Negative Verbs
ない conjugation pattern
Make any verb negative by attaching ない to a class-specific base. Ru-verbs drop る, u-verbs shift the final u-sound to its a-row partner, and the two irregulars する・来る have memorized forms.
Ru-verbs: drop る, attach ない
For ru-verbs, drop the final る and attach ない. 「たべる」 → 「たべない」 ("doesn't eat"). 「みる」 → 「みない」. The stem before る never changes — only the final る is replaced.
U-verbs ending in う: う becomes わ
A u-verb whose final syllable is う swaps that う for わ, then attaches ない. 「かう」 → 「かわない」 ("doesn't buy"). This わ shift is a one-off historical exception — every other u-verb ending follows the a-row rule below.
Other u-verbs: shift to the a-row, attach ない
For u-verbs ending in く・ぐ・す・つ・ぬ・ぶ・む・る, replace the final syllable with its a-row counterpart and attach ない. 「のむ」 → 「のまない」. 「まつ」 → 「またない」. 「かえる」 → 「かえらない」. 「はなす」 → 「はなさない」.
The irregulars: しない and こない
「する」 becomes 「しない」 ("doesn't do"). 「来る」 becomes 「こない」 ("doesn't come") — note the reading shifts from くる to こない. Compound する verbs follow suit: 「勉強する」 → 「勉強しない」.
ある is special: its negative is ない
「ある」 ("to exist", inanimate) has an irregular negative — 「ない」 itself, not 「あらない」. So 「おかね が ない」 means "there is no money." The animate counterpart 「いる」 follows the regular ru-verb rule: 「いない」.
Vocabulary in this lesson
About the negative form (ない) of Japanese verbs
The negative form says a verb doesn't happen, and in casual Japanese it always ends in ない. How you get there depends on the verb class you learned earlier: ru-verbs simply drop る and add ない, while u-verbs shift their final /u/ sound to the matching a-row syllable first (with う becoming わ, not あ). The two irregulars become しない and こない, and the verb ある is a special case — its negative is ない itself. These patterns are core JLPT N5 grammar and the base you build the past-negative on in the next lesson.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a Japanese verb negative?
In plain form you attach ない to a class-specific base. Ru-verbs drop る; u-verbs shift the final /u/ sound to its a-row partner; and the two irregulars are memorised. The result always ends in ない.
How do ru-verbs form the negative?
Drop the final る and attach ない. 「たべる」 → 「たべない」 ("doesn't eat"), 「みる」 → 「みない」. That is the whole rule — ru-verbs are the easy class.
How do u-verbs form the negative?
Replace the final syllable with its a-row counterpart and add ない: 「のむ」 → 「のまない」, 「かく」 → 「かかない」. The one twist is verbs ending in う, where う becomes わ (not あ): 「かう」 → 「かわない」.
What are the negative forms of する and 来る?
They are memorised: 「する」 → 「しない」 ("doesn't do") and 「来る」 → 「こない」 ("doesn't come"). Note that 来る's reading shifts from く to こ in the negative.
Why is ある's negative ない and not あらない?
ある ("to exist", for inanimate things) is irregular: its negative is simply ない, the same word used as the verb ending elsewhere. So 「おかね が ない」 means "there is no money."
Credit
These lessons follow the structure, sequence, and grammar-first approach of Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese. We are grateful to Tae Kim for making his guide freely available; the explanations here are our own retelling, and the interactive drills are original to this site.