新しい
あたらしい·atarashii
Meaning
new; novel; fresh; recent
Nuance & Usage
新しい describes something new, fresh, or recently made/acquired. Its opposite is 古い (furui — old). It conjugates as an i-adjective: 新しくない (not new), 新しかった (was new). The kanji 新 appears in many compounds: 新聞 (shinbun — newspaper), 新幹線 (shinkansen — bullet train), 新年 (shinnen — new year), 新しく (atarashiku — newly, as an adverb). For food, 新鮮 (shinsen — fresh) is more specific.
Common Mistakes
Don't confuse 新しい (atarashii — new) with 若い (wakai — young, for people/animals). A new car is 新しい車, but a young person is 若い人, not 新しい人 (which sounds odd). Also, historically the word was あらたしい (aratashii), which survives in the formal/literary form 新たな (arata na — new, fresh). Modern Japanese always uses あたらしい in speech.
Example Sentences (3)
新しい靴を買いました。
あたらしいくつをかいました。
I bought new shoes.
新しい仕事はどうですか？
あたらしいしごとはどうですか？
How is your new job?
この町に新しいレストランができました。
このまちにあたらしいれすとらんができました。
A new restaurant opened in this town.
Quick Quiz
Quick Quiz
N54 questionsTest your knowledge of 新しい with 4 different question types.
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