Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [negation]

否定. Questions regarding the various words, particles, inflections, and constructions employed to negate a word or sentence from its positive form.

253 questions
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Is 「意味の分からなさ」 strange?

Since my recent question about 〜く＋ある, I've been trying to learn more about the differences between 形容詞「無い」 and 助動詞「〜ない」. In other words, I'm trying to learn how the independent adjective nai and the negative verb suffix -(a)nai are different. We…
user1478
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Use of 〜ないものか　with もうすこし／どうにか／なんとか

Do the following expressions: (もうすこし）上手にでき ないものか I wish I could get a bit better. (どうにか）直せ ないものか I wish I could somehow fix it. (なんとか）でき ないものか I wish we could somehow do something. (or: "hmm, I wonder if we can't somehow do…
Tim
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Natural way of saying "I don't think X"

I was wondering if someone could tell me the natural way of saying "I don't think X". The reason is I wrote the following sentence: 普通の食品店で売っていると思いません。 I don't think it's sold at the normal grocery store However this was corrected…
Tylersanzura
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Using ～なくなった vs. ～ない

情報の真偽を確かめるまで帰れなくなった What does なくなった add? I'm parsing なくなった　as なくなる　or the negative form of なる　to become. So loosely it sounds like, "you will lose the ability to leave"。 情報の真偽を確かめるまで帰れない Is this the same or correct when just using ～ない, not…
Calvin
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Which is the proper way to say "I don't X"?

I thought if you say "I don't smoke cigarettes" that would be "[Watashi wa] tabako o suimasen". But I just saw something that said it would be "tabako wa suimasen". Are they interchangable? Is there a difference?
dotnetN00b
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unclear target of negation of にならない

嘘をつけ。本物のブロンドはもっとナチュラルだし、そんな不自然な金色にはならん。 that's a lie, real blonde (hair) is more natural, THAT kind of of golden (hair colour) totally cannot be (real)? ...にはならん = not 本物/ナチュラル at all? The golden hair colour is what it is, so it would be hard to…
charu
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Why is ひつよう considered a な adjective?

Im struggling to understand why Hitsuyou (ひつよう) is considered a な adjective. From what I understand after reading about い adjectives we simply drop the last い to make it negative, for example: さむい　becomes 住むくない because we dropped the last い and…
Master Yoda
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Asking politely about a negative

I wanted to confirm that I do not have an private lesson tomorrow but I'm not sure what to write. Often, negative questions as I write them seem to come off as a positive question. Example 5月9日にプライベート・レッソンの予約はありませんでしょうか？ That seems like it's a…
gman
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Is 「してはならないとさしとめる」 a double negative?

In a Japanese dictionary entry for 禁止, I recently came across: してはならないとさしとめること してはならない: Literally this means "as little as (は) doing (して), doesn't become (ならない)". More idiomatically: "don't do this". Xと差し止める. This means "prohibits X". So…
George
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What does じゃなくない mean? Is it a positive?

In a particular story, one character says: ここへは　結局　身内しか呼んでおらぬ。そう気をつかうな Which means "We only called relatives here. So don't worry". Then, another character, who doesn't know he's related to the first one, adds: え? 俺空たちの身内じゃなくない? I can gather…
Bluegate
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I am wondering when it is proper and improper to end a sentence with じゃない in informal context

So if you're saying "No, I dont live in Osaka" would you then be able to say いいえ大阪に住んでじゃない or do you have to say 大阪に住んでいません? Also if you can't just use it whenever, why not? Is じゃない reserved for talking about a verb, noun, etc. or is it just…
Amethyst Skeels
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Grammar of 見えぬ in 星とたんぽぽ by Misuzu

I'm reading a poem by Misuzu, 星とたんぽぽ。 I don't understand the grammar of this line: 昼のお星は眼にみえぬ。 This is my understanding: 昼のお星は　the subject: stars during the daytime 眼に　to the eye (why not 目?) みえぬ　I assume is a form of 見る - 見える (to be able to see)…
craigmj
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I understand the meaning of the sentence. I just didn't get the final "な": 相変、人の話は聞かないな

相変、人の話は聞かないな. What's the purpose of the final な?
Vitor
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What does this inserted clause mean? 文法だけなくて

日本語と英語は、文法だけなくて、考え方随分違うらしい。 It is saying that: evidently, the way of thinking in English and Japanese is extremely different. What does the 文法だけなくて? (Grammar only ...?) I always get confused when なくて appears in a sentence. It is as if i am bracing…
cgo
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Usage of なんでもよくない

もう　流されたんでもなんでもよくない!? 降参だ降参だ The character is pondering this. He says this after pondering love and deciding to confess back to the girl who confessed to him. My reading of 流された is that the one about "being swept away/being influenced" so he's saying…
Bluegate
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