良い

よい
Alternative writings: 好い, 善い, 佳い, 吉い, 宜い
JLPT:N5
Frequency:

1Good; nice; pleasant; agreeable — the basic adjective for a positive evaluation of quality, condition, or character. Common in writing and somewhat formal speech; in casual conversation いい is more often used instead.

I-Adjective

Examples

今日は天気が良いから散歩に行こう。

The weather is good today — let's go for a walk.

彼はとても良い人だと評判です。

He has a reputation for being a very good person.

この本は良い参考になった。

This book made for good reference material.

良いお年をお迎えください。

Have a good new year.

彼女は性格がよくて、誰からも好かれている。

She has a good personality and is liked by everyone.

2Sufficient; enough; ready — indicating that something is adequate or that no more is needed. Used in patterns like これで良い (this will do) or もう良い (that's enough).

I-Adjective

Examples

これで良ければ、お持ちください。

If this is fine, please take it.

もう良い、自分でやる。

Enough — I'll do it myself.

準備は良いか、もう一度確認しよう。

Are we ready? Let's check once more.

3Profitable; favorable; a good deal — used for advantageous conditions such as a high salary, generous terms, or a bargain price.

I-Adjective

Examples

彼は条件の良い仕事に転職した。

He changed to a job with better conditions.

今のうちに買っておくのが良い投資だ。

Buying it now is a good investment.

良い値段で売れた。

It sold for a good price.

4OK; all right; you may — used in patterns like 〜てもよい (you may / it's OK to) and 〜といい (it'd be good if) to express permission, acceptance, or a light suggestion. Spoken language usually uses 〜てもいい instead; this form appears in writing and polite contexts.

I-Adjective

Examples

ここに座ってもよいですか?

May I sit here?

明日まで待ってもよろしいでしょうか。

Would it be all right to wait until tomorrow?

もう帰ってもよいですよ。

You may go home now.

早く春が来るとよいなあ。

I hope spring comes soon.

5Easy to ~; suitable for ~ — an archaic suffix usage attached to the masu-stem of a verb. Modern Japanese has almost entirely replaced it with 〜やすい; this form survives only in a few lexicalized compounds such as 仲良し (close friend).

SuffixI-Adjective

Examples

あの二人は子どもの頃から仲良しだ。

Those two have been close friends since childhood.

彼は人当たりがよく、誰とでもすぐに打ち解ける。

He has an approachable manner and opens up to anyone quickly.

Word Relationships

Antonym
Derivations