as an adverb meaning "well", you must use the form よく. Similarly, to express the past negative "was not good", you must use the form よくなかった rather than a form based on いい.
How do you pronounce it?
ii
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not attempt to conjugate the colloquial form いい directly into the past tense as いかった. Instead, always base the past tense on the yoi root, resulting in よかった.
Did you know?
- The term いい can be used to politely refuse an offer, as in the phrase いいです, which translates to 'no thank you' or 'I am fine'.
- In Japanese, using いい to describe a person can sometimes be a subtle way of saying they are 'well-behaved' or 'obedient' rather than just 'good'.
- The way we say 'good' today evolved through a complex series of sound shifts, moving from 'yoshi' to 'yoi' and finally to 'ii'.
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
- 882 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiroto and Yui are discussing a movie they just watched.
- 大翔 Hiroto今の映画、いい感じだったね。Ima no eiga, ii kanji datta ne.That movie just now had a good feel to it, didn't it?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、とてもいい話だったと思う。Un, totemo ii hanashi datta to omou.Yeah, I think it was a very good story.
- 大翔 Hiroto音楽もいい雰囲気だったよ。Ongaku mo ii fun'iki datta yo.The music had a good atmosphere, too.
- 結衣 Yui本当に。いい時間を過ごせたね。Hontō ni. ii jikan o sugoseta ne.Really. We had a good time.
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.
