What is Negative Imperative?
Negative imperative expresses prohibition - "Don't do!" It's even stronger and ruder than positive imperative.
食べるな！(taberu na!) - Don't eat!
行くな！(iku na!) - Don't go!
するな！(suru na!) - Don't do it!
Warning: Very strong! Use with extreme caution!
How to Form Negative Imperative
Simple rule: Dictionary form + な
食べる + な → 食べるな (Don't eat!)
行く + な → 行くな (Don't go!)
する + な → するな (Don't do!)
All Verb Groups
Ichidan Verbs
食べる → 食べるな (Don't eat!)
見る → 見るな (Don't look!)
寝る → 寝るな (Don't sleep!)
起きる → 起きるな (Don't wake up!)
教える → 教えるな (Don't teach!)
Godan Verbs
書く → 書くな (Don't write!)
読む → 読むな (Don't read!)
話す → 話すな (Don't speak!)
買う → 買うな (Don't buy!)
待つ → 待つな (Don't wait!)
遊ぶ → 遊ぶな (Don't play!)
帰る → 帰るな (Don't go home!)
泳ぐ → 泳ぐな (Don't swim!)
行く → 行くな (Don't go!)
Irregular Verbs
する → するな (Don't do it!)
来る → 来るな (Don't come!)
Complete Chart
| Dictionary | Negative Imperative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 書く | 書くな | Don't write! |
| 読む | 読むな | Don't read! |
| 話す | 話すな | Don't speak! |
| 買う | 買うな | Don't buy! |
| 食べる | 食べるな | Don't eat! |
| 見る | 見るな | Don't look! |
| する | するな | Don't do! |
| 来る | 来るな | Don't come! |
When is it Used?
1. Emergency/Danger
触るな！
"Don't touch!"
動くな！
"Don't move!"
見るな！
"Don't look!"
2. Strong Warning
危ない！行くな！
"Dangerous! Don't go!"
それを食べるな！
"Don't eat that!"
3. Signs/Written Warnings
入るな
"Do not enter"
触るな
"Do not touch"
駐車するな
"Do not park"
4. Very Casual Male Speech
心配するな
"Don't worry"
気にするな
"Don't mind it"
諦めるな
"Don't give up"
Polite Alternatives
DON'T use ～な in polite situations!
Use these instead:
～ないでください (Please don't)
食べないでください
"Please don't eat" (polite)
触らないでください
"Please don't touch" (polite)
～てはいけません (Must not)
ここで遊んではいけません
"You must not play here" (polite prohibition)
写真を撮ってはいけません
"You must not take photos"
～ないで (Casual request)
行かないで
"Don't go" (casual but not rude)
泣かないで
"Don't cry" (gentle)
Common Negative Imperative Expressions
Warnings
危ない！触るな！
"Dangerous! Don't touch!"
止まれ！動くな！
"Stop! Don't move!"
逃げるな！
"Don't run away!"
Prohibitions
入るな
"Don't enter"
近づくな
"Don't come close"
見るな
"Don't look"
言うな
"Don't say it"
Encouragement (Negative)
諦めるな！
"Don't give up!"
負けるな！
"Don't lose!"
心配するな
"Don't worry"
泣くな
"Don't cry"
Signs and Written Warnings
駐車するな
"No parking"
立入禁止 / 入るな
"No entry"
ゴミを捨てるな
"Don't litter"
触るな
"Do not touch"
撮影するな
"No photography"
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using in Polite Situations
Wrong: 触るな (to stranger) ❌
Right: 触らないでください ✓
"Please don't touch"
Wrong: 行くな (to superior) ❌
Right: 行かないでください ✓
"Please don't go"
Mistake 2: Using Nai-form + な
Wrong: 食べないな ❌
Right: 食べるな ✓
"Don't eat"
(Use dictionary form + な, not nai-form!)
Mistake 3: Using with Polite People
Wrong: 先生、見るな！ ❌
Right: 先生、見ないでください ✓
"Teacher, please don't look"
NEVER use with superiors!
Softening Negative Imperative
Add particles to make less harsh:
行くなよ
"Don't go" (softer, advice)
泣くなよ
"Don't cry" (encouraging)
心配するなって
"Don't worry, I said"
Politeness Levels
| Form | Strength | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| 食べるな | Very strong | Emergency/rough |
| 食べないで | Casual | Friends |
| 食べないでください | Polite | Normal requests |
| 食べてはいけません | Formal | Rules/regulations |
| お食べにならないでください | Very polite | Honorific |
Gender Differences
Male Speech
More likely to use negative imperative:
来るな！
"Don't come!"
やるな！
"Don't do it!"
Female Speech
Rarely uses negative imperative:
来ないで
"Don't come" (te-form)
やらないで
"Don't do it" (te-form)
Conversation Examples
Example 1: Emergency
A: あ！危ない！
"Ah! Dangerous!"
B: 触るな！
"Don't touch!"
A: え？
"Huh?"
B: それ、熱いから
"That's hot"
Example 2: Warning
A: ちょっと見てくる
"I'll go take a look"
B: 行くな！危ないぞ
"Don't go! It's dangerous"
A: 大丈夫だって
"It's fine"
B: 本当にやめろ
"Really, stop"
Example 3: Encouragement
A: もうだめだ...
"I can't do it anymore..."
B: 諦めるな！頑張れ！
"Don't give up! Do your best!"
A: でも...
"But..."
B: 最後まで負けるな！
"Don't lose until the end!"
Imperative vs Negative Imperative
| Positive | Negative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食べろ | 食べるな | Eat / Don't eat |
| 行け | 行くな | Go / Don't go |
| しろ | するな | Do / Don't do |
| 来い | 来るな | Come / Don't come |
Both are very strong!
Common Expressions
やめろ vs するな
やめろ！
"Stop (what you're doing)!"
するな！
"Don't do it!"
Similar but slightly different nuance.
心配するな
心配するな
"Don't worry" (common phrase)
大丈夫だから、心配するな
"It's okay, so don't worry"
負けるな
負けるな！
"Don't lose!" / "Don't give up!"
(Common encouragement in sports)
In Anime/Manga
Very common in dramatic scenes:
やめろ！
"Stop it!"
行くな！
"Don't go!"
死ぬな！
"Don't die!"
諦めるな！
"Don't give up!"
Note: This is dramatic language!
Combining with Other Elements
絶対に諦めるな！
"Never give up!"
もう二度と来るな
"Don't ever come again"
そんなこと言うな
"Don't say such things"
When NOT to Use
Avoid in:
- Normal conversation
- With strangers
- With superiors
- Formal situations
- Customer service
- First meetings
- Professional settings
- Polite company
Use instead:
- ～ないでください (polite)
- ～てはいけません (formal prohibition)
- ～ないで (casual request)
Special Uses
Encouragement
諦めるな！
"Don't give up!"
負けるな！
"Don't lose!"
泣くな
"Don't cry"
These are actually encouraging, despite being imperative!
Self-talk
忘れるな
"Don't forget" (to oneself)
油断するな
"Don't let your guard down" (to oneself)
Practice Recognition
食べるな - Negative imperative "Don't eat!"
食べないで - Casual request "Don't eat"
食べないでください - Polite "Please don't eat"
食べてはいけません - Formal "You must not eat"
Key Takeaways
✓ Negative imperative = dictionary form + な
✓ Very strong prohibition
✓ Even ruder than positive imperative
✓ Common in emergencies and warnings
✓ Used on signs and warnings
✓ More common in male speech
✓ Use ～ないでください in polite situations
✓ Never use with superiors
✓ Can express encouragement (諦めるな)
Related: