Japanese for Beginners: Giving Simple Opinions About Movies and Books
Learn elementary Japanese phrases to say whether you liked a movie or book and give one simple reason, using 好き, よかった, おもしろい and から.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
When someone asks what you thought of a movie or a book in Japanese, you do not need complicated grammar. You need two moves: say your simple evaluation, then give one reason. This lesson teaches set phrases such as おもしろかったです (it was interesting) and 好きでした (I liked it), plus the reason connector から (because). You will also learn how to ask a partner's opinion politely. Everything here stays at the level of basic like or dislike and one clear reason, so you can join a friendly conversation without attempting detailed criticism.
By the end, you can…
- say whether I liked or did not like a movie or book in Japanese.
- give one simple reason using から (because).
- ask another person what they thought of a movie or book.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
映画はどうでしたか。
How was the movie?
eiga wa dō deshita ka
A polite past-tense question. Use it after someone has seen the movie. For a book, replace 映画 with 本 (hon).
おもしろかったです。
It was interesting.
omoshirokatta desu
A safe, positive evaluation for a movie or book. The past form of おもしろい is おもしろかった, made polite with です.
好きでした。
I liked it.
suki deshita
好き is a na-adjective in Japanese, so it uses でした in the polite past. It describes your feeling, not an action.
あまり好きじゃなかったです。
I did not really like it.
amari suki ja nakatta desu
A gentle negative opinion. あまり softens the statement; じゃなかったです is the polite past negative of 好き.
話がおもしろかったからです。
Because the story was interesting.
hanashi ga omoshirokatta kara desu
Use からです at the end of a sentence to give a reason. Replace 話 (story) with 絵 (pictures) or 人 (characters) as needed.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic opinion pattern is: topic + evaluation + からです + reason. For example, この映画は好きでした。話がおもしろかったからです。 (I liked this movie. Because the story was interesting.) You can also put the reason first: 話がおもしろかったから、この映画は好きでした。 In casual conversation, から alone can end the sentence: 話がおもしろかったから。 (Because the story was interesting.) Remember that 好きです means 'I like it', not 'it is likeable'.
When to use it
Use these phrases when a friend or classmate asks どうでしたか (how was it?) after you finish a movie or book. Keep your answer to one evaluation and one reason. For example, おもしろかったです。でも、少し長かったです。 (It was interesting. But it was a little long.) If you disliked it, soften your answer with あまり: あまり好きじゃなかったです。 The ending 〜かったです is for i-adjectives such as おもしろい and 長い; for 好き, use でした.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
昨日、新しい映画を見ました。
Yesterday, I watched a new movie.kinō, atarashii eiga o mimashitaそうですか。どうでしたか。
Really? How was it?sō desu ka. dō deshita kaおもしろかったです。話が速かったからです。
It was interesting. Because the story was fast-paced.omoshirokatta desu. hanashi ga hayakatta kara desuいいですね。私はあまり好きじゃなかったです。
That's nice. I did not really like it.ii desu ne. watashi wa amari suki ja nakatta desuA little context goes a long way
In Japanese conversation, a direct negative opinion can sound harsh. Adding あまり (not really) or ちょっと (a little) softens it: ちょっと長かったです (it was a little long). Also, 好きです often implies 'I like it' about your own feeling, so it is normal to say 私は (as for me) when contrasting your opinion with someone else's. Politeness comes from the ending です/でした and from a calm tone, not from extra words.
One thing to watch for
Using 好きじゃないでした for the past negative.
Try this instead: For 好き, the polite past negative is 好きじゃなかったです. Example: あまり好きじゃなかったです。 (I did not really like it.) The form じゃないでした is not standard in this pattern.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'It was interesting' politely about a movie you just watched?
Show a sample answer
おもしろかったです。
おもしろい is an i-adjective; its past form is おもしろかった, and です makes it polite. おもしろいでした is not standard.
2Give a reason for liking a book: 'Because the story was interesting.'
Show a sample answer
話がおもしろかったからです。
からです marks the reason at the end of the sentence. You could also say 話がおもしろかったから、好きでした。
3A friend says あまり好きじゃなかったです。 What does this mean?
Show a sample answer
I did not really like it.
あまり softens the negative, and 好きじゃなかったです is the polite past negative of 好き. It expresses a mild dislike, not strong hatred.
For simple opinions in Japanese, say your evaluation first (おもしろかったです / 好きでした), then add one reason with からです. Use あまり to soften a negative opinion.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Japanese into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr