いい is the Japanese adjective for good. It is one of only a few irregular adjectives that change when they are conjugated. In the case of いい, both the negative and past-tense conjugations are irregular.
| Positive | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | いい | よくない |
| Past | よかった | よくなかった |
| English | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Great! | いい ね！ii ne! |
| This book isn't good. | この 本 は よく ない です。kono hon wa yoku nai desu. |
| The weather was not good. | 天気 は よく なかった です。tenki wa yoku nakatta desu. |
| It was a buffet, but the quality was good. | バイキング でした けど、 クオリティ は よかった です。baikingu deshita kedo, kuoriti wa yokatta desu. |
| Excuse me, are you free? | ちょっと いい です か？chotto ii desu ka? |
The phrase ちょっといいですか? is a polite way of saying Excuse me, do you have a moment? if you want to speak to someone.
When you want to say that a food is good, use the word おいしい and not いい.
