鈍い (にぶい, nibui) Japanese meaning: dull | KotomoraCommon word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000鈍い · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|
| Dictionary | 鈍い | 鈍くない |
|---|
| Polite | 鈍いです | 鈍くないですalso 鈍くありません |
|---|
| Past polite | 鈍かったです | 鈍くなかったですalso 鈍くありませんでした |
|---|
| Past | 鈍かった | 鈍くなかった |
|---|
| Te-form | 鈍くて | 鈍くなくて |
|---|
| Adverbial | 鈍く | |
|---|
| Conditional | 鈍ければ | 鈍くなければ |
|---|
| Tara conditional | 鈍かったら | 鈍くなかったら |
|---|
Meanings
が
ない
と
切
れ
ない
。
This kitchen knife is dull, so it won't cut unless I sharpen it.
Usage patterns
〈人〉の反応が鈍いfor someone's reaction to be slow or dull
Maybe because he's tired, his reactions are slow.
刃が鈍いfor a blade to be dull
This knife's blade is dull, so it doesn't cut well.
感覚が鈍いfor one's senses to be dull
My hands feel dull from the cold.
動きが鈍いfor someone's movements to be sluggish
I'm sluggish because of lack of sleep.
光が鈍いfor light to be dim or muted
The evening light gave off a dim, muted color.
鈍い describes someone slow to notice or react, the direct opposite of the sharp, quick-witted 機敏.
N5
鈍い usually means 'dull' or 'blunt' (as of senses or blades), not 'slow' like 遅い, though it can describe mental slowness.
鈍い is the adjective describing a dull or slow state, while 鈍る is the verb describing the process of becoming dull or slow.
