〜的(てき)

Usage

〜的(てき) is one of the most productive suffixes in Japanese. It attaches to nouns (especially Sino-Japanese compounds) to form na-adjectives.

Common patterns

• 名詞(めいし) + 的(てき) + な + 名詞(めいし): modifier form
• 名詞(めいし) + 的(てき) + に + 動詞(どうし): adverbial form

Compounds

• 基本的(きほんてき): basic, fundamental
• 一般的(いっぱんてき): general, common
• 具体的(ぐたいてき): concrete, specific
• 積極的(せっきょくてき): proactive, positive
• 消極的(しょうきょくてき): passive, negative
• 科学的(かがくてき): scientific
• 歴史的(れきしてき): historical

Register

In casual speech, 〜的(てき)には after a person means "as far as ~ is concerned": 私(わたし)的(てき)には賛成(さんせい) (personally, I'm for it). It is common among younger speakers but sounds sloppy in formal writing.