# I like un-cheerful puppies **URL:** \ **Category:** Grammar\ **Created:** [February 26, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193 "2020-02-26T00:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ashleylm](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/ashleylm/32/285095_2.png) [@ashleylm](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ashleylm)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 12:45am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/1 "2020-02-26T00:45:27Z")
Hi! Trying to figure out the grammar, but I can’t seem to find it in my books (or I’m overlooking it when I do stumble upon it). “I like cheerful puppies” is 陽気な子犬は好きます I’d like to (in an excel spreadsheet I’m laying out of sentence structures and conjugation-like elements) nail down the format for “I like un-cheerful puppies”. I know (I think I know) that the polite form negation of an い-adjective is to smoosh “くな” between the adjective stem and the i. I don’t know what to do with a な-adjective. Grateful for any help. I know I can say “I don’t like cheerful puppies” which is much the same, but not quite. ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 12:49am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/2 "2020-02-26T00:49:35Z")
The simplest way to negate a な adjective is just to put ではない or じゃない after it and use that as the modifier of the thing you’re modifying. The な wouldn’t be necessary. 陽気じゃない子犬 I don’t know that it would make the sentence you’re trying to make a natural one for a Japanese person to say though. As a side note, 好き does technically come from a verb originally, but it’s almost always seen in な adjective form these days. so you say ～が好き, not ～好く or ～好きます ---
**Author:** ![VaguelyDownwards](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/vaguelydownwards/32/243779_2.png) [@VaguelyDownwards](https://community.wanikani.com/u/VaguelyDownwards)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:01am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/3 "2020-02-26T01:01:39Z")
I’m putting “na-adjectives that happen to end with i” in jail with “masculine nouns in Spanish that end with a.” ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:05am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/4 "2020-02-26T01:05:02Z")
> [@VaguelyDownwards](#): > > I’m putting “na-adjectives that happen to end with i” in jail with “masculine nouns in Spanish that end with a.” Like きらい? I agree that it’s confusing to beginners, but was there something in this thread that triggered that thought? ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/5 "2020-02-26T01:06:17Z")
> [@VaguelyDownwards](#): > > I’m putting “na-adjectives that happen to end with i” in jail It’s not that bad when they are written in kanji since very few な-adjectives end in い without being written in kanji. ---
**Author:** ![afunian](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/afunian/32/294135_2.png) [@afunian](https://community.wanikani.com/u/afunian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/6 "2020-02-26T01:27:01Z")
Would 不陽気 not work? ---
**Author:** ![VaguelyDownwards](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/vaguelydownwards/32/243779_2.png) [@VaguelyDownwards](https://community.wanikani.com/u/VaguelyDownwards)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/7 "2020-02-26T01:27:27Z")
The mention of 好きgenerally being used a like a な adjective, combined with totally misreading your conjugation examples. ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/8 "2020-02-26T01:29:46Z")
> [@afunian](#): > > Would 不陽気 not work? That would be an antonym, rather than a negation. Like how さむい is the antonym of あつい, but あつくない is the negation of あつい. Of course, if such an antonym exists for a given word, using it can usually generate roughly the same intended meaning. ---
**Author:** ![afunian](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/afunian/32/294135_2.png) [@afunian](https://community.wanikani.com/u/afunian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:40am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/9 "2020-02-26T01:40:14Z")
Well isnt that what op is looking for in this case? > [@ashleylm](#): > > I know I can say “I don’t like cheerful puppies” which is much the same, but not quite. They want to use the antonym, saying I like gloomy puppies, instead of I dont like cheerful puppies. ---
**Author:** ![Leebo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/leebo/32/439476_2.png) [@Leebo](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Leebo)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:41am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/10 "2020-02-26T01:41:13Z")
> [@ashleylm](#): > > I know (I think I know) that the polite form negation of an い-adjective is to smoosh “くな” between the adjective stem and the i. I don’t know what to do with a な-adjective. This portion > [@ashleylm](#): > > I know (I think I know) that the polite form negation of an い-adjective is to smoosh “くな” between the adjective stem and the i. I don’t know what to do with a な-adjective. Indicated to me that they wanted to know how to negate な adjectives. Finding an antonym wouldn’t be a grammar question. ---
**Author:** ![afunian](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/afunian/32/294135_2.png) [@afunian](https://community.wanikani.com/u/afunian)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 1:41am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/11 "2020-02-26T01:41:37Z")
Oh I understand now thank you. ---
**Author:** ![ashleylm](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/ashleylm/32/285095_2.png) [@ashleylm](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ashleylm)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/12 "2020-02-26T02:22:19Z")
OP here, yes, that was my request. I just couldn’t find the rule (and fully appreciate a Japanese person is unlikely to say this.) If I know an antonym, great, but at this early stage it’s great to be able to convey opposites, like “no, I don’t want the early train, I want the, um, not early train” etc., as I know hayai but not a word for late. Thanks all so much! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/6/2/a/62a8b0f4c59ff2c5b6651ffcf43531480b3e5297.png) [@system](https://community.wanikani.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 2:22am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/i-like-un-cheerful-puppies/42193/13 "2021-02-25T02:22:39Z")
Closed on February 25, 2021, 2:22am UTC This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.