Editing Old Japanese (section)

===Adjectives===
Old Japanese adjectives were originally nominals and, unlike in later periods, could be used uninflected to modify following nouns.{{sfn|Vovin|2020|pp=373–383}}{{sfn|Frellesvig|2010|pp=79–80}}
They could also be conjugated as [[stative verb]]s in two classes:{{sfn|Bentley|2012|pp=197–198}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Conjugation of stative verbs{{sfn|Bentley|2012|p=198}}{{sfn|Frellesvig|2010|p=82}}
|-
! Class
! Stem
! Infinitive !! Conclusive !! Adnominal !! Exclamatory
! Gloss
|-
! {{tlit|ojp|-ku}}
| {{tlit|ojp|kata}}
| {{tlit|ojp|kataku}}
| {{tlit|ojp|katasi}}
| {{tlit|ojp|kataki<sub>1</sub>}}
| {{tlit|ojp|katasa}}
| 'hard'
|-
! {{tlit|ojp|-siku}}
| {{tlit|ojp|kusi}}
| {{tlit|ojp|kusiku}}
| {{tlit|ojp|kusi}}
| {{tlit|ojp|kusiki<sub>1</sub>}}
| {{tlit|ojp|kusisa}}
| 'precious'
|}

The second class, with stems ending in {{tlit|ojp|-si}}, differed only in the conclusive form, whose suffix {{tlit|ojp|-si}} was dropped by [[haplology]].{{sfn|Bentley|2001|p=104}}
Adjectives of this class tended to express more subjective qualities.{{sfn|Frellesvig|2010|p=90}}
Many of them were formed from a verbal stem by the addition of a suffix {{tlit|ojp|-si}} of uncertain origin.{{sfn|Frellesvig|2010|p=91}}

Towards the end of the Old Japanese period, a more expressive conjugation was formed by adding the verb {{tlit|ojp|ar-}} 'be' to the infinitive, with the sequence {{tlit|ojp|-ua-}} reducing to {{tlit|ojp|-a-}}:{{sfn|Bentley|2012|pp=197–198}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Innovative conjugation of stative verbs{{sfn|Bentley|2001|p=138}}
|-
! Irrealis !! Infinitive !! Adnominal
! Gloss
|-
| {{tlit|ojp|katakara-}}
| {{tlit|ojp|katakari}}
| {{tlit|ojp|katakaru}}
| 'hard'
|}

Many [[adjectival noun (Japanese)|adjectival nouns]] of Early Middle Japanese were based on Old Japanese adjectives that were formed with suffixes {{tlit|ojp|-ka}}, {{tlit|ojp|-raka}} or {{tlit|ojp|-yaka}}.{{sfn|Frellesvig|2010|p=235}}{{sfn|Vovin|2020|pp=386–389}}