良い
yoi[jo̞i]
The English phrase "good" in the sense of pleasant or enjoyable is translated into Japanese as 良い (yoi). Wiktionary also lists いい (ii).
Meaning: pleasant, enjoyable (adj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 良い | yoi | [jo̞i] (narrow) [e̞i] (narrow) |
| いい | ii | [iː] (narrow) |
These forms are used to describe things that are pleasant, enjoyable. If you are referring to the abstract concept of "the forces of good," the noun 善 is used instead.
Which one should you use?
While 良い and いい share the same meaning, いい is much more common in daily spoken conversation.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When converting the adjective into an adverb, such as when you want to say "well," you must use the form よく instead of いい or 良い. Additionally, when conjugating the word into negative or past tense forms, you must use the stem 良く rather than using the stem of いい.
How do you pronounce it?
yoi
Did you know?
- In certain social contexts, saying いいです ('it is good') can actually be a polite way to say 'no thank you' or 'I am fine without it'.
- The word いい is a descendant of the Old Japanese word よし, which appeared in texts as early as the 8th century in the Nihon Shoki.
- In certain regional dialects, you might still hear the archaic form yoshi or versions of yoi that have largely disappeared from standard Tokyo speech.
Examples in context
- いい人です。He's a good person.This sentence shows how to use 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 demonstrates using 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
Misaki and Kenta are talking about a movie they just watched.
- 美咲 Misakiあの映画は本当に良い物語でしたね。Ano eiga wa hontou ni yoi monogatari deshita ne.That movie was a really good story, wasn't it?
- 健太 Kentaはい、とても感動しました。Hai, totemo kandou shimashita.Yes, I was very moved.
- 美咲 Misaki良い時間を過ごせました。Yoi jikan o sugosemashita.I had a good time.
- 健太 Kenta僕もそう思います。Boku mo sou omoimasu.I think so too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good” translations and entries 良い, いい, 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.
