「犬がアカデミー賞を取ったっていいんじゃない？」

= Inu ga akademiishou wo tottatte iinjanai?

= It’s perfectly OK if a dog wins an Academy award, right?

Hi, everyone!

Today’s lesson is for NecroMadMat, PukiPuki and Billy who asked me how to use じゃない(=janai) and んじゃない(=njanai)

It is one of the suffixes that you see/hear all the time, and I bet you learned it when you just started to learn Japanese.

You would think it’s simple, but I found out that many people actually get confused. You can see that by the length of this lesson that there is a lot to learn.

(Oh before I forget, I changed the color scheme of the letters as a trial upon a request from Peter who has visited my site just recently. Let me know if you like it this way or not.

FYI there are not many colors that I can use so this is about as far as I can go with the changes. I hope you all understand.)

It’s a long lesson, so be sure to come back and review again and again!

〜じゃない(=janai)

!ichigo! じゃない(=janai) is a casual form of ではない（＝dewa nai).

Let’s start with something really basic.

How to form a negative sentence with じゃない(=janai):

noun, pronoun + じゃない(=janai)

*私じゃない= watashi janai= not me

*これじゃない= kore janai = not this

*この本じゃない= kono hon janai = not this book

na-adjective plain form →delete な(=na) and add じゃない(=janai)

*元気じゃない= genki janai = not cheerful, not energetic, not healthy

*好きじゃない= suki janai = not to like

Past tense :〜じゃなかった(= ~ janakatta) (+ more polite : です(=desu))

*マギーじゃなかった。= Maggie janakatta. = not Maggie

*元気じゃなかった。= Genki janakatta  = not cheerful, energetic, healthy

★How to  use じゃない(=janai)  in a negative sentence.

●マギーは猫ではない。
= Maggie wa neko  de wa nai.
= Maggie is not a cat.
↓

●マギーは猫じゃない。
= Maggie wa neko janai.
= Maggie is not a cat.

*******

(more polite)

●マギーは猫ではないです。
= Maggie wa neko de wa nai desu.

↓

●マギーは猫じゃないです。
= Maggi wa neko janai desu.

or (the same meaning.)

●マギーは猫ではありません。
= Maggie wa neko de wa arimasen.
↓

●マギーは猫じゃありません。
= Maggie wa neko ja arimasen.

So you can use じゃない(=janai) in a simple negative sentence.

Ex.あそこのビーチはそんなにきれいじゃなかった。
= Asoko no biichi wa sonnani kirei ja nakatta.
= That beach was not that clean (or beautiful).

Ex. 宣伝で見た薬はこれじゃなかったよ。
= Senden de mita kusuri wa kore janakatta yo.
= The medicine I saw on the commercial is not this one.

Ex. 昔はあんな人じゃなかったのに..
= Mukashi wa anna hito janakatta noni.
= He/She was not that kind of person before….

Ex. 今日はあんまり元気じゃない。
= Kyou wa annmari genki janai.
= I don’t feel so good today. (I am not in  good sprits today.)

Ex. 私は英語が上手じゃないから海外に行きたくない。
= Watashi eigo ga jouzu janai kara kaigai ni ikitaku nai.
= I am not good at English so I don’t want to go abroad.

Ex. そうじゃないと思います。

= Sou janai to omoimasu.
= I don’t think so.

Ex. つけまつげをすると私じゃないみたいに見える。

= Tsukematsuge wo suru to watashi janai mitai ni mieru.

= I look different (←I don’t look like myself) when I wear fake eyelashes.

Note : Be careful. You can’t make a negative form of i-adjective with ではない(=dewa nai) and じゃない(=janai).

!BUBU! wrong! かわいいじゃない(=Kawaii janai) →かわいくない(=kawaikunai)

!BUBU! wrong ! 動くじゃない(=ugoku janai) →動かない(=ugokanai)

BUT you can make a positive sentences with it! Keep reading! I will explain that form a little later in the lesson.

***************

★To use じゃない(=janai)  in a negative question.　”Isn’t it”, “Aren’t they”, etc.

*(noun/ pronoun + じゃない(=janai) / na-adjective : delete な and add じゃない(=janai))

●ではありませんか？

=~ de wa arimasenka?

↓

●～じゃありませんか？
~ ~ jaarimasenka?

or
● ～ではないですか？
= ~ de wa nai desu ka?
↓

●～じゃないですか？
= ~ janai desu ka?
↓

(more casual)

●～じゃない?
= ～janai?

●これは、彼の辞書ではありませんか？

= Kore wa kare no jisho de wa arimasenka?
= Isn’t this his dictionary?
↓
●これは、彼の辞書じゃありませんか？
= Kore wa, kare no jisho jaarimasen ka?

or

●これは、彼の辞書ではないですか？
= Kore wa, kare no jisho dewa nai desu ka?

↓
●これは、彼の辞書じゃないですか？
= Kore wa, kare no jisho janai desu ka?

In casual conversation we omit particles and ですか(=desuka)?

●これ、彼の辞書じゃない？
= Kore, kare no jisho janai?
= Isn’t this his dictionary?

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Ex. すみません。マギー先生じゃないですか？
= Sumimasen. Maggie sensei janai desuka?
= Excuse me, but aren’t you Maggie Sensei?

Ex. 今日は、あんまり元気じゃないね。どうしたの？
= Kyou wa, anmari genki janai ne. Doushitano?
= You are not so cheerful today. What’s wrong?

Ex.お邪魔じゃないですか？

= Ojama janai desu ka?

= Am I interrupting?

****************************

★To use じゃない(=janai)  in a positive meaning.

When you see / hearじゃない(=janai) in a sentence, you may automatically think it’s a negative sentence, but we often use it in affirmative sentences or tag questions to make a point, add remarks, express opinions, or show emotions such surprise, shock, joy, anger, etc.

How to form a positive sentence with じゃない(=janai):

noun, pronoun + じゃない(=janai)(+ですか(=desuka))

*マギーじゃない(ですか)!

= Maggie janai(desuka)

= Oh, there’s/that’s Maggie! / Hey, you are Maggie!

*野球じゃない(ですか)！

= Yakyuu janai (desuka)!

= Oh, it’s baseball!

verb plain form + じゃない(=janai)(+ですか(=desuka))

*似合うじゃない(ですか)!

= niau janai(desuka)!

= It looks good on you!

*歌えるじゃない(ですか)！

= Utaeru janai (desuka)!

= You can sing! You sing very well!

na-adjective : delete な(=na) and add じゃない(=janai)(+ですか(=desuka))

* きれいじゃない(ですか)！

= Kirei janai (desuka))

= Someone/something is beautiful! /Oh that’s beautiful!

i-adjective plain form + じゃない(=janai)(+ですか(=desuka))

*かわいいじゃない(ですか)！

=Kawaii janai (desuka)!

= Cute, isn’t it? / Wow! You are cute!

Note :　As I mentioned above, you can’t make a negative form of i-adjectives or verbs with じゃない(=janai) but if they are not used in a negative sentence, you can make a positive form of i-adjetives or verbs with じゃない(=janai) or ではない(=dewa nai ). So while it looks to be grammatically negative, it’s actually conversationally positive.

Finishing the sentence with じゃない(=janai) is for female speech.

1)  When you give someone a compliment. :

Ex. その服、いいではないですか。

= Sono fuku, iidewa nai desuka.
= (Wow!) I like your clothes. (Nice clothes!!)

↓

Ex. その服、いいじゃないですか。(neutral = both men and women can use it.)
= Sono fuku, ii janai desu ka.

Note: See it doesn’t mean, “Your clothes are not nice.”

If you want to say that, you have to say

その服、よくないじゃない。(female speech)

= Sono fuku, yokunai janai.

↓(more casual)

その服、いいじゃない。(female speech)
= Sono fuku, ii janai.

Note:

じゃないですか(=janaidesuka) is neutral and both men and women can use it. But finishing the sentence with じゃない(=janai) may give a feminine impression. And if you want to make yourself sound more “macho,” just add か（=ka).

その服、いいじゃないか。(male speech)

= Sono fuku, ii janai ka.

It sounds a bit rough so be careful who you use with.

Ex. すごいじゃないですか！
= Sugoi janai desuka!
= Wow! That’s great, isn’t it?

Ex. 彼、かっこいいじゃない！(female speech)
= Kare, kakkoii janai!
=Oh, he’s cute!

Ex. マギーっていつもお洒落しているじゃない？ (female speech)
= Maggie tte itsumo oshare shiteiru janai?
= You always dress up, don’t you, Maggie

2) When you complain, accuse someone.

Ex. ひどいじゃないか！(male speech)

= Hidoi janai ka!

= What you did (said) was horrible!

Ex. だから、言ったじゃない！（female speech)

= Dakara, itta janai!

= I told you so!

Ex. みんな、お前のせいじゃないか！( male speech, rough)
= Minna, omae no sei janai ka!
= It’s all your fault!

Ex. お母さんだっていつもテレビを夜遅くまでみてるじゃない! (female speech or children )

= Okaasan datte itsumo terebi wo yoru osoku made miteru janai.

= You always watch TV late at night, too, Mom!

3) When you suggest your idea asking for the listener’s agreement or make your point .

Ex. このクラスで一番かわいいのは私じゃない？（female speech)
= Kono kurasu de ichiban kawaii no wa watashi janai?
= Aren’t I the cutest girl in this class?

Ex.お金がある人が行けばいいじゃないですか。
= Okane ga aru hito ga ikeba ii janai desuka.
=  Only people who have money should go! (Not a poor person like me!)

Ex. 一緒にがんばろうじゃないか！(male speech)

= Issho ni ganbarou janai ka!

= Why don’t we do our best together.

****************************
〜んじゃない= ~ n janai

!ichigo!〜んじゃない(=n janai) is a casual form of のではない（＝no dewa nai).

How to form :

★verb (plain form) + のではない(~ no dewa nai)

  verb (plain form ) + んじゃない(=njanai)

*する= suru = to do

するのではない(=suru no dewa nai) not doing

するんじゃない(=surun janai)

■ past (perfect) tense :

*した(=shita) did, have done

したんじゃない(=shitan janai)

*食べる= taberu = to eat

食べるのではない(=taberu no dewa nai)  not eating

食べるんじゃない(=taberun janai)

■ past (perfect) tense :

*食べた (=tabeta) ate, have eaten

食べたんじゃない(=tabetan janai)

★i-adjective (plain form ) + のではない(=no de wa nai)

(casual contraction ) んじゃない(=njanai)

*おかしい (= okashii ) funny, strange

おかしいのではない(=okashii no dewa nai) not strange, not funny

おかしいんじゃない(=okashiin  janai)

■ past tense

*おかしかった(=okashikatta) was/ were strange, funny

おかしかったんじゃない(=okashikattan janai)

★na-adjective (plain form ) ＋なのではない(=nano dewa nai)

na-adjective (plain form) + なんじゃない(=nan janai)

*きれい(=kirei) beautiful

きれいなのではない(= kirei nano de wa nai) not beautiful, pretty, clean

きれいなんじゃない(= kireinan janai) = it is not beautiful, pretty, clean

■past  tense

*きれいだった(=kireidatta) = was/were beautiful

きれいだったんじゃない (= kireidattan janai)  was/were not beautiful

Note : You may wonder what is the difference between きれいではない (= kirei dewa nai ) and きれいなのではない(=kirei nano dewa nai) They both means “not beautiful” but きれいなのではない(=kirei nano de wa nai) has more explanatory tone.

We can say the same thing with きれいじゃない(=kireijanai) and きれいなんじゃない(=kireinan janai)

きれいなんじゃない(=kireinan janai) has more explanatory tone and sounds a bit stronger than きれいじゃない(=kirei janai)

★noun / pronouns + なんじゃない(=nanjanai)

*犬= inu = a dog

犬なのではない= Inu nano dewa nai = not a dog

犬なんじゃない= inu nanjanai

■ past tense :

*犬だった= inu datta = was/were a dog(s)

犬だったんじゃない= inu dattan janai = was/were not a dog(s)

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Now we see how/when to use んじゃない(=njanai)

★To use んじゃない(=njanai) in a negative sentence.

1) When you explain why something doesn’t work, someone doesn’t do something:

＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているのではない。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite iru no dewa nai.
= Maggie Sensei is not teaching at this school.

↓
＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているのじゃない。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite iru no janai.

↓(more casual)
＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているんじゃない。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite irun janai.

＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているのではありません。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite iru no dewa arimasen.
= Maggie Sensei is not teaching at this school.
↓
＊マギー先生はこの学校で教えているんじゃありません。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshite irun ja arimasen.

Ex. 誰かがやってくれるんじゃない。君自身がそれをやるんだ。

= Darekaga yatte kurerunjanai. Kimijishin ga sore wo yarunda.

= Nobody does it for you. You have to do it yourself.

Ex. あなたのこと嫌いなんじゃない。

= Anata no koto kirainan janai.

= I don’t hate you!

Ex. 出来ないんじゃない。やらないだけだ。

= Dekinain janai. Yaranai dakeda.

= It doesn’t mean I can’t do it. I just don’t do it. That’s all.

2) When you give someone an order or suggestion.

Ex. そうやるんじゃないよ、こうだよ！

= Souyarun janaiyo. Kou dayo!

= Don’t do it that way. Do it this way!

Ex. 風邪ひくからこんなところで寝るんじゃないよ！(tough speech)

= Kaze hikukara konna tokoro de nerun janai yo.

= Don’t sleep here or you will catch cold.

Ex. 口答えをするんじゃない！(male speech, rough)

= Kuchigotae wo surun janai!

= Don’t talk back!

Ex. 負けるんじゃない！(tough speech)

= Makerun janai!

= Hang in there!

★ To use んじゃない(=njanai)  in an affirmative sentence.

1) When you talk about probability. Probably…/When you express your opinion, I think…/ When you make your point

Ex. 今日、雨が降るんじゃないかと思ったけれども降らなかった。

= Kyou, amega furun janai ka to omotta keredomo furanakatta.

= I thought it might rain today, but it didn’t rain.

Ex. マギーはもう寝たんじゃない？

= Maggie wa mou netan janai?

= Maggie probably went to bed  already. / I think Maggie is already sleeping.

Ex. もうすぐ春がくるんじゃないかな。

= Mousugu haru ga kurun janai kana.
= I think spring is coming soon.

Ex. マギーは彼のこと好きなんじゃないかな。
= Maggie wa kare no koto sukinan janai kana.
= I think Maggie probably likes him.

Ex. 先生の言っていることは厳し過ぎるんじゃないかと思う。
= Sensei no itte iru koto wa kibishisugirun janai kato omou.
= I think what the teacher is saying is too strict.

Ex. あの店はつぶれたんじゃないかと誰かが言っていたよ。
= Ano mise wa tsuburetan janai kato darekaga itte itayo.
= Someone told me  that the restaurant might be out of business.

Ex. マギー先生のサイトは１年ももたないんじゃないかと思っていた。
= Maggie sensei no saito wa ichinen mo motanain janai kato omotte ita.
= I thought Maggie Sensei’s site wouldn’t last even a year.

Ex. 準備は明日やったらいいんじゃないですか？

= Junbi wa ashita yattara iin janai desuka?

= I think we (or you) should do the preparation tomorrow.

Why don’t we (or you) do the preparation tomorrow?

Ex. 彼の言っていることは違うんじゃないかなと思うようになった。

= Kare no itte iru koto wa chigaun janai kana to omou you ni natta.

= I started to think that what he was saying was wrong.

3) When you question something.

Ex. この文、おかしいんじゃない？
= Kono bun, okashiin janai?
= Isn’t this sentence strange? (I think this sentence is strange. What do you think?)

Ex. そんなことを言うなんてどうかしているんじゃない？
= Sonna koto wo iu nante doukashiteirun janai?
= What is wrong with you saying such a thing? (I think there is something wrong with you.)

****************************

じゃない(=iijanai) VS んじゃない(=iinjanai)

I know the difference is just one letter ん(=n), but it gives a difference.

While じゃない(=janai) is usually used when you simply express an opinion showing emotion, んじゃない(=njanai) is more like a tag question. You are expressing your opinion and at the same time you are asking the listener’s opinion or agreement. So it is used in a question form.

There is more subtle difference. Let’s  compare the following sentences to see the difference.

a) その髪型いいじゃない。(female speech/ casual)
= Sono kamigata ii janai.
=  I like your hairdo! / Oh, nice hairdo!!

b) その髪型いいんじゃない？(casual)
= Sono kamigata iin janai?
=  Your hairdo is not bad.

Note : They both can be used when you compliment others. But a) sounds more enthusiastic.

*****

c) 彼、若いじゃない。 (female speech)
= Kare, wakai janai.
= Wow, he is young. (I’m surprised.)

d) 彼、若いんじゃない？
= Kare wakain janai?
= He is young, isn’t he?

Note : If you really think he is young, use  c). If you question whether or not he is young and want to confirm use  d)

**********
e) これおいしいじゃないですか。
= Kore oishii janai desuka.
= Wow, this is delicious. (I’m surprised.)

f) これおいしいんじゃない？(less formal than e)
= Kore oishiin janai?
= Isn’t this delicious?

Note : The same as a) and b).   e) sounds more enthusiastic.  But actually many young people tend to use the f) form when they express their opinion to avoid offering straight reaction.

**********
g) そんなことどうでもいいじゃないか。(male speech, rough.)
= Sonna koto doudemo ii janai ka.
= Who cares about such a thing!

h) そんなことどうでもいいんじゃない？
= Sonna koto doudemo iin janai?
= Who care about such a thing, right?

Note : g) shows more emotion.  h) gives the impression that you are seeing things more objectively.

*******

i) よかったじゃない。(female speech)

= Yokatta janai.

= Oh that’s great! / I’m happy for you!

j) よかったんじゃない？

= Yokattan janai?

= I think it turned out great.  Don’t you think so?, It’s great, isn’t it?

Note : When you compare these two, i) sounds more sincere.  j) is more objective and it sounds a bit distant.

**********

Another confusing thing is negative tag questions.
They are tricky because they look like double negative sentences but they’re not.

Ex. Exileの新曲、悪くないんじゃない？(female speech)
= Ekuzairu no shinkyoku, waruku nain janai?
= Exile’s new song is not bad, huh?

Ex. 本当はマギーは日本語を話せないんじゃないんですか？
= Hontou wa Maggie wa nihongo ga hanasenain janain desu ka?
= Maybe Maggie can’t really speak Japanese, can she?

Ex. そんなことは言わなくてもいいんじゃないの？
= Sonna koto wa iwanakute mo iin janai no?
= You don’t need to say such a thing, do you?

Ex. あいつ、自分に何が起きているかわからないんじゃないのか？(male speech, rough)
= Aitsu jibun ni nani ga okite iru ka wakaranain janai no ka?
= Maybe he doesn’t understand what is happening to him, does he?

Ex. 今日、加藤さんは来ないんじゃないでしょうか？
= Kyou, Kato san wa konain janai deshouka?
= I think Kato-san is not coming today. Don’t you think so?

Ex. マギーは今、家にいないんじゃない？
= Maggie wa ima, ie ni inain janai?
= I think Maggie is not home. Don’t you think so?

******************************

OK you can relax from here.

Here are some extra notes on じゃない(=janai)

The  variation of じゃない(=janai)

じゃねえ(=janee)

じゃねえ(=janee) is a rough male suffix.

●じゃない(=janai) →じゃねえ(=janee)　（we also spell it as じゃねー or じゃね〜）

●んじゃない(=njanai) →んじゃねえ(=njanee)

Ex. そうじゃないよ！
= Sou dewa nai
= That is not right. That is not what I said. That is not how you do it.

↓
Ex. そうじゃねえよ!　(male/ rough)
= Soujanee yo.

Ex. あんなやつ好きじゃないよ。
= Annna yatsu suki janaiyo
= I don’t like that chick.

あんなやつ好きじゃねえよ。(rough)
= Anna yatsu sukija neeneyo.

Ex. なかなかやるじゃないか。(male)

= Nakanaka yaru janai ka.

= You do pretty good. (You do better than I had expected./I’m impressed!)

なかなかやるじゃねえか。(male, rough)

= Nakanaka yarujaneeka.

Ex. あいつも行きたかったんじゃないか？(male, rough)

= Aitsu mo ikitakattanjanaika?

= He wanted to go, too, didn’t he?

あいつも行きたかったんじゃねえのか？(male, more rough)

= Aitsumo ikitakattanja nee no ka?

Ex. そんなんじゃねえよ。

= Sonnanja neeyo.

= That’s not right. (What you said is wrong.) denying what the other has just said.

じゃん(=jan)

It’s a casual abbreviation of じゃない(=janai) and it is used to emphasize your speech.

It is considered to be a dialect in Kanto  area but it is pretty common among other areas.

It’s mainly used among young people.

It is cliche that Kansai comedian mimic Tokyo area people using this casual suffix.

Ex. いいじゃない。(casual)
= Ii janai.
= I think it’s good!  / Nice! / Great! / Sounds good! / Looks good!/ Don’t worry!
↓
いいじゃん (really casual)
= iijan

Ex. 彼、イケてるじゃない！(female speech)
= Kare, iketerujanai!
= He is cool, isn’t he?
(* イケてる= Iketeru = slang = cool, cute, great)
↑
Ex. 彼、イケてるじゃん！
= Kare iketerujan!

Ex. そう言ったのはマギーじゃん！

= Souitta no wa Maggie jan!

= You are the one who said that, Maggie!

Ex. そんなこと知ってるじゃん！

= Sonna koto shitterujan!

=I already know that!

マギー先生より= Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei

今からレッドカーペットを歩く練習があるのにまた長いレッスンになっちゃったじゃない！
= Ima kara reddo kaapetto wo aruku  rennshuu ga aru noni mata nagai ressun ni nacchatta janai!
= It ended up being another long lesson, but now I have to go practice walking the red carpet!