Hello,
I'm a bit confused about the words 国さい(こくさい)and 国さいてき(こくさいてき)as they both mean 'International.'
However the second word is an adjective, whilst the first one (国さい)is not.
In my dictionary (Kodansha) it says 国さい is added to noun bases to make a word. For example, 国さい電話(こくさいでんわ)= International phone.
But if you used 国さいてきな電話 wouldn't that also translate to 'International phone'?
So my two main questions are:
1.) When would you be able to distinguish between which word to use (国さい vs 国さいてき)
2.) What is the word 国さい classified as grammatically if it not an adjective?
Well, unfortunately for us languages aren't just big blobs of words that can be directly translated and make perfect sense. Step one to learning a language is to learn that it's
not English
Yes, 国際的(な)is an adjective. 的 is a suffix added to some nouns to make them adjectives. It can be translated as "-like" or something similar. Some words like that are: 個人的(こじんてき)
personal, 伝統的(でんとうてき)
traditional.
国際 is a
noun. You can attach it to other nouns to make them like a title, kind of? Like 国際関係(こくさいかんけい)
International Relations -- the subject, not putting emphasis that it means 'relations that are international'.
Using 国際的な電話 is wrong because it's like you're saying the
phone itself is international. Like it's been flying to countries around the world. When in actuality, it's like a title. International Phone. The phone isn't international -- it doesn't travel or anything, it's just a phone... that is used for international things?
So,
1) Use 国際的 is an adjective that clearly labels something as 'international' and 国際 as a noun that loosely suggests international uses or something. 国際 is more commonly used as opposed to 国際的. Here are some example sentences for each:
国際:
英語は国際言語である。 English is an international language.
成田には国際空港がある。 There is an international airport in Narita.
Take note that it's not 'English is a language that is international' and 'There is an airport that is international in Narita' - it's like the the whole two words are the one single noun. International language, international airport.国際的:
彼女は国際的に著名な画家です。 She has international renown as a painter.
麻薬汚染の問題は国際的である。 The drug problem is international.
Now compare. It's just 'international renown'. As in the renown is international, recognized by the world. Then the second is an even better example. It just simply says 'international'. It's simply describing that the drug problem happens everywhere in the wold... it is international.2) A noun.
I hope I helped but I also hope some other people better at Japanese will be able to give you their opinions/better insight lol.