The ない-form is the plain non-past negative: it can describe a habit or a future event depending on context.
The idea
For a godan verb, change the final う-row kana to the matching あ-row kana and add ない; う changes to わ, not あ. For an ichidan verb, remove る and add ない. The irregulars are する→しない, 来る→来ない and the existence verb ある→ない.
| Starting form | Form or example |
|---|---|
| 書く／泳ぐ | 書かない／泳がない |
| 話す／待つ | 話さない／待たない |
| 死ぬ／遊ぶ | 死なない／遊ばない |
| 飲む／帰る | 飲まない／帰らない |
| 買う | 買わない |
| 食べる／見る | 食べない／見ない |
| する／来る／ある | しない／来ない／ない |
Examples
- 私は朝コーヒーを飲まない。I don't drink coffee in the morning.
- 弟は肉を食べない。My younger brother doesn't eat meat.
- 明日、私は働かない。I won't work tomorrow.
- 田中さんは英語を話さない。Tanaka doesn't speak English.
- 今日はコーヒーを買わない。I will not buy coffee today.
- 田中さんは今日、学校に来ない。Tanaka is not coming to school today.
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Watch out
Not every verb ending in る is ichidan: 帰る is godan, so its negative is 帰らない. A plain ending suits informal contexts; the polite equivalent is ません. For the past negative, change ない to なかった.
Try it yourself
「飲む」→＿＿（ない形）
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飲まない
飲まない: the godan ending む changes to ま before ない.
「食べる」→＿＿（ない形）
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食べない
食べない: remove the ichidan ending る and add ない.
「買う」→＿＿（ない形）
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買わない
買わない: final う changes to わ before ない.
「来る」→＿＿（ない形）
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来ない
来ない: 来る is irregular; the reading changes from く to こ.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
「飲む」→＿＿（ない形）
「食べる」→＿＿（ない形）
「買う」→＿＿（ない形）
「来る」→＿＿（ない形）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write one negative sentence about a habit and one about tomorrow. Identify each verb’s class before changing it.