Difficulty Rating
short
short
short
short
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Advanced
Idioms & Expressions
"じょうずにできました"
You did well. / You did it skillfully.
わあ、じょうずにできましたね！ (Wow, you did it skillfully, didn't you!)
neutral"～するのがじょうず"
Good at doing something.
彼女は絵を描くのがじょうずです。 (She is good at drawing pictures.)
neutral"じょうずになる"
To become skillful; to improve.
もっと練習して、じょうずになりたいです。 (I want to practice more and become skillful.)
neutral"じょうずじゃない"
Not skillful; not good at.
私は歌を歌うのがじょうずじゃないです。 (I'm not good at singing songs.)
neutral"じょうずですね"
You are good! / That's skillful!
日本語、じょうずですね。 (Your Japanese is good, isn't it.)
neutral"じょうずに話す"
To speak skillfully/fluently.
彼は英語をじょうずに話します。 (He speaks English fluently.)
neutral"じょうずに使う"
To use skillfully.
この道具をじょうずに使うのは難しいです。 (It's difficult to use this tool skillfully.)
neutral"じょうずにこなす"
To handle something skillfully/well.
彼女はどんな仕事もじょうずにこなします。 (She handles any job skillfully.)
neutral"じょうずにまとめる"
To summarize skillfully/well.
彼のプレゼンテーションは内容をじょうずにまとめていました。 (His presentation summarized the content well.)
neutral"じょうずな人"
A skillful person; someone good at something.
彼女は料理がじょうずな人です。 (She is a skillful cook.)
neutralTips
Basic Meaning of Jouzu
「じょうず」 (jouzu) means being good at something or skillful. It's a common adjective you'll hear and use a lot.
How to Use Jouzu
You use 「じょうず」 with the particle 「が」 (ga) to indicate what someone is good at. For example, 「日本語がじょうずです」 (Nihongo ga jouzu desu) means 'You are good at Japanese'.
Asking About Skill
To ask if someone is good at something, you can say 「〇〇がじょうずですか？」 (〇〇 ga jouzu desu ka?). For example, 「料理がじょうずですか？」 (Ryouri ga jouzu desu ka?) means 'Are you good at cooking?'
Be Careful When Praising Yourself
While you can say 「私が料理がじょうずです」 (Watashi ga ryouri ga jouzu desu - 'I am good at cooking'), it can sound a bit boastful in Japanese culture. It's more common to be humble.
Use with Caution for Yourself
When talking about your own abilities, it's generally more modest to use 「得意（とくい）」 (tokui), which also means 'good at' or 'strong in'. For example, 「料理は得意です」 (Ryouri wa tokui desu - 'I'm good at cooking').
Opposite of Jouzu
The opposite of 「じょうず」 is 「へた」 (heta), which means 'unskillful' or 'bad at'. So, 「日本語がへたです」 (Nihongo ga heta desu) means 'I am bad at Japanese'.
Using Jouzu as an Adverb
You can use the adverbial form 「じょうずに」 (jouzu ni) to mean 'skillfully' or 'well'. For example, 「じょうずに歌います」 (jouzu ni utaimasu) means 'sings skillfully'.
Practice with Hobbies
Think about your hobbies and skills. Try to make sentences using 「〇〇がじょうずです」 or 「〇〇がへたです」. For example, 「サッカーがじょうずです」 (Sakkaa ga jouzu desu - 'good at soccer').
Listen for Context
Pay attention to how native speakers use 「じょうず」. You'll often hear it as a compliment. For example, when someone speaks good Japanese, they might say 「日本語がじょうずですね！」 (Nihongo ga jouzu desu ne! - 'Your Japanese is good, isn't it!')
More Nuances with Dekiru
While 「じょうず」 focuses on skill, 「できる」 (dekiru) means 'to be able to do'. So, 「日本語ができます」 (Nihongo ga dekimasu) means 'I can speak Japanese', while 「日本語がじょうずです」 (Nihongo ga jouzu desu) means 'I am good at Japanese'. They are related but have different shades of meaning.
Test Yourself 18 questions
Choose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence: 彼はギターを弾くのがとても___です。
The sentence means 'He is very good at playing the guitar.' 'じょうず' means skillful or good at.
Which sentence correctly uses 'じょうず'?
When expressing skill in something, the particle 'が' is typically used with 'じょうず'.
What is the opposite of 'じょうず' (skillful)?
The word 'へた' means unskillful or poor at, which is the direct opposite of 'じょうず'.
You can use 'じょうず' to praise someone's skill in Japanese.
'じょうず' is commonly used to express that someone is skillful or good at something.
'じょうず' can be used to describe an object, like 'This car is skillful'.
'じょうず' is used to describe a person's ability or skill, not an inanimate object.
The sentence '彼は日本語がじょうずです' means 'He is bad at Japanese'.
The sentence '彼は日本語がじょうずです' means 'He is good at Japanese', not 'bad'.
You want to tell a friend that you've become good at cooking recently. Write a short message in Japanese to them. Use 「じょうず」 in your message.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
ねえ、最近、料理がとてもじょうずになったんだ！今度、何か作ってあげるね。
Your Japanese teacher complimented your handwriting. Write a thank-you note to your teacher, mentioning their compliment. Use 「じょうず」 in your message.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
先生、この前、私の字がじょうずだと褒めてくださってありがとうございます。とても嬉しかったです。
You are applying for a part-time job as a language tutor. In your application, you want to mention that you are good at explaining things clearly. Write a sentence for your application using 「じょうず」.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
私は人に何かを説明するのがじょうずなので、生徒さんに分かりやすく教えることができます。
田中さんはピアノがどのくらいじょうずですか？
Read this passage:
田中さんはピアノを習い始めて３年になりますが、まだあまりじょうずではありません。でも、毎日一生懸命練習しているので、いつかプロのピアニストになりたいと思っています。
田中さんはピアノがどのくらいじょうずですか？
「まだあまりじょうずではありません」と書いてあるので、田中さんはピアノがあまり上手ではないことが分かります。
「まだあまりじょうずではありません」と書いてあるので、田中さんはピアノがあまり上手ではないことが分かります。
この猫は何をするのが得意ですか？
Read this passage:
うちの猫はとてもじょうずに魚を捕まえます。庭の池には金魚がたくさんいますが、猫が来るとすぐにみんな隠れてしまいます。猫はじっと座って、完璧なタイミングで飛びかかるのが得意です。
この猫は何をするのが得意ですか？
「うちの猫はとてもじょうずに魚を捕まえます」と記載されています。
「うちの猫はとてもじょうずに魚を捕まえます」と記載されています。
佐藤さんが特にじょうずなのは、どのような絵ですか？
Read this passage:
佐藤さんは子供の頃から絵を描くのが大好きで、大人になった今でもよく絵を描いています。特に風景画がじょうずで、彼の描いた絵はいつも見る人を感動させます。彼の作品は地元のギャラリーでも高く評価されています。
佐藤さんが特にじょうずなのは、どのような絵ですか？
「特に風景画がじょうずで」と書かれているため、風景画が得意であることがわかります。
「特に風景画がじょうずで」と書かれているため、風景画が得意であることがわかります。
This sentence means 'He is very good at presentations.' The order follows the typical Japanese sentence structure: topic (彼は), object (プレゼンテーションが), adverb (とても), and then the adjective (上手だ).
This sentence translates to 'Since she is good at cooking, she always makes homemade meals for me.' The causal clause '料理が上手なので' comes first, followed by the main clause.
This sentence means 'The new programmer is very good at coding and is quickly contributing to the team.' The conjunction 'で' connects the two descriptive clauses.
/ 18 correct
Perfect score!
Basic Meaning of Jouzu
「じょうず」 (jouzu) means being good at something or skillful. It's a common adjective you'll hear and use a lot.
How to Use Jouzu
You use 「じょうず」 with the particle 「が」 (ga) to indicate what someone is good at. For example, 「日本語がじょうずです」 (Nihongo ga jouzu desu) means 'You are good at Japanese'.
Asking About Skill
To ask if someone is good at something, you can say 「〇〇がじょうずですか？」 (〇〇 ga jouzu desu ka?). For example, 「料理がじょうずですか？」 (Ryouri ga jouzu desu ka?) means 'Are you good at cooking?'
Be Careful When Praising Yourself
While you can say 「私が料理がじょうずです」 (Watashi ga ryouri ga jouzu desu - 'I am good at cooking'), it can sound a bit boastful in Japanese culture. It's more common to be humble.
Example
彼は日本語が上手です。
Related Content
More general words
いくつか
B1An unspecified small number of things; some, a few.
ちょっと
A2A little; a moment; a bit. Small amount or short time.
すこし
A2A little; a few.
さっき
A2A little while ago; a short time past.
能力
A1Nouryoku refers to the mental or physical power, skill, or capacity required to perform a specific task or function. It can describe both innate talent and skills acquired through learning and practice.
異常
A1A word used to describe something that deviates from the normal state, standard, or expected pattern. It often implies a problem, malfunction, or an extraordinary occurrence that requires attention or investigation.
～について
A2About, concerning; indicates topic.
〜について
B1About, concerning; on the subject of.
～ぐらい
A2about, approximately
ぐらい
A2About; approximately; to the extent of.
