Learn Japanese - Lesson 10: Negative Japanese Sentences
Objective: To understand negative Japanese sentence structure.
Key Words
じゃありません = negative sentence marker (i.e., isn't)
[ja arimasen]
Grammar
In a negative sentence, じゃありません replaces the usual sentence marker です. However, with adjectives that end in い, like おもしろい or たのしい, the じゃ is omitted and the adjective's い-ending is replaced with a く-ending before ありません follows without the addition of じゃ.
New Japanese Vocabulary
Japanese Nouns
えいが = movie
[eiga]
りょうり = dish (of food)
[ryoori]
うた = song
[uta]
しゃしん = photograph
[shashin]
Japanese Adjectives
おいしい = delicious
[oishii]
こわい = scary
[kowai]
すばらしい = great; super
[subarashii]
ハンサム = handsome
[hansamu]
Examples
あれはいぬじゃありません。 = That (over there) is not a dog.
[are wa inu ja arimasen]
このえいがはおもしろくありません。 = This movie is not interesting.
[kono eiga wa omoshiroku arimasen]
Practice
Write the following sentences in Japanese using hiragana/katakana.
- My dish is not delicious. Your dish is delicious.
- He is not very clever. Is he American?
- This movie is not scary.
- Our song is great. Her song is not beautiful.
- They are incorrect. We are correct.
Translate the following Japanese sentences to English.
- このしゃしんはすばらしいです。 そのしゃしんはすばらしくありません。
- ごめんなさい、あなたはただしくありません。
- それはわたしのふねじゃありません。 わたしのふねはふるいです。
- かれらはがくせいじゃありません。
- わたしはカナダじんじゃありません。 わたしはアメリカじんです。
Review
Write the following sentences using hiragana/katakana.
- Are your students clever? Yes, my students are very clever.
- Am I correct? Is that your photograph? You are very handsome.
- Thank you. This book is great.
- A: Are you Scottish? B: I am Irish.
- We are sleepy. Is that our house?
- A: What is that over there? Is it a person? B: No, that (over there) is not a person. That over there is a bird.
Recommended Resources
Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese (Level 1)
A popular text used in university Japanese classes, we especially recommend this book if you're taking private classes or have a Japanese tutor.
Genki I: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese (Level I) - Workbook
If you're using the Genki textbook solo, this workbook is a great way to practice new vocabulary and grammar without having to spend too much time creating your own homework.
Let's Learn Hiragana: First Book of Basic Japanese Writing
This book will help you learn how to write Hiragana so well that people will believe you when you tell them you grew-up in Tokyo.
Japanese Hiragana Flash Cards for Kindle
If you are fortunate enough to own a Kindle, this is a great, inexpensive way to quickly memorize Hiragana.