Short form negative

Drill short-form negative conjugations

How to use this quiz

  • Type the short-form negative for the verb shown.
  • Enter your answer in hiragana or romaji (typing will be converted automatically).
  • Kanji is not supported - please use hiragana or romaji only.
  • After each try, you'll see the correct answer.
  • At the end, you can retry missed items or restart the entire quiz.

Explanation

For exact rules and edge cases, please consult your textbook or a trusted grammar reference.
This page is for quick practice, not a full explanation.

When to use the short-form negative

The short-form negative (〜ない form) expresses that something does not or will not happen.
It is the casual/plain style equivalent of polite ~ません.

Informal statements:
かない ("I don't / won't go")

Casual conversation:
べない ("I don't eat / I won't eat")

Negative questions:
まない? ("Don't you drink?" / "Won't you drink?")

Modifying nouns:
まないほん ("a book [I] don't read")


How to make the short-form negative

Ichidan (る-verbs)

Drop → add ない

べる → べないる → ない

Godan (う-verbs)

う → わない
う → わないう → わない

く → かない
く → かないく → かない

ぐ → がない
およぐ → およがない

す → さない
はなす → はなさない

つ → たない
つ → たない

ぬ → なない
ぬ → なない

ぶ → ばない
あそぶ → あそばない

む → まない
む → まない

る → らない
る → らない

Irregular

  • する → しない
  • くる → こない
  • ある → ない