静(しず)か

静(しず)か is a na-adjective meaning quiet, calm, or peaceful.

Forms

• 静(しず)かな + noun: 静(しず)かな場所(ばしょ) (a quiet place)
• 静(しず)かに + verb: 静(しず)かに歩(ある)く (to walk quietly)
• 静(しず)かです: it's quiet (polite)
• 静(しず)かだ: it's quiet (plain)

Similar words

• うるさい: noisy (the opposite, for sound or volume)
• 賑(にぎ)やか: lively, bustling (the opposite, for atmosphere)
• 騒(さわ)がしい: noisy, rowdy

Common expressions

• 静(しず)かにしてください: Please be quiet
• 静(しず)かな夜(よる): a quiet night
• 静(しず)かな生活(せいかつ): a peaceful life
• 静(しず)かに暮(く)らす: to live quietly

SIMILAR WORDS (describing a person):
Applied to a person, 静(しず)か describes someone who says little and keeps a low profile - it is about how much noise and fuss they make, not about obedience. Two neighbours differ:

• 大人(おとな)しい: quiet and well-behaved, docile - often said of children and animals.
• 穏(おだ)やか: even-tempered, mild - about temperament rather than volume, and also used of weather and the sea.

All three are complimentary in most contexts, but only 静(しず)か is the natural word for a place.

Related words

• 静(しず)けさ: quietness, silence (noun)
• 静寂(せいじゃく): silence, stillness (more literary)
• 静(しず)まる: to become quiet (verb)
• 静(しず)める: to quiet, calm down (verb)