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Kotomora

ない

な
い
Common wordJLPTN1Freq.Top 100

Meanings

1

i-adjective

nonexistent; not there

usually written using kana alone

States that something does not exist or is not present. Often used with が.

2

i-adjective

not have; unowned

Indicates lack of possession or ownership. Often used with は or が.

3

i-adjective

unique; unparalleled

Used in set phrases like またとない (unparalleled, once-in-a-lifetime) to express that something is rare or exceptional.

See also: またとない

4

i-adjective

not; never; won't happen

Used in patterns like ...ことがない to express negation of experience, necessity, or possibility. Often corresponds to 'have never done', 'there is no need to', or 'it cannot happen'.

5

i-adjective, auxiliary adjective

not (after adjective)

Auxiliary adjective used after the conjunctive form of an adjective to negate it. Equivalent to 'not' in English.

See also: ない

6

i-adjective, auxiliary adjective

not (after verb); have not

Auxiliary adjective used after the -te form of a verb to express negation of a state or action. Often translates to 'have not done' or 'is not'.

Usage patterns

Expressions· 76

Show 4 more
  • なきゃif not exist; if there is no; if one doesn't have · if not; unless · have to; must
  • なしでwithout
  • なしにwithout
  • しかないhave no choice but to ...; can only ...; there's nothing to do except ... · there is only ...; have nothing but ...; no more than ...

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