ない
ない
i-adjective
nonexistent, not have
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | ない | なくない |
| Past | なかった | なくなかった |
| て form | なくて | なくなくて |
| Adverbial | なく | — |
| Conditional ば | なければ | なくなければ |
| Conditional たら | なかったら | なくなかったら |
1.
nonexistent, there is no
Indicates the absence or non-existence of something. The negative counterpart of ある.
2.
to not have
Indicates that someone doesn't possess something.
Usage
ない is the negative form of ある (to exist/have, for inanimate things). It means "there is not" or "do not have." For animate things (people and animals), the negative of いる is いない, not ない.
Forms
ない conjugates as an i-adjective: なかった (past), なくて (て-form), なければ (if there is not). The polite forms are ありません and ないです, never ないます.
Watch out
The ない that follows a verb (食べない, 行かない) is the negative ending, which conjugates the same way but means "do not". This entry is the word ない on its own: there is not, do not have.
Writing
The kanji 無い is sometimes seen, but the hiragana spelling is far more common.
Related Words
Antonym:
ある (to exist, to have)