厳しい

きびしい

hard; rigorous; strict

i-adjective

Conjugation Table

Present

厳しい

Negative

厳しくない

Past

厳しかった

Past Negative

厳しくなかった

Te Form

厳しくて

Adverbial

厳しく

Conditional

厳しければ

Presumptive

厳しいでしょう

Example Sentences

先生はとても厳しいです。

The teacher is very strict.

Sensei wa totemo kibishii desu.

昨日のテストは厳しかったです。

Yesterday's test was hard.

Kinou no tesuto wa kibishikatta desu.

そのルールは厳しくないよ。

That rule isn't strict.

Sono ruuru wa kibishikunai yo.

Grammar Notes & Usage Tips

•Conjugation Quick Tip:** Remember that 厳しい (きびしい) is an i-adjective, so when you want to say something is not strict, you simply change it to 厳しくない (きびしくない).

•Particle Pairing:** When describing strict rules or strict people, use the particle が to connect the subject and the adjective, as in 先生が厳しい (せんせいがきびしい), meaning "The teacher is strict."

•Noun Modification:** If you want to describe a noun, like "strict teacher," place 厳しい before the noun without any changes, as in 厳しい先生 (きびしいせんせい).

•Past Tense:** To say something "was strict," make sure to use the past tense form 厳しかった (きびしかった), which is commonly used in both spoken and written Japanese.

•い-adjective: Conjugates by changing the い ending