ない conjugates like an い-adjective. Its past is なかった, and its て-form is なくて. Polite speech uses ません. Rough speech turns ない into ねえ, and Kansai speech uses へん.
Usage Notes
Godan verbs shift the final syllable to the あ row and add ない (読む → 読まない), with う-ending verbs inserting わ (買う → 買わない). Ichidan verbs replace る with ない. The negative of ある is simply ない.
A rising ない？ often invites instead of denying. 行かない？ means “want to go?”
For something that hasn’t happened yet, Japanese uses ていない, the negative of ている. まだ食べていない means “I haven’t eaten yet”, while まだ食べない means “I won’t eat yet”.
Formation
View formation details
Godan verb (あ-row) ＋ ない
彼は何も言わない
"He doesn't say anything."
Note: Verbs ending in う insert わ before ない.
Ichidan verb ＋ ない
朝ご飯を食べない
"I don't eat breakfast."
する → しない、来る → 来ない
誰も来ない
"Nobody is coming."
ある → ない
お金がない
"I have no money."
い-adjective ＋ くない
この本は高くない
"This book isn't expensive."
いい → よくない
天気がよくない
"The weather isn't good."
Noun / な-adjective ＋ じゃない・ではない
夢じゃない
"It's not a dream."
〜なかった (past)
昨日は何も食べなかった
"I didn't eat anything yesterday."
〜なくて (て-form)
時間がなくて行けなかった
"I didn't have time, so I couldn't go."
〜ません (polite)
肉は食べません
"I don't eat meat."
ない → ねえ (rough speech)
そんなこと知らねえよ
"I don't know anything about that."
〜ん (blunt or dialectal)
分からん
"No idea."
Making a Verb Negative
To make a verb negative, change its ending and add ない. How the ending changes depends on the verb group.
Verb type
Dictionary form
Negative
Godan
行く
行かない
Godan ending in う
買う
買わない
Ichidan
食べる
食べない
Irregular
する
しない
Irregular
来る
来ない
Irregular
ある
ない
Godan verbs move their last sound to the あ row, so く becomes か and む becomes ま. Verbs ending in う take わ, not あ. Ichidan verbs drop る. 来る keeps its kanji but changes its reading to こ.
Example 1 of 5: Not moving while staring with 〜ながら
Cocoa buys Chino a puzzle to make up for finishing the one Chino had been working on. The two and their friends work at putting the new puzzle together.
チノ:
「ココアさんさっきからピース見つめながら動かない…」
“Cocoa-san has been staring at the puzzle piece while not moving for a while now...”
「その…責任取ろうと無理しないでください」
“Um... Please don't push yourself trying to take responsibility.”
Cocoa finished the puzzle Chino had been working on, so she bought Chino a new one to make up for it. Now she has been frozen over a single piece for a while. 動く is a godan verb ending in く, so its negative is 動かない, “not moving”. Chino’s second line uses する. 無理する is “to push yourself”, and 無理しないでください is “please don’t push yourself”.
Example 2 of 5: Don't take your focus off the lynx with 気が散る
In order to make money to survive and continue her path of becoming a mage, Eve takes on a request to defeat a fanged lynx that has been attacking a merchant in the forest. She attempts to use her new magick staff against the beast, but no magick materializes from it.
Eve needs money to keep studying magick, so she has taken a job hunting a fanged lynx that has been attacking a merchant. She swings her new staff, and nothing comes out. 出る, “to come out”, is an ichidan verb, so it drops る and becomes 出ない. 魔女なのに is “even though I’m a mage”. Nemu, the bone dragon, scolds her with 気を散らすな, “don’t lose focus”. That な after the dictionary form is the prohibitive な, a different word from ない.
Example 3 of 5: Reading a book to distract from waiting for a text message with 気を紛らす
Akari is expecting a text message from Izumi. Unknown to her, Izumi’s response was getting too long, so he switched to his computer to write up an e-mail instead.
Narration:
「和泉からの返信が来ない」
“I haven't received a reply from Izumi.”
あかり:
「楽しみにしてた新刊読んで気を紛らわそう！」
“I'll distract myself by reading the new book I've been looking forward to!”
「没頭してたらいつのまにか返信来てたりするかもね！」
“Maybe if I get really absorbed in it, the reply will show up before I know it!”
Akari is waiting for a text from Izumi. 来る is irregular, and its negative changes the vowel: 来ない, “doesn’t come”. The narration states it flatly, 返信が来ない, “no reply is coming”.
Jumbo has come to help Yotsuba and her father move into their new home. 見る is ichidan, so it drops る: 見ない. しばらく見ないうちに is “in the time I haven’t seen you”, a stock line adults say to growing kids. Jumbo wonders where Yotsuba picked it up.
Example 5 of 5: Because I won't be hugging you with 〜ので
On the topic of Chino’s height, Rize says it would be funny if Chino outgrew Cocoa, as this would put Cocoa on the receiving end of affection. Cocoa is fine with this.
チノ:
「あ 私抱きついたりとかしないので大丈夫です」
“It will be all right because I won't do things like hugging you.”
Rize jokes that Chino might outgrow Cocoa, putting Cocoa on the receiving end of hugs for once. する is irregular, and its negative is しない. Chino reassures her that she won’t do anything like hugging, 抱きついたりとかしない.
ある Becomes ない
ある, “to exist” or “to have”, doesn’t become あらない. Its negative is ない on its own, which also works as an い-adjective meaning “nonexistent”. 時間がある, “there’s time”, becomes 時間がない, “there’s no time”.
During their walk home after school, Takagi presents Nishikata with an impossible challenge. When he pushes back against it, she comes up with a new challenge, which Nishikata loses. As the two reach the point where they part ways, Takagi stops for a moment.
On the walk home, Takagi gave Nishikata an impossible challenge. He objected, so she switched to a new one, and he lost that instead. Where their paths split, she brings up the first one again. あの勝負期限ないからね says it has no deadline, so it’s still open. The full form is 期限がない, and casual speech drops the が.
Example 2 of 3: No time to return to headquarters with 本部
Akari encounters Woody while he’s out on a delivery run. He stopped to show off for some kids, but in the process, he seems to have lost his city map, and he has a terrible sense of direction. Akari asks if he has the delivery addresses, which he says he does.
ウッディー:
「でも 本部まで地図を取りに戻る時間がないのだぁ！」
“But I don't have time to go back to headquarters to get a map!!”
Woody is out on a delivery run and has lost his city map. 時間がある, “there’s time”, becomes 時間がない. のだぁ is a drawn-out のだ that delivers the excuse with some drama.
Example 3 of 3: I'd totally die in the heat with 〜じゃう
It’s a hot summer day, and Hori’s classmates can’t think about anything else. クーラーない is “there’s no air conditioning”, with the が dropped. ないと turns it into a condition: without the AC, Yuki says, she’d die.
い-Adjectives with くない
An い-adjective changes its final い to く and adds ない. 高い becomes 高くない. いい is the exception. Its negative comes from the older form よい, so it’s よくない. Nobody says いくない.
Takagi is home sick. Nishikata brought a printout from school to her room, and she asked him to stay. 悪い, “bad”, becomes 悪くない. Takagi uses it the way English uses “not bad”, as quiet praise. Being stuck in bed isn’t so bad with Nishikata keeping her company.
Housenka from the monkey squad appears before the dog squad, challenging them to a battle for their squad name. Before she can cause any trouble, Tsuwabuki and Mokuren from her squad appear to stop her. Housenka claims this is their chance to become the dog squad.
Housenka of the monkey squad wants to win the dog squad’s name, because she thinks monkeys are lame. ダサい means “uncool”, and its negative is ダサくない. Her squadmate Tsuwabuki objects that monkeys are not lame, and ぞ makes it firm.
Al has shown Akari and Aika around his workplace. 悪い becomes 悪くない, and 思ったより悪くない is “not as bad as I thought”. The same line has a noun negative too: 乗り気じゃなかった, “I wasn’t keen”.
Nouns and な-Adjectives with じゃない
Nouns and な-adjectives don’t take ない directly. They use じゃない, the negative of the copula だ, or ではない in careful speech and writing. 学生だ becomes 学生じゃない, and 静かだ becomes 静かじゃない. The copula だ covers these forms, along with the rising じゃない that asks the listener to agree.
Cocoa sees Syaro handing out advertisement fliers. When Syaro says she can’t go home until she’s done with them, Cocoa likens her to the fabled little match girl.
ココア:
「そんなにチラシ燃やしたかった？」
“Did you really want to burn the fliers that badly?”
Syaro is handing out fliers and can’t go home until they’re gone. Cocoa compares her to the little match girl and offers her some matches. 意味 is a noun, so “it’s not that meaning” is 意味じゃない. そういう意味じゃない is the stock “that’s not what I meant”.
Syaro works at a tea shop, and she’s recommending a tea for each friend. For Chino, she suggests a sweet chamomile that’s easy to drink. Chino hears it as tea for kids. 子供じゃないです, “I’m not a child”, is the noun negative with です for politeness.
Cocoa wanted to sleep hugging Tippy, Chino’s rabbit. Chino sets her straight with ティッピーは抱き枕じゃないですよ, “Tippy isn’t a body pillow”. よ marks it as a correction.
Example 4 of 6: Testing one's detective ability with 能力
Conan was caught by a dangerous-looking pair who turned out to be his parents in disguise. He calls their plan an evil scheme, 悪巧み. His father repeats the noun with じゃないさ: it’s no scheme, just a test of Conan’s skills as a detective.
Seeing Chibiusa leaving Hotaru’s house, Haruka and Michiru stop over to pick her up. Michiru asks what the two were talking about, and Chibiusa explains that it was a conversation about amulets and their mysterious protective powers. She asks if Michiru has one. Michiru says her mirror may be protective, to which Chibiusa says it must be an amulet.
みちる:
「あたしのこの手鏡はそんな可愛らしい物じゃないわね」
“This hand mirror of mine isn't something that cute.”
Chibiusa has been talking about amulets with protective powers, and she asks Michiru if she has one. Michiru’s hand mirror might count, but it’s no cute charm. 物 is a noun, so 可愛らしい物じゃない is “not a cute thing”. わね softens it.
Example 6 of 6: Relax about what day it is with 安心
Nishikata has just come home from work, and Takagi asks if he knows what day it is. ではない is the careful form of じゃない. 記念日とかではない, “it’s not an anniversary or anything”, lets him off the hook, so he can relax.
Past Negatives with なかった
ない ends in い, so it conjugates like an い-adjective. The past changes い to かった, as in 行かなかった, “didn’t go”.
Example 1 of 3: It's not like you're a foreigner with 〜じゃあるまいし
Shin’ichi’s teenage friend Ran enters Professor Agasa’s house looking for him, unaware that he was forced to take a poison that inadvertently turned the teenager into a young child. When Ran sees the boy and asks his name, Shin’ichi recalls Agasa’s suggestion to not reveal who he is. Panicking, he gives the name “Conan”, explaining the oddness of it by saying his father is a fan of author Arthur Conan Doyle.
蘭:
「コナンねー…」
“Conan, huh?”
阿笠:
「なにがコナンだ!! 外国人じゃあるまいし」
“What's with 'Conan'!? It's not like you're a foreigner...”
コナン:
「しかたねーだろ？ ほかに思いつかなかったんだから…」
“It couldn't be helped, all right? I couldn't think up anything else...”
Shin’ichi has just shrunk into a child, and Ran walks in and asks his name. He blurts out “Conan”, after Arthur Conan Doyle. Professor Agasa thinks it’s an odd name for a Japanese kid. 思いつく, “to think of”, becomes 思いつかない, and its past is 思いつかなかった. Shin’ichi couldn’t come up with anything else. しかたねー is a rough しかたない, “it couldn’t be helped”. Ran’s コナンねー… is different. That’s a stretched-out ね, “Conan, huh…”
Example 2 of 3: Might have similar tastes with 〜かもしれない
Cocoa thinks she has figured out which book Chino is looking for at the library. 気付く becomes 気付かない, and the past is 気付かなかった, “didn’t notice”. 今まで, “until now”, sets up her discovery: maybe they like the same books.
Example 3 of 3: Enthusiasm for shogi club with 乗り気
Sakurako forces Takeru to join the shogi club. When he suggests she join as well, she refuses and tells him not to go either, or else he’ll be in the way there.
タケル:
「乗り気じゃなかったが入部した以上はしっかり活動する！」
“I wasn't enthusiastic, but now that I'm in the club, I'll work hard!”
Sakurako forced Takeru into the shogi club. 乗り気, “enthusiasm”, is a noun, so its past negative is 乗り気じゃなかった, “I wasn’t keen”. が turns the corner: now that he has joined, he’ll work hard.
Polite Negatives with ません and ないです
Polite speech changes ます to ません. 行きます becomes 行きません. Adding です to the plain negative is polite too, and it sounds softer and more conversational. い-adjectives and nouns usually take ないです in speech.
Takeo’s girlfriend Rinko visits to study with him, but Takeo’s parents take turns interrupting them to get to know her better. Takeo’s father, Yutaka, asks if she watches golf.
凛子:
「あ ゴルフですか。あんまり観ないです」
“Ah, golf? I don't watch a lot of it.”
豊:
「おもしろいよー！石川くんとかは知ってる？」
“It's fun! Do you know about Ishikawa-kun?”
凛子:
「ハイ。家でお父さんが観てます」
“I do. My father watches it at home.”
豊:
「お父さん ゴルフする人なの。気が合うね」
“So your dad's a golf guy. We're kindred spirits, eh?”
Rinko came over to study with Takeo, but his parents keep dropping in to get to know her. His father asks if she watches golf. Rinko stays polite with her boyfriend’s father, and ないです keeps it friendly. あんまり is a casual あまり. With a negative, it means “not much”, so あんまり観ないです is “I don’t watch it much”. For “not at all”, Japanese uses 全然〜ない.
Example 2 of 5: Because her teaching method is unreliable with 〜ので
Syaro is surprised that Cocoa isn’t the one tutoring Chino. Chino explains politely. 頼りになる is “be dependable”, and ません makes it 頼りになりません. アレ, “that”, lets her avoid saying what’s wrong with Cocoa’s teaching.
A news broadcast has cut into the baseball game Tetsuhiro is watching at his neighbor’s beach house. ある becomes ありません in polite speech, and ありませんか？ is the usual polite way to ask “do you have…?”
Example 4 of 5: Is your dad still a detective with 〜の
Ran seems angry as Shin’ichi basks in the media attention he’s getting for solving a difficult case. When Shin’ichi asks Ran why she’s angry, she points out that it’s because of Shin’ichi that her father’s been getting fewer case requests.
Shin’ichi is enjoying the press coverage of a case he solved, and Ran seems angry. 怒っている, “be angry”, becomes 怒っていません in polite speech. なんか adds “or anything”, which makes the denial sound even less convincing.
Urushi runs into Ayumu on her way home from shopping and calls it a coincidence, 奇遇だな. Ayumu speaks politely to his senior, so he answers with 奇遇じゃないです. です after じゃない is the conversational polite form, softer than ではありません.
Not Yet with 〜ていない
The negative of ている is ていない, and casual speech drops the い to make てない. It can mean “isn’t doing” right now. More often it means “hasn’t done” or “isn’t in that state”. For something that hasn’t happened yet, Japanese uses this form, as in まだ食べてない, “I haven’t eaten yet”. The plain まだ食べない means “I won’t eat yet”. See Ongoing actions and resulting states with 〜ている.
Example 1 of 4: Feeling discouraged after being turned down for a job with 気を落とす
Hakumei wanted to help restore a stone wall, but the repair guild’s chairman turned her down. Iwashi tells her not to lose heart, using the idiom 気を落とす. Hakumei answers with the same verb. 落としてない describes her current state, “I’m not down”.
Syaro was invited to study with the others, and she acts as if they begged her to tutor them. 言っている becomes 言っていない, shortened to 言ってない. そこまでは言ってないよ is “I didn’t go that far”.
Komura sees Mie pick up an item she dropped and he wonders if it’s an earring. During class later, Mie shows Komura the item held up to her ear calling it a 「ピアス」. She then reveals it’s just a bead.
三重:
「私ピアス開けてないし」
“Since I don't have my ears pierced.”
小村:
「あっ… …今朝落としてたのもビーズ？」
“Ah, the item you dropped this morning was a bead?”
Mie held something to her ear and called it a ピアス, a pierced earring. Then she reveals it’s only a bead. ピアスを開ける is “get your ears pierced”, and 開けてない describes her current state: her ears aren’t pierced.
Cocoa recommends dandelion tea, promising it will make you strong like a lion. Rize can tell Cocoa doesn’t know what the word “dandelion” means. 分かってない is “doesn’t understand”, the state Cocoa is in.
Can’t with the Potential Form
A potential verb, “can do”, ends in る like an ichidan verb, so it takes ない the same way. 行ける, “can go”, becomes 行けない, “can’t go”, and できる becomes できない.
Example 1 of 3: Experience returning home for a backpack with 〜た＋ことがある
Rize wonders what became of the missing piece from Chiya’s puzzle. Syaro suggets it’ll turn up once it’s no longer being looked for. This reminds Chiya of something else that was forgotten.
千夜:
「シャロちゃんは学校にランドセルを忘れたまま帰ってきた事があったわ」
“Syaro-chan once came home having left her backpack at school.”
Syaro says the missing puzzle piece will turn up once they stop looking for it. That reminds Chiya of the time Syaro left her backpack at school and came home without it. In the small flashback, a young Syaro panics that she can’t go to school tomorrow. 行けない is the negative of 行ける.
Example 2 of 3: Cute latte art like yours with 〜みたい
Chiya is bringing tea for her friends, and she tried the latte art Cocoa once made for her. 描く, “draw”, has the potential 描ける, and its negative is 描けない. んだけど softens it: she can’t draw anything as cute as theirs.
Mina is starving, and Yukari reminds her there’s one more class before lunch. 集中できる, “can concentrate”, becomes 集中できない. こんなんじゃ, “like this”, is the reason: she’s too hungry.
Nobody and Nothing with 〜も〜ない
A question word plus も, followed by a negative, means “nobody”, “nothing”, or “nowhere”. 誰もいない is “nobody’s here”, 何も食べない is “I won’t eat anything”, and どこにも行かない is “I won’t go anywhere”. A number of one works the same way. 一人も来なかった is “not a single person came”.
Aru returns to her classroom after club. Expecting the classroom to be empty, she’s singing a song about herself as she enters the room. There, she finds her friends idling away the time.
アル:
「なな 何で皆いんのよ！（誰もいないと思ってた！）」
“Wh- why is it that you all are here?! (I was thinking no one was here!)”
Aru comes back to her classroom after club, singing a song about herself. She expected the room to be empty, but her friends are all there. Her small aside, 誰もいないと思ってた, is “I thought nobody was here”. いる becomes いない, and 誰も makes it “nobody”.
Chino has shown Cocoa to the changing room and gone to get her uniform. 誰もいない, “nobody’s here”, is what Cocoa expects, はずなのに, “and yet”. She feels someone watching her.
A classmate shows off her new satchel from Meisho Daichi High School. Ran wants one for herself, so she heads down to Shibuya in search of a Meisho Daichi student who’ll give her one. She accidentally steals one, which she later ruminates on in her room. As she talks to herself about how her pride cannot abide stealing, her police officer parents burst into her room, asking what was stolen and who the suspect is.
蘭:
「何でもないって！！ びっくりさせんなよ もーーーー！」
“It's nothing!! Don't scare me like that! Seriously!!”
泰三:
「そ そうか スマン スマン…」
“Oh... okay. Sorry, sorry...”
清香:
「犯罪のニオイがするとつい…ね」
“When I smell a crime, I just can't help myself...”
Ran’s parents, both police officers, burst into her room asking about a theft. 何でもない is “it’s nothing”. It uses でも in place of も, and the meaning is the same. って makes it insistent: “I’m telling you, it’s nothing!”
Inviting with 〜ない？
A rising ない？ often isn’t a question about facts. 行かない？ means “want to go?”, and it’s the casual way to invite someone. English does the same with “why don’t we”.
Futaba comes back from talking with her boyfriend in the hall and shows her friends a magazine page about a movie. 一緒に観に行かない？ is “want to go see it together?” With classmates, the plain ない？ is the natural choice. A polite invitation uses ませんか, as in 一緒に行きませんか？
Chiya and Chino are about to play chess at an indoor hot spring. 賭けてみない？ is “want to try betting something?” せっかくだから, “since we have the chance”, is her reason to raise the stakes.
Surprised Questions with 〜ないの？
ないの？ asks a real question, but with surprise. The speaker assumed the opposite. 知らないの？ is “you don’t know?”
Example 1 of 3: Dueling like in Ancient Rome with 古代
Li seems fired up over something with Sakura. Yamazaki suggests whatever the issue is be settled when they play badminton during that day’s physical education class. Li asks why things have to be settled via badminton.
山崎:
「知らないの？バドミントンっていうのはね 古代ローマから伝わる由緒正しい決闘方法でね」
“You don't know? Badminton is a time-honored method of dueling that has been passed down since ancient Rome.”
Li seems fired up about something with Sakura, and Yamazaki suggests they settle it in that day’s badminton class. When Li asks why badminton, Yamazaki acts amazed that he doesn’t know. Badminton, he explains, is a time-honored dueling method passed down from ancient Rome, and the loser meets a terrible fate.
Example 2 of 3: Heard about getting along with animals with 〜らしい
Chino is fascinated by the rabbit at a rival tea shop, but she keeps her distance. Cocoa expected her to pet it, so 触らないの？ comes out surprised: “you’re not going to touch it?” Rize explains that animals other than Tippy don’t take to Chino.
Example 3 of 3: Isn't the café named as such with 〜でしょう
Cocoa has just become a barista at Rabbit House, and she has an idea for the uniforms. The café is called Rabbit House, so ウサ耳つけないの？ asks, “aren’t we going to wear bunny ears?” She’s surprised nobody thought of it. Chino says it would turn the café into a different kind of shop.
Please Don’t with 〜ないで
ないで after a verb asks someone not to do something. ないでください is the polite request, and casual speech drops ください. It’s softer than the prohibitive な, which is a flat order.
Due to concern about his sister’s ribbon, which seals away her need to attack people for their blood, Kenji takes every opportunity he can to check up on her at school.
キョーコ:
「休み時間ごとに来ないでって言ってるでしょー、そんなに心配しなくても大丈夫だって！」
“I'm telling you, you don't need to check up on me every break period. I'll be fine even without you worrying about me!”
ケンジ:
「いや… リボンが緩んだりしてないかと。」
“No, I'm just checking whether your ribbon's come loose.”
Kyouko’s ribbon seals away her urge to bite people for their blood. Her brother Kenji worries it will come loose, so he checks on her at every break. 来ないで is “don’t come”, and って言ってるでしょー is “I keep telling you”. Then 心配しなくても is “even if you don’t worry”. She’ll be fine without him. Kenji’s answer, 緩んだりしてないかと, uses てない. He’s checking that the ribbon hasn’t come loose.
In a snow-covered mountain villa, a room full of suspects listen as Detective Mouri explains how their host was murdered. The accused notes she has a receipt showing she was at the convenience store at the bottom of the mountain when the murder took place.
Mouri has gathered the suspects in a snowy mountain villa to explain how their host was killed. Nakahara has a receipt for an alibi, and she points out that another suspect’s alibi is shaky. 私だけを犯人扱いしないでよ is “don’t treat me as the only suspect!” よ presses the request.
Example 3 of 3: Don't want you to misunderstand with 〜ないでほしい
Takagi’s prank on Nishikata failed, and she asks whether he dislikes being teased. ないでほしい adds ほしい to ないで: “I want you not to…”. 勘違いしないでほしいんだけど is “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea”. Then she says she does it because she likes him.
Without Doing with 〜ないで and 〜ずに
ないで can also link two actions, meaning “without doing”. 傘を持たないで出かけた is “I went out without an umbrella”. Writing and formal speech use ずに for the same job, and する becomes せずに.
The other て-form, なくて, doesn’t mean “without”. It gives a reason or joins two facts. 時間がなくて行けなかった is “I had no time, so I couldn’t go”.
For Makoto’s witch exam, she has to catch a plush bear that’s good at escaping. The branch head sets the rules. 魔法は使わずに is “without using magic”, and the time limit is one hour. Casual speech would say 使わないで.
Rough ねえ
Rough, mostly male speech turns ない into ねえ, often written ねー. The “ai” sound of ない merges into a long “e”. 知らない becomes 知らねえ, 見えない becomes 見えねー, and 関係ない becomes 関係ねえ.
Don’t confuse this with a stretched-out ね, as in いいねー, “nice!”. That ね seeks agreement. A negative ねえ sits where ない would, after a verb or in place of the adjective ない.
The Detective Boys follow what appears to be an encoded treasure map. They’re able to locate each symbol from the map except for what appears to be a fish. Conan figures it out, and leads the group up a fire escape to the top floor of a nearby building.
元太:
「おいおい、真っ暗で魚どころかなんも見えねーぞ！！」
“Hey, it's pitch black. Far from a fish, I can't even see anything!!”
The Detective Boys are following what looks like a treasure map. They’ve found every symbol except a fish, and Conan leads them up a fire escape to the top floor of a building. It’s pitch dark. 見えない, “can’t see”, becomes 見えねー. なんも is a casual 何も, so this is the も〜ない pattern too.
Example 2 of 5: Unsuitable conditions for live-in work with 住み込み
Sami answers a phone call from her uncle. He thinks his friend’s son Nishi would be a good assistant for Sami’s father. Since her father’s busy trying to meet a deadline, Sami accepts on her father’s behalf. When the assistant arrives, he’s completely unwilling to adjust to Sami’s father’s workstyle, then he stays overnight in their bed and wears Sami’s father’s clothes. After all this, Sami’s father is still willing to take Nishi on, but not as a live-in assistant.
西:
「住み込みのほうがいいけど… ここ 夜はまっ暗だしスタバはねーし、（虫多いしーーー）」
“A live-in arrangement would be better, but... it gets pitch dark here at night, there's no Starbucks, and there are tons of bugs...”
Nishi has come to work as an assistant for Sami’s father, who is up against a deadline, and he’s already complaining. 肌に合わない, “doesn’t suit me”, becomes 肌に合わねー. In his first line, スタバはねーし is ない in the same rough form: “there’s no Starbucks”.
Example 3 of 5: Far from getting information with 〜どころか
Conan moves in with Ran and her detective father in hopes of learning more about the black-clad men responsible for him shrinking to a child. Days later, Conan has become disillusioned by the idea.
コナン:
「奴らの情報どころか、一件の依頼も来ねーぜ…」
“Far from information on those guys, not even a single case commission has come...”
Conan moved in with Ran and her detective father, hoping to learn about the men in black. Days later, not one case has come in. 来ない becomes 来ねー, and ぜ makes it a rough complaint. 一件の依頼も is the も〜ない pattern, “not a single request”.
Yotsuba’s father plans to take her to see fireworks. When Jumbo hears that Yotsuba’s neighbor, Asagi, had previously invited her to use sparklers, Jumbo says Yotsuba needs to invite Asagi to see the fireworks as a thank-you. She heads next door to ask, but Asagi already has plans to see the fireworks with a friend, so Yotsuba invites Ena instead, and agrees for Ena’s friend Miura to come along. Yotsuba returns home and assures Jumbo that Asagi will go to see the fireworks. They head out the following day.
Yotsuba was supposed to invite Asagi to the fireworks, but Asagi had plans, so Yotsuba brought Miura instead. 代わりにならない, “doesn’t count as a replacement”, becomes 代わりになんねー. The ら of ならない wears down to ん, and ない becomes ねー.
Sacchan and her friends are tasked with going around and selling excess bananas from her mother’s fruit shop. They offer a banana to a shop owner, and when he eats it, Sacchan says he needs to pay for it. The owner realizes he fell for their trap, but offers to buy a bunch.
Sacchan and her friends are selling bananas, and a shop owner ate one before learning he had to pay. Kotoha tells him to pay for the ones they’re eating too. かなわない, “no match for”, becomes かなわねぇ, “you’ve got me beat”. He laughs and buys a bunch.
Blunt ん
Older men, gruff characters, and speakers from western Japan often use ん in place of ない. 知らない becomes 知らん, 分からない becomes 分からん, and しない becomes せん. It sounds clipped and a little stern.
Example 1 of 2: Getting onto a subway car with 飲み込む
Following the kidnapping of a pop music duo, the police are forced to rely on Conan and his friends to deliver the ransom. The kids speak to one of the kidnappers by phone at the subway station, with the police force watching from a distance. When a subway car is about to close its doors, the kids suddenly bolt onto the nearest car, three of the four making it on before the doors close.
A pop duo has been kidnapped, and Conan and his friends are delivering the ransom while the police watch from a distance. As the subway doors start to close, the kids dash onto the nearest car. Three of the four make it. Inspector Megure shouts to his men, asking if any of them got on. おる is an older-sounding いる, and おらん is its negative. Both fit a middle-aged police inspector.
Following a potential lead on trainers’ Pokémon having gone missing, Red sneaks aboard a ship docked at the harbor. There, he’s confronted by Machisu. As the single Pokémon with Red was already hurt in a surprise attack, Machisu offers to finish it off with his prize Pokémon.
マチス:
「こいつはとりわけ凶暴でな。ボールに入れることもままならん。」
“This one is especially ferocious. It can't even be put into a Poké Ball.”
Red has sneaked aboard a ship in the harbor, and Machisu confronts him. ままならない, “can’t manage”, becomes ままならん. 入れることもままならん is “can’t even put it in a Poké Ball”. The clipped ん suits a gruff gym leader.
The classical negative ぬ survives in set phrases and in samurai or fantasy dialogue, as in 知らぬ, “not know”.
Kansai speech uses へん where standard Japanese uses ない. 分からない becomes 分からへん, and 行かない becomes 行かへん. する and 来る become せえへん and けえへん. See Grammar in the Kansai dialect for more.
Sakura and Kero are supposed to discuss a Clow Card causing problems at the elementary school. After taking her homemade pancakes to her brother and Yukito, Sakura’s happiness over making something for Yukito overtakes her concern of Clow Cards. Kero tries to get her back on track.
A Clow Card is causing trouble at the school pool. Sakura just brought homemade pancakes to her brother and Yukito, though, and Yukito is all she can think about. Kero tries to get her back on track. Where standard Japanese says 泳げない, “can’t swim”, Kero says 泳がれへん. The potential differs too, not just the negative ending. Until they deal with the card, nobody can swim in that pool safely. The final で works like よ.
Words That Only Look Negative
Some common words end in ない but aren’t negatives. 危ない means “dangerous”, and there’s no あぶい for it to negate. Others started as negatives and became words of their own. They still conjugate like ない, so 危なくない is “not dangerous”.
Mao has moved into Hiro’s house, and before bed she reads over his list of house rules. 会社ないし学校 is “work or school”. ないし is a formal word for “or”, with no negation in it. It covers Hiro, who works, and Mao, who goes to school.
