Making Negative Sentences in Japanese: A Beginner’s Guide

Have you ever wanted to say “no” in Japanese? Learning how to make negative sentences is one of the first steps in mastering Japanese grammar. In this article, we’ll explore three essential ways to make negative sentences that every beginner should know.

The Versatile です (desu)

Let’s start with です (desu), which is one of the most common words in Japanese. When you want to make it negative, it transforms into ではありません (dewa arimasen).

For example:

• Positive: 学生です (Gakusei desu) = “I am a student”
• Negative: 学生ではありません (Gakusei dewa arimasen) = “I am not a student”

Pro Tip: In casual conversations, you can use じゃありません (ja arimasen) instead of ではありません. It means exactly the same thing but sounds more relaxed and friendly!

Talking About Things: あります (arimasu)

When you want to talk about inanimate objects (things that don’t move by themselves), you use あります (arimasu). Its negative form is simply ありません (arimasen).

For example:

• Positive: 本があります (Hon ga arimasu) = “There is a book”
• Negative: 本がありません (Hon ga arimasen) = “There is no book”

This form is perfect for talking about objects like books, chairs, phones, or when saying you don’t have something.

Talking About Living Things: います (imasu)

For living beings (people, animals, and other creatures), we use います (imasu). Its negative form is いません (imasen).

For example:

• Positive: 犬がいます (Inu ga imasu) = “There is a dog”
• Negative: 犬がいません (Inu ga imasen) = “There is no dog”

Remember: This form is exclusively for living things. You wouldn’t use it to talk about your smartphone or your homework!

Practice Time!

Try making these sentences negative:

1. 先生です (Sensei desu) = “I am a teacher”
2. 車があります (Kuruma ga arimasu) = “There is a car”
3. 猫がいます (Neko ga imasu) = “There is a cat”

Answers:

1. 先生ではありません (Sensei dewa arimasen)
2. 車がありません (Kuruma ga arimasen)
3. 猫がいません (Neko ga imasen)

Key Points to Remember

1. For です → use ではありません (or じゃありません casually)
2. For things → use ありません
3. For living beings → use いません

With these three patterns, you can now express what isn’t there or what something/someone is not. Practice these patterns, and you’ll be speaking Japanese more naturally in no time!