Expressing Prohibition in Japanese (～てはだめ／ならない／いけない)
This article will teach you how to express prohibition in Japanese. This
lesson is essential for daily communication. Let’s dive in!
Preparation Before Learning
Ensure you have mastered converting verbs into the te-form to make this lesson
easier to understand. If not, study the rules of verb conjugation first.
Forming Prohibition Sentences
To express “not allowed,” convert the verb to its te-form and add one of the
following: だめ (dame), いけない (ikenai), or ならない (naranai).
Examples:
食べる → 食べてはだめ (たべてはだめ)
Tabete wa dame: Not allowed to eat.
見る → 見てはいけない (みてはいけない)
Mite wa ikenai: Not allowed to look.
入る → 入ってはならない (はいってはならない)
Haitte wa naranai: Not allowed to enter.
Polite Forms of Prohibition
In formal situations, いけない and ならない can be changed into polite forms:
運転する → 運転してはいけません (うんてんしてはいけません)
Unten shite wa ikemasen: Not allowed to drive.
忘れる → 忘れてはなりません (わすれてはなりません)
Wasurete wa narimasen: Not allowed to forget.
Casual Abbreviations in Conversation
In daily conversation, these prohibition forms are often shortened to
~ちゃだめ/いけない/ならない.
Examples:
話す → 話しちゃだめ (はなしちゃだめ)
Hanashicha dame: Not allowed to talk.
する → しちゃいけない (しちゃいけない)
Shicha ikenai: Not allowed to do.
来る → 来ちゃならない (きちゃならない)
Kicha naranai: Not allowed to come.
Differences Between だめ, いけない, and ならない
だめ is commonly used in casual speech.
いけない is more common in formal communication.
ならない is used for general rules and regulations.
Conclusion
Now you understand how to express prohibition in Japanese. If you have any
questions, feel free to ask in the comments. Happy learning!
Vocabulary in This Article
| Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | たべる | taberu | to eat |
| 見る | みる | miru | to see/look |
| 入る | はいる | hairu | to enter |
| 運転する | うんてんする | unten suru | to drive |
| 忘れる | わすれる | wasureru | to forget |
| 話す | はなす | hanasu | to talk |
| する | する | suru | to do |
| 来る | くる | kuru | to come |
