Japanese word corresponding to the English adjective "
good". It also has the
advantage of being one of the shortest
adjectives I've ever heard of. As in every other
language, it is part of a large number of
idioms.
Ano konpyuuta wa ii desu yo.
That is a good computer.
More often, ii is used in the sense of "okay", "fine", "acceptable":
Ii desu ka.
Is that okay?
Ii.
Good.
Ii is never conjugated into the past tense; it actually doesn't have one. Yokatta, the past tense of the adjective yoi, is used instead:
Kono konpyuuta wa yokatta desu.
This was a good computer (before I spilled coffee into the vent).
"Yokatta desu" is an idiom for "thank goodness" or some other expression of gratitude that something turned out a certain way.
"Mo ii (desu)" means "that's enough" or "enough already".
Ii is not usually used when inquiring about a person's health or specific attributes of people or things. For the former case, daijoobu or o-genki is preferred. When verifying the acceptability of something to a superior or stranger, it is more polite to use "ikaga desu ka" instead of "ii desu ka".
Written (ii), no kanji.