Negative ない-form

Core meaning and form

Ichidan verbs drop る and add ない. Godan verbs move the final kana to the a-row before ない; verbs ending in う use わない. する becomes しない and 来る becomes 来ない.

• 食べる → 食べない.
• 書く → 書かない; 買う → 買わない.
• する → しない; 来る → 来ない.

Examples in context

Common errors

• Do not form godan negatives by simply adding ない to the dictionary form.
• Do not confuse verb ない with the い-adjective ない when building past forms.

Quick summary

• ない-form is the plain negative.
• Godan final sounds move to the a-row.
• It supports many larger patterns.