Verbs use the te-form to chain multiple actions (行って、買って、帰る). Adjectives and nouns have a similar mechanism for expressing parallel descriptions. Instead of て, they use くて (for い-adjectives) and で (for な-adjectives and nouns).
い-Adjective Linking: くて
い-adjective: drop い, add くて
| Adjective | Linked form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 安い | 安くて | cheap, and... |
| おいしい | おいしくて | delicious, and... |
| 大きい | 大きくて | big, and... |
| 新しい | 新しくて | new, and... |
Example Sentences
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| このラーメンはおいしくて、安いです。 | This ramen is delicious and cheap. |
| この部屋は広くて、明るいです。 | This room is spacious and bright. |
| 日本語は面白くて、楽しいです。 | Japanese is interesting and fun. |
| 昨日は暑くて、大変でした。 | Yesterday was hot and tough. |
The くて transformation looks similar to the negative form: 安い → 安くない (negative), 安い → 安くて (linking). Both drop い and add く — just with different endings.
The Special Case of いい
いい uses its original form よい when conjugating to くて:
| Adjective | くて-form |
|---|---|
| いい | よくて |
天気がよくて、気持ちいいです。 → The weather is nice and it feels great.
な-Adjective Linking: で
な-adjective stem + で
な-adjectives don't use くて. Instead, just add で after the stem.
| な-adjective | Linked form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 静か | 静かで | quiet, and... |
| きれい | きれいで | clean/pretty, and... |
| 便利 | 便利で | convenient, and... |
| 元気 | 元気で | energetic, and... |
Example Sentences
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この町は静かで、きれいです。 | This town is quiet and clean. |
| 駅の近くで、便利です。 | It's near the station and convenient. |
| 田中さんは元気で、優しいです。 | Tanaka-san is energetic and kind. |
Noun Linking: Also で
Nouns use で for linking, same as な-adjectives.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 兄は大学生で、弟は高校生です。 | My older brother is a college student and my younger brother is a high school student. |
| 一階はパチンコ屋で、二階は居酒屋です。 | The first floor is a pachinko parlor and the second floor is an izakaya. |
| 父は会社員で、母は先生です。 | My father is an office worker and my mother is a teacher. |
Mixing Them Together
You can use くて and で in the same sentence when combining different types:
この部屋は広くて、静かで、家賃も安いです。 → This room is spacious, quiet, and the rent is cheap too.
Breaking it down:
- 広い (い-adjective) → 広くて
- 静か (な-adjective) → 静かで
- 安い (い-adjective) → 安いです (final item in dictionary/polite form)
When listing multiple descriptions in parallel, only the last one takes the sentence-ending form (です/だ). Everything before it uses くて or で to link.
Quick Reference
| Type | Linking form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| い-adjective | drop い + くて | 安い → 安くて |
| な-adjective | stem + で | 静か → 静かで |
| Noun | noun + で | 学生 → 学生で |
| Verb | te-form | 行く → 行って |
Memory tip: い-adjectives use くて, everything else (な-adjectives and nouns) uses で.
Summary
- い-adjectives: drop い, add くて for linking (安い → 安くて)
- な-adjectives and nouns: add で for linking (静か → 静かで, 学生 → 学生で)
- いい becomes よくて
- You can mix くて and で in the same sentence
- Only the last item takes the sentence-ending form; everything before uses くて/で
Practice Quiz
Q1. How do you say "This restaurant is delicious and cheap" in Japanese?
Show Answer
このレストランはおいしくて、安いです。
おいしい (い-adjective) → drop い, add くて → おいしくて. 安い is the last item, so it stays in dictionary/polite form.
Q2. Say "This town is quiet and pretty" in Japanese.
Show Answer
この町は静かで、きれいです。
静か (な-adjective) → stem + で → 静かで. きれい is the last item, ending with です.
Q3. What does 「この部屋は新しくて、きれいで、広いです」 mean?
Show Answer
This room is new, clean, and spacious.
新しい (い-adjective) → 新しくて, きれい (な-adjective) → きれいで, 広い (い-adjective) → 広いです. Three parallel descriptions linked together — only the last one takes the ending form.