The basic pattern is u becomes anai (informal).
| Type | Negative | Examples | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru (do) | しない shinai (さない sanai) |
勉強する benkyō suru (study) 愛する aisuru (love) |
勉強しない benkyō shinai 愛さない aisanai |
| 来る kuru (come) | 来ない konai | ||
| ある aru (be, exist) | ない nai | ||
| だ da (copula) | ではない de wa nai じゃない ja nai |
||
| です desu (copula, polite) | ではありません de wa arimasen じゃありません ja arimasen |
||
| -ます -masu (polite suffix) | -ません -masen | 行きます ikimasu (go) | 行きません ikimasen |
| Regular consonant stem (v5) verbs | |||
| -う -u | -わない -wanai | 使う tsukau (use) | 使わない tsukawanai |
| -く -ku | -かない -kanai | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼かない yakanai |
| -ぐ -gu | -がない -ganai | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳がない oyoganai |
| -す -su | -さない -sanai | 示す shimesu (show) | 示さない shimesanai |
| -つ -tsu | -たない -tanai | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待たない matanai |
| -ぬ -nu | -なない -nanai | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死なない shinanai |
| -ぶ -bu | -ばない -banai | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼ばない yobanai |
| -む -mu | -まない -manai | 読む yomu (read) | 読まない yomanai |
| -る -ru | -らない -ranai | 走る hashiru (run) | 走らない hashiranai |
| Regular vowel stem (v1) verbs | |||
| -る -ru | -ない -nai | 見る miru (see) 食べる taberu (eat) |
見ない minai 食べない tabenai |
| Adjectives | |||
| -い -i | -くない -ku nai | 痛い itai (painful) | 痛くない itaku nai |
| -な -na | -ではない -de wa nai -じゃない -ja nai |
簡単 kantan (simple) | 簡単ではない kantan de wa nai 簡単じゃない kantan ja nai |
The ない nai ending conjugates in two ways.
- As an i adjective. For example the past tense of 食べない tabenai is 食べなかった tabenakatta and the te form is 食べなくて tabenakute.
- Joining main clauses: (私は)食べなくて、寝た。 tabenakute, neta. "I did not eat, and went to bed."
- There is a special te/naide form made by adding で de which yields ないで naide – this can be replaced with ず zu in formal usage.
- Requesting someone to cease/desist: 食べないで下さい tabenaide kudasai "Please don't eat (this)"
- Joining a subordinate clause: 食べないで、寝た。 tabenaide, neta "Without eating, I went to bed."
Read more about this topic: Japanese Verb Conjugation
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