「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.
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)
🔸 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
*マギーじゃない = Maggie janai = not Maggie
*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 spirits 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).
❌ wrong! かわいいじゃない ( = kawaii janai) →かわいくない ( = kawaikunai)
❌ wrong ! 動くじゃない ( = ugoku janai) →動かない ( = ugokanai)
BUT you can make a positive sentence 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. あれ、マギーじゃない？
= Are Maggie janai?
= Isn’t that Maggie?
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-adjectives 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, isn’t it?
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
🔸 〜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 describe some situation in an explanatory tone / make your point/ emphasize the fact or your opinion.
＊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.
Note: If you just describe some state/situation, you don’t use this form. You simply say
マギー先生はこの学校で教えていません。
= Maggie Sensei wa kono gakkou de oshiete imasen.
You only use んじゃない ( = n ja nai) / のではありません ( = node wa arimasen) form when you emphasize the point or negate what someone just said or asked you.
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 a 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 a 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 a 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 cares 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 ( = anai) →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 a cliche that Kansai comedians 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!
Check my じゃん Lesson. Link : Click here.
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!
***
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132 Comments
Maggie-sensei, I have a stupid question about this sentence.
Ex. 宣伝で見た薬はこれじゃなかったよ。= The medicine I saw on the commercial is not this one.
Can I say “宣伝で見た薬はこれじゃないよ” instead? What is the difference between them?
Actually the way how tenses work in Japanese hurts my head so bad. T_T It is so hard to comprehend. By the way, I have one more (kind of related) question:
“庭はきれい” – The garden is beautiful [present, like right now it’s still beautiful]
“庭はきれいだった” – The garden was beautiful [past, right now it’s not beautiful anymore].
But can I use “庭はきれいだった” when I want to tell someone that I don’t know how the garden looks like right now, the last time I visited it, it was beautiful? Does past tense always indicate that the event/state {has been completed/no longer in that condition} anymore?
Please point it out for me Maggie-sensei!! T_T
Hi Mimi,
It is not a stupid question. It is a good question. 😉
You can also say “宣伝で見た薬はこれじゃないよ“
The nuance difference is when you focus on the time when you saw the medicine in the advertisement, これじゃなかった. (It was not the same one that I saw in the advertisement. When you focus on the current time looking at the medicine comparing what you saw in the advertisement, これじゃないよ. (This is different from what I saw in the advertisement.)
Your second question
Basically you use present tense 1) when you describe what is happening right now or 2) when you talk about the definition or concept of something.
For example, you are telling your friend how beautiful the garden is.
庭はきれいだよ。 = the garden is beautiful.
It implies the garden is always beautiful or famous for their beautiful garden.
And when you describe how beautiful the garden was when you actually saw it,
庭がきれいだったよ/庭はきれいだったよ。= The garden was beautiful
(When you stress the garden, you use the particle が)
Again, you are focusing on the time you saw the garden.
Oh I think I got it now!!! Thank you for such detailed explanation 😍😍
You’re very welcome, Mimi! :)
THANK YOU!!! じゃない had me so confused for the longest time. I went over this lesson 3 times trying to understand it. Although じゃない doesn’t make verbs or い adjectives negative, んじゃない (when it’s not part of a question) does!
There are a few things I’m still wondering tho. Consider the two sentences from above.
きれいじゃない(ですか)！
=Someone/something is beautiful! /Oh that’s beautiful!
野球じゃない(ですか)！
=Oh, it’s baseball!
Do we need the exclamation mark to let the reader know that they’re not negative sentences? “きれいじゃない。” would only mean “It’s not beautiful” right? The sentence その服、いいじゃない。Doesn’t use an exclamation mark, but we know that it can’t be negative so there’s no issue there. Basically I’m wondering if we just rely on context when interpreting them.
Also, with
その服、いいじゃない。
even though this sentence isn’t a question, would we still read じゃない with rising intonation like we would if it were a question?
One more thing!!! If I were speaking informally would it be unnatural to use じゃないですか to avoid the rougher じゃないか? I’m not sure if it’d be awkward to just use one polite form verb when the rest are all plain.
Hi Brett
Sorry for the late reply. I was on vacation.
Even with negative phrase you sometimes use exclamation mark so it is the same thing.
Usually you can tell if it’s a negative phrase or not by the context.
You use negative phrase when someone asks whether it is a baseball or not/ something is beautiful or not.
きれいじゃない？ Isn’t it beautiful?
きれいじゃない！ No, it is not beautiful.
あれ、野球？ Is that a baseball?
野球じゃない。No, it’s not a baseball.
その服、いいじゃない。
expresses one’s opinion but as you say if you raise the intonation, you ask for someone’s agreement.
いいじゃないか is male speech and it may sound a little rough.
Hello Maggie! I really appreciate your site. Thank goodness I’ve found this site. Btw, I have a question. I was having a conversation with a guy one day when he told me, “おれと結婚すんじゃね”. Now, I’m a little confused after reading this. Especially the “すんじゃね” part. He’s from Kobe, so he speaks Kansai-ben. Please help me. I would appreciate your response. Thank you so much! 😊
Hi Michelle,
It is a casual male speech
結婚するんじゃない？ Maybe she is getting married to me.
It sounds like he is kidding but does it make sense?
Nice writing! I have a question.
While you have mentioned using じゃない(ですか) and ではない for positive meanings, is it also fine to use ではありません(without か) for the same purpose?
Hello Mr.rM!
Is it also fine to use ではありません(without か) for the same purpose?
→ No, you need か
Ex. いいではありませんか。
Wow, you answer questions so quickly. I always love reading your articles. May I ask what いいではありません would mean in Japanese? Or is it just bad grammar?
Hi 栗子
As I answered to Mr.rM., it only works いいではありません”か”.
If it’s just いいではありません。 , it’s a grammatically wrong sentence.
It should be よくありません。
could you explain why みんな、お前のせいじゃないか! means what it means? going off the other examples im confused
Oh wow. I have noticed it. Thank you for asking me. It was a mistake. It means “It’s all your faults.”
So what your basically saying is verb or い-adjective + じゃない has the same meaning as ね？meaning isn’t it? However I thought お前のせいじゃない means it’s not your fault. In your example みんな、お前のせいじゃない you translated as Its all your fault! but wouldn’t mean Everybody its not your fault. I’m confused about that. Can you please help me?
Hi Jimmy
Thank you for spotting the mistake.
It was an old lesson but I have never noticed it. You are right.
みんな、お前のせいじゃない measn “It is not all your fault.” Sorry to make you confused. :)
(This みんな doesn’t mean “everybody”. It means “everything”)
hi maggie-sensei
ではない and じゃない are basically the same but what about でない? It’s not that common but I’ve seen it used sometimes, what’s the difference between でない and ではない?
i.e
嫌ではないです
嫌でないです(?)
thank you :)
Hi jun
It should 〜ではないです (casual form 〜じゃないです）
But you hear でない in casual conversation or in some dialect.
Hi, Maggie sensei, i have just discovered this site and i love it so far.
Keep up the good work !!!
Also, could i just ask a question cause previously i have been using another site and now i am not so sure whether that site is reliable .
Could i ask some questions to check my previous site reliability, please.
the particle の is used when there is any degree of doubt
彼女は忙しくないのですか?
and it also demonstrates the interest of the speaker even in the affirmative such as
パーティに行かないんですか?
And could i ask cause the site translates
1)いいんじゃない！as That`s great!
and in your site , you have written
1)いいじゃない as I think it’s good!,
could your usage without の means that the speaker has greater confidence in his statement.
Also, would it be possible for いいんじゃない? to mean
Isn`t that great?
If so what would the intonation be like to carry out the respective meanings?
cause i have been hearing this いいんじゃない form in 乃木坂工事中。So i have been really curious about the differences.
Sorry, if i had made any mistakes as i have been self studying for about 3 months now
Thanks so much for reading my comment :)
Sensei, i copied the wrong question for “and it also demonstrates the interest of the speaker even in the affirmative such as”, i meant to type this 彼氏は行くんですか? instead of パーティに行かないんですか?, as this one would establish more of the speaker`s surprise
Good, I was wondering about the sentence.
彼氏は行くんですか？ expresses one’s surprised feelings.
It could be affirmative or negative.
Right. By adding の, you can express your surprised feelings or doubt.
彼女は忙しくないですか？ Simply asking if she is not busy.
彼女は忙しくないのですか? (emphasizing the speaker’s surprise)
パーティに行かないんですか? (Expressing either one’s surprised feelings or accusation.)
As for the translation of いいんじゃない depends on the context and the speaker’s intonation.
So either other site and one of my particular example works.
(oops, i replied to the wrong section, I am really bad with computers
)
A million thank for replying :)
This has been really helpful! :)
Also,
I really love how your explanations are so concise and well packed.
And, i feel extremely heartened when i think about the amount of time and dedication that you have spent in writing this blog.
Please keep up the good work!!!
I love your site :)
No worries about where you post your comment. I will read all the comments anyway. :)
Thank YOU for visiting this site, too!
Sensei!! Thank you so much for the lesson! お疲れ様でした！
I would like to ask something. I want to compliment someone for understanding English well. Can I say 英語よく分かるんじゃないですか！すごくないですか？
Thank you so much Sensei!おおきに〜
Hi Tony
コメントありがとう！
英語よく分かるんじゃないですか！
I would change a little
すごいですね。
英語よくわかるじゃないですか。(1) or 英語、上手じゃないですか。(2)
Note: Both (1)(2) express your surprised feelings (You didn’t know that person could speak English so well.)
So if you simply want to compliment someone’s English, you say
英語、よくわかりますね。英語、上手ですね。
なるほうど.
This has been really helpful!
Also,
I really love how your explanations are so concise and well packed.
i feel so touched in thinking about amount of time and dedication to do this, so please keep up the good work!!!
And a million thanks for replying to my question :)
Hello Maggie sensei! I’m trying to read manga and was wondering if you could help me understand this one sentence?
For context, person A says to person B:
「これは君だからこそできる仕事だからな」
「頼んだぜ」
At which point, person B has a nostalgic flashback after which she thinks to herself:
「これは私だからこそできる仕事。。。か」
「フフ。。。」
「こんなの別に一撃じゃなくても倒せるじゃないですか」
Something about that last sentence’s structure is really confusing me, can you help?
Hi Jinzal
Are they talking about killing someone or some battle?
一撃 means “a single/one hit”
So 「こんなの別に一撃じゃなくても倒せるじゃないですか」 means,
“You don’t even need a single hit to beat him. = I bet you can beat him easily.”
Yeah, it’s a fantasy world and person A is trying to persuade person B to use her powers to kill some monsters in one hit while person B doesn’t want anything to do with them because of how disgusting they are.
OK, then it makes sense! :)
In an anime setting in Hokkaido 1988, a 10 years old girl find it weird that her male classmate use 「じゃん」 and thought that he was trying to act like a city boy or something. Nowaday, is it still that way? Considered that you said it’s use has spread to other areas.
Also, I also heard a man abbreviate further to 邪魔すんじゃねえ.
Did you already make a lesson about changing 「る」to「ん」?
I assume it’s just male’s speech. Is there anymore thing to it?
Thank you in advance. I am going to study in Kyoto next year. Your website is very helpful. I visited it every now and then.
Hi petefinal!
1) It’s possible. Some people still may pretend to be they are from Yokohama area and use じゃん jokingly.
2) Yes, I do have a lesson on ん. Click this link. →When and How to use ん
Wow! How exciting that you are going to study in Kyoto. Kyoto is such a nice city!!
Hi Maggie-sensei!
Is there a way to say “ii n janai” politely, while preserving the meaning of the expression?
Thank you for these wonderful lessons! ♥
***I just realised the expression could have different meanings depending on the context. The meaning I was talking about is “Isn’t it fine?” and the like. For example, when someone tells you to change out of your pajamas, and you say “Isn’t it fine? It’s Saturday!”
Polite way to say それでいいんじゃない？
How about それでいいのではないでしょうか。土曜日ですし。
Thank you!!!
You’re very welcome! :)
How would you translate: “引き受けないほうがいいんじゃないの？”
I think you shouldn’t take/accept (it = the job/offer/request, etc.).
Aa… I think I get it now…. thank you very much
@sandra
You’re welcome! I’m glad the comment works now! :)
What if questioning to our selves?
Like questiong if he stole it….
How you put janai on the sentence?
@sandra
Then you say
これ、彼の辞書じゃないんじゃない？
You wrote
●これ、彼の辞書じゃない？
= Kore, kare no jisho janai?
= Isn’t this his dictionary?
But i think it can also mean:
“it’s not his dictionary?” (Questioning….Maybe he stole it).
My question is how to distinguish or how do we know that the sentence is affirmative/negative meaning if “janai ka” can act affirmative and negative as well? Especially if noun is put before janai ka?
＠sandra
Finally!! :)
●これ、彼の辞書じゃない？
= Kore, kare no jisho janai?
Since it is a question, it means “Isn’t this his dictionary?”
If it is a statement,
これは、彼の辞書ではない。
→(casual contraction) これ、彼の辞書じゃない。
Hola (Hi) Maggie-sensei, this web is great!
Could you help me translate this?:
なんだ そりゃ
ふふっ い一じゃ ないの
＠Daniela
Hola Daniela,
It depends on the context.
なんだそりゃ What is that?/ What are you talking about? / No kidding
いーじゃないの
1) When you try to convince the listener it is not a big deal, Hey, it’s not a biggie. / C’mon, it’s OK.
2) When you see something that impresses me. “That’s not bad / That’s good!”
When you
hello maggie-sensei,
sorry to trouble you, but, could you help me translate this:
– ひとりきりじゃ気付けなかった (Hitorikiri ja kizukenakatta)
– お伽話なんかじゃ (otogibanashi nanka ja)
are jya (じゃ) on there is the same like janai (じゃない)?
thank you so much….
@maya
Hi maya,
ひとりきりでは→ひとりきりじゃ I would have been able to notice by myself
おとぎ話なんかでは→おとぎ話なんかじゃ it is not a fairly tale
Hello Maggie. Thanks for all of these informative posts.
I was wondering what the difference between マギー先生はこの学校で教えているのではありません。 And…
マギー先生はこの学校で教えていません。
のではない just seems to be confusing for me in general
Thanks in advance.
@Shen
Hi Shen
マギー先生はこの学校で教えていません is just telling the fact that Maggie doesn’t work in this school.
マギー先生はこの学校で教えているのではありません。 is more explanatory.
説明してくれてありがとうございます!
@Shen
どういたしまして、Shen :)
Hello, this helped me a lot, thanks!
Can you tell me what “no kanatte” means when paired with “shitetan janai”?
“shitetan janai no kanatte” ?
Hello M,
Without context it’s quite difficult, but I would say that 知ってたんじゃないのかなって（思う） could mean “I think he/she might have known (about that)”
ご参考に。
@M
Sorry. I didn’t see the comment. (Thank you 天人さん for answering the question)
As 天人さん says, the translation changes depending on the context.
Verb +してたんじゃないのかなって+(思う）
I think if X has been doing something/was doing something
If you mean しってたんじゃないのかな(=Shittetan ja nai no kana), I think if X has known (already) /new.
So ~てたんじゃない is a casual contraction of ていたのではない
Hello, Thanks for your continued lessons :)
I wanted to ask a question regarding the difference between
んじゃないか
んじゃないんですか
And んじゃないのか
I’ll just use an example I heard, and ask what the difference of nuance is between them
ゲームはまだ終わってないんじゃないのか
What would the difference in nuance be for the three if you were to replace the end?
Thank you very much :)
@Gallus
Hi Gallus,
First the formality is different.
んじゃないんですか polite
んじゃないか / んじゃないのか rough/male speech (It sounds strong) You use this tone when you accuse someone / make your point in a strong way.
When it is used as a question.
Ex. 1) それは間違いなんじゃないですか？
Ex. 2) それは間違いなんじゃないか？
It depends on the context but you sometimes add の when you are not sure or emphasize the meaning.
Ex. 3) それは間違いなんじゃないのか？
And んじゃないのか
why all male speeches are rough? i’m a man but i dont want to sound rough.i dont know how things work very well in japan but where i live is quite wrong to be rough with other people. so how should i use じゃない and んじゃない and other possible words without being rough?
良く教えてくれてありがとうございました.
@Ivan
Why all male speeches are rough? It is a cultural thing from old days. Men also avoid using it when they talk to someone superior.
じゃない・んじゃない itself is not rough and you can use it. Just some usage such as adding か？ in the end sounds rough.
Ex. それは違うんじゃない？ = Sore wa chigaun janai? = I think it’s wrong/different/you are not right. (neutral)
Ex. それは違うんじゃないか？= Sore wa chigaun janai ka? = rough/male speech
Thanks
Sorry I’m confused about ”jai nai ka” because the ”ka” is a question mark.Like in Bleach the dialogue was ”Aru ka yo” and ”Tasuken ja nee ka yo”.
@Daniel
Ah you say “janai ka” (blunt expression) when you ask a question or tell people your opinion.
Ex. いいじゃないか = It is nice, isn’t it?
Ex. 明日は雨が降るんじゃないか？= Isn’t going to rain tomorrow? (I think it is going to rain tomorrow. Am I right?)
no I’m confused because of the other definition of ”Ka” than using it as a question marker so I’m asking to help understand why there was a other definition to it
@Daniel
Almost all the particles have several different functions/definitions.
か as well has a a few different functions, more than just a question marker.
This か is to stress your speech. There are other usages of か
Ex. 何回も言ったじゃないですか。
Ex. 何回も言ったじゃないか。(Male speech/ rough)
I told you many times! (making your point)
To understand that other definition of ”Ka” what does ”Konna kachi kata ga aru ka yo” from Bleach said By Ichigo to Ulquiorra mean? because I don’t know what this really means.
Hello Daniel,
The sentence-ending particle combination かよ has 2 meanings:
1. Expressing doubt in a stronger way than 「か」 alone.
2. Expressing irony.
Konna kachi kata ga aru ka yo = こんな勝ち方があるかよ = Is this what you call a win?! / This is not the way you can win a battle!! (The speaker refuses to win a battle this way).
@Daniel
Sorry!I’m in vacación Noé and i can’t access Internet often. Thank you @天人 for helping Daniel!
Hey Maggie-Sensei, I have one question. Are there instances where you can say na instead of a negative form, like for example :
馬鹿するな！ Baka suru na! Don’t be an idiot!
Is that only for don’t or can it be used as a negative form as well? Thank you!
僕は本当に感謝するだ！
@Daichi
First,
you don’t say, 馬鹿するな
→You usually say, 馬鹿なことをするな (= Don’t do stupid things) or ばかばかしいことをするな
Hmmm I am not sure if I understand your question here..
You want to know if the suffix な is only for “Don’t do ~”? If so, we use な when we express our desire 〜たい＋な
Ex. 日本に行きたいな。
= I would like to go to Japan (talking to yourself)
When you wonder something
Ex. これおいしいかな？
= I wonder if this taste good.
Ex. 彼は来ないのかな。
= I wonder if he is not coming.
(僕は本当に感謝するだ→本当に感謝しています。）
嘘に決まってるじゃないですか
Here says something like “I’m definitely lying” or “This is definitely a lie”, right?
Thanks for helping!
@AIMBurst
Yes, that’s right. :)
Or “That is not true. You know that! ”
Thanks, Maggie-sensei!
Hi Maggie.
What could means 見てないじゃないか
Thank u :-D
@jache
Hello jache
I need to know more context but
if the listener told the speaker was not looking/watching something then it means “I AM looking/watching!”
And if the speaker is complaining that the listener is watching something, “(But) You ARE looking/watching ~!””
It is a male speech and you use “か” in the end when you usually talk back to people or point out something that you don’t like about.
先生、こんにちは。
is there a logic of transformation from では to じゃ or are they like いたす and する – two separate words with different levels of politeness?
@iji
こんにちは、iji
logic of transformation?
1) V-te form ~んで＋は→じゃ Ex. 読んではいけません →読んじゃいけません。
2) Noun + では→じゃ Ex. マギーではない→マギーじゃない
3) place + では→じゃ Ex. 家では勉強しない→家じゃ勉強しない。
As you say では and じゃ has a difference of politeness.
じゃ a casual form.
(する is not a casual form. It is a plain (dictionary) form.)
する is a plain form not casual.
こんにちは、マギー先生！
ちょっと質問があるんですが、
「彼は格好よくない？」と「彼は「格好いいじゃない？」は同じですか？ (Isn’t he cool?!)
「〜じゃない」と代わりに否定形容詞をよく使う友達がいて、「〜じゃない」と同じヌアンスかなと思って。例えば：
このケーキ美味しくない？ (Isn’t this cake tasty?!)
Also, when using んじゃない for giving orders, is it only men that can use it? I was just wondering since I was playing this game and a female character kept using this form to give orders to her sidekicks. Like 「じろじろ見るんじゃないよ！」and「さぼるんじゃないよ」など。
@Lava
こんにちは、Lava! 彼、格好よくない？ and 彼、格好いいじゃない mean the same. He is cool, isn’t he?
But to be precise, here is the nuance difference.
彼、格好よくない？ （asking for agreement.)
彼、格好いいじゃない。(expressing your opinion.)
*******
このケーキ美味しくない？= I think this cake is delicious. Don’t you agree? / Don’t you think this cake is delicious? = It’s delicious!
Yes, we use this pattern a lot in conversation.
******
「じろじろ見るんじゃないよ！」and「さぼるんじゃないよ」
Good ones! 〜じゃないよ is a rough male speech.
But you do hear mothers say じろじろ見るんじゃありません（よ）。／さぼるんじゃありません（よ）。
ありがとうございました！
男性と女性の話し方の違いに気をつけないと（＾＾）
good evening dear maggie sensei and everyone. these questions may look like i am not reading the lesson carefully but i just want to clarify something about the examples above.
surunjanai – not doing
shitanjanai – did not do
kyou wa ame ga furun janai ka to omotta – i thought it might rain
is “ka” the one who made it “might rain” and if there wasn’t “ka” like “surunjanai”, it would be “rain will not fall”?
—————————
dear maggie sensei janain janai
would this be mean “it,s dear maggie sensei”
i saw an example and it did not end with question mark also, that is why i think it is not inlined with the (nai + njanai) section
dear maggie sensei janai! – its dear maggie sensei
dear maggie sensei nan janai – it is not dear maggie sensei.
dear maggie sensei janainjanai – “its dear maggie sensei”?
oh sorry dear maggie sensei, what i am asking is
maggie sensei janain janai
“its -not- dear maggie sensei”
Hello again and again.
～んじゃない has two meanings:
1. ～てはいけない
2. たぶん…だろう
Here we have the 2nd meaning:
Aじゃない（か） = It’s A! / It must be A! （強い肯定の語気）
Aなんじゃないか = It might be A / It could be A
Aじゃないんじゃないか = This isn’t A, right? / This isn’t A, is it? (lit. isn’t that this isn’t A? = this isn’t A, is it?)
～では／じゃかと思った＝ I thought it could / might~
こんなことになるんじゃないかと思ったんだ。 = I thought (one day) this could / might happen / This is what I was afraid of.
~かと思った = I though~ . (part. か implies less confidence)
恥ずかしさで死ぬかと思ったんだ。 = I thought he/she was going to die of embarrassment.
Little error:
～では／じゃかと思った＝ I thought it could / might~ ==> ～では／じゃないかと思った＝ I thought it could / might~
wow thank you so much for explaining them to me one by one, .n_n. i am really grateful to you 天人さん…
thank you so much dear maggie sensei n_n.
good morning dear maggie sensei and everyone. thank you so much again. n_n. but then, i would like to seek clarification for some words:
1. does “ii no ka” derived from “ii n(o) janai (desu)ka.” ?
2. does “sokka” (often translated as “i see”) derived of “sou janai desu ka.” ?
thank you so much in advance dear maggie sensei.
@obakasan000
じゃない(=janai) is a casual form of ではない(=dewanai)
1) If you meant to say “It’s good, isn’t it!” you can say いいですね(=iidesune) or いいじゃないですか (=iijanai desuka)
いいのか(=iinoka) : whether something is good (OK) or not
これでいいのか。= I wonder if it is OK this way.
これでいいのかなあ = (softer)
2) As you said そっか(=sokka) means “I see..” and it is from そうですか (=soudesuka).
そうじゃないですか(=soujanai desu ka) means “Isn’t it true?/Don’t you agree?” so it is different from そっか(=sokka)
Very well-explained tutorial. But in terms of usage, can you tell me the difference or when to use ja nai, dewa nai or even ja arimasen? I mean in terms of superior, colleagues or strangers?
@Alisa
As I explained in the lesson じゃない is a casual form of ではない
So the politeness level is
(polite to casual)
ではありません
↓
じゃありません
↓
ではない
↓
じゃない
So if you are talking to someone superior, stick to ではありません but if you are talking to your friends, you can use じゃない
Thanks for the reply! I always have problems differentiating the polite and casual forms as I often get mixed replies from people.
@Alisa
You’re welcome. If people mix casual and polite Japanese, then じゃない is totally safe to use.
If you want to sound yourself more polite, mix it with です form
そうじゃないです。
言ったんじゃないです。etc.
Thank you very much for this lesson. It definitely help s a lot in understanding. do keep up the good work Maggie Sensei
@Ivan
Thank you for the nice comment, Ivan!
Hope you come back here often! また来てね！
sensei, I have a question,
I found this pattern in manga:
~なんじゃないでしょうか。
What it’s mean sensei?
I confused to grab the meaning… >.<
@reiz
Hi Reiz!
~なんじゃないでしょうか。is a tag question. And it is used to make sure what you think or make your point asking the listener’s opinion.
Although でしょうか is a polite way to make a tag question, なんじゃない is a casual contraction of なのではない
★na- adjective, noun, demonstrative adjective :
Ex. 必要な
= hitsuyouna = necessary
→必要なのではないでしょうか？
= Hitsuyou nanode wa nai deshouka?
= Isn’t it necessary?/ Don’t we need something?
= I think it is necessary.
→必要なんじゃないでしょうか？
私のこと嫌いなのではないでしょうか？
Watashi no koto kirai nano dewa nai deshouka?
= I think you don’t like me, do you?/ I think you don’t like me.
↓
私のこと嫌いなんじゃないでしょうか？
= Watshi no koto kirai nanjanai deshouka?
↓
(More casual)
私のこと嫌いなんじゃない？
= Watashi no koto kirai nanjanai?
マギーさん、こんにちわ！このレッソンはとても面白いんじゃないんですね！。ありがとうございました！
とにかく、私は問題を抱えていた。
その例。。。『今日、加藤さんは来ないんじゃないでしょうか？
= I think Kato-san is coming today. Don’t you think so?』と 『マギーは今、家にいないんじゃない？
= I think Maggie is not home. Don’t you think so?』
First example, why it’s not a negative “not coming” just like in the second example “not home” or vice versa, why it’s not “Maggie is at home, don’t you think so?” just like the first example “coming”. I mean both have the same double negative form(来ないんじゃない) and (いないんじゃない) but the two translated differently? 分かりました、マギーさん？^^;
＠王様
こんにちは！王様！
Ah, thank you for spotting the mistake. You are right.
今日、加藤さんは来ないんじゃないでしょうか？ The translation should mean
“I think Kato-san is not coming today. Don’t you think so?”
I fixed it. ありがとう、王様！
BTW did you think this lesson was interesting? If so, このレッスンは面白いじゃないですか。
このレッソンはとても面白いんじゃないんですね！means “This lesson is not interesting, don’t you agree?”
Hope you didn’t mean that. :)
Haha, did you think my lesson was interesting? If so, このレッスンは面白いじゃないですか。
このレッソンはとても面白いんじゃないんですね！means “This lesson is not interesting, don’t you agree?”
Hope you didn’t mean that. lol
何！！いええええ！すみませんマギー先生＞＿＜
レッソンはとても面白いていうか！！-_- (I think I didn’t use ていうか right) -_-
Well now I think I understand the difference when using んじゃないか？ and only じゃないか？ .. I learn by making mistakes ^^;
Thanks a lot for explaining that point and for the correction :D
@王様
あ〜よかった！そう聞いて安心しました（笑） !ochame!
ありがとう！ !CHECKHEART!
始めましてマギー先生。何時も楽しいレッスンを作ってくれて本当に有難う御座います
本当は随分昔からこのサイトを時々見に来たがこれは初めてのコメントなのですもっと早く印刷したかったけどいつも後にしようと思う（小心っていうかアバウトな性格っていうやつかな〜 ^^）
兎に角いつもこのサイトで色々な勉強になるのにお礼でも言わないのはちょっと無礼だと思ったから改めて少し遅かったけど本当に有難う御座います
There! This is actually the first time i ever tried to write something in japanese so i hope its not too akward or worst case didnt make any sense, its probably full of mistakes thou ^^
Anyhow i really want to thank you again for the wonderfull work and effort you put into this, i think this is the best website out there when it comes to teaching japanese!
Merci du fond du coeur! =)
@ライアン
Your Japanese is amazing so I will write to you in Japanese.
こんにちは！ライアン！！コメントと〜〜〜ってもうれしかったです！
そして日本語、上手に書けていましたよ。いつでも気軽にコメントして下さい。このサイトは日本語を勉強しているみんなが友達の家に遊びにくる様な気持で来てくれるといいなって思います。これからもよろしくお願いします。
本当？よかった〜 ^^ 早く返事してくれてありがとう！！
なんか返事を待つていて落ち着かなかった〜でも僕の日本語がまだまだと思うよ誉められてびっくりしたけど！嬉しい〜 ^^
これからもいっぱいコメントするつもりよ！覚悟しなさい！ =）
＠ライアン
は〜い！これからもライアンからのコメント楽しみにしていますね！！ !onpu!
Amazing!!! Thank you ♥~
Can you make a lesson about usage of こと? It’s really annoying…(At least for me (. .;) )
@Flora
Hi Flora! Welcome to our site!
こと is used for nominalization.
V + こと→
I like eating = 食べることが好きです。 = Taberu koto ga suki desu.
Practicing is good. = 練習することはいいことです。 = Renshuu suru koto wa ii koto desu.
etc.
But it is deeper than that. Feel free to practice making a sentence using こと here (or Twitter). I can always check it for you.
@Flora
OK, I will add it to my lesson request list. It may take a time but I will make a lesson for you either on this site or on Facebook, OK? 待っててね。
I was helping about this the other day but you’ve cleared this up a little more easier for me to understand! Thanks!
By the way, I have my own blog which focuses on Asian culture and entertainment such as video games and I wonder if it is possible for you to view it and tell me what you think please: http://nynyonlinex.wordpress.com
@NyNy
Hi NyNy!
Thank you for the comment. I checked your site. Very nice! Keep up the good work!! !happyface!
Thank you so much for doing this im teaching myself japanese and this is invaluable to me ty ty ty ty I noticed here that the first sentence in this example is incorrect the japanese says neko=cat but the english text reads inu=dog
●マギーは猫ではありません。
= Maggie wa inu de wa arimasen.
↓
●マギーは猫じゃありません。
= Maggie wa neko ja arimasen.
@Fonzybear
Ooops! I’m a dog! I’m a dog!!!
Thank you for spotting the mistake. I fixed it. And I am happy to hear you use my site to study Japanese. :-P
このレスンはずいぶん詳しいじゃないですか! これを絶対に覚えておきます! お疲れ様でした! \(^0^)/
ところで,マギー先生はExileが好き? 私は大ファンですよ ♥
↓
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?
@Remi Ayumi Lee
こんにちは！！！元気でしたか？
Excile、歌も踊りもかっこいいと思いますよ〜 !onpu!
はい、是非、”じゃない”の使い方、マスターして下さいね。 !happyface!
“It is considered to be a dialect in Tokyo (Yokohama) area but it is pretty common among other areas.”
It’s a dialect which originated in Yokohama and have spread to other areas.
When you write “Tokyo (Yokohama)” you make it look like Yokohama is a part of Tokyo.
@Ldc
I fixed it as Kanto area. (Many people think it is from Yokohama but it is not originated in Yokohama so…)
わああ！素晴らしいレッスンじゃない！
人形は賢い人形じゃない。
じゃあー
「じゃない」＝ いいえ
「じゃない」＝ はい
「じゃない」 ＝ 多分
人形はマゴマゴです。
人間はちょっとおかしいじゃない！
どんあ意味はどうやってわかりますか？
＠人形Angelic
わ〜初めてのコメントじゃない？
OK, こうやったらわかるかな？
賢い人形じゃない？= Isn’t she a smart doll?
賢い人形じゃない。= She is not a smart doll.
賢い人形じゃない！= She’s a smart doll.
先生、ありがとうございます！人形はもっとわかります。説明は賢くて優しいです。レッスンはすごいじゃない！
@人形Angelic
いつもスイートなメッセージありがとう、 お人形さんAngelic!!! !heart!
こんにちは！Another wonderful lesson, マギー先生。 I like these colors better. They are a little less eye straining. (^^) ありがとうございました！
·ケーラ
＠ケーラ
Thank you for the feedback!! ありがとう！！ !happyface!
Sensei! Sensei finished the lesson! お疲れ様でした!
Sensei as soon as I buy a Mac computer I plan to chaｎge my name to NecroMadMac as you wrote in the begining of the lesson, it sounds cool. XD
Hopefully I will get to this lesson soon (I am studying in the index order as not to miss any lesson from Maggiesensei).
先生、この素敵なレッスン作ってくれて本当にどうもありがとうございました！マギー先生いつも優しすぎますね! ：）
Hopefully I did didn’t butcher sensei’s native tongue that much with my previous sentences. ：（ If that was the case:
先生、申し訳ありません。 ：（
@NecroMadMat
Hello, NMM!!!
I am very happy to hear that you have been trying to study all my lessons. So you have been following the index order?
Well, I hope you eventually get to this lesson because I made it for you!
OMG I am sorry!! I wrote your name NecroMadMac??? I will fix it when I finish writing this comment. Hehe I am a Mac user so….. Please forgive me.
BTW Your Japanese is just perfect!!!
Yes sensei. I have been following the Main Index and now that I think about it I am kind of scared I may have skipped the newest lessons sensei has created since I started studying a couple of months ago. :S The new lessons are not listed by entry date, right sensei?
Oh sensei prefers Mac! :) I like the style of the Mac OS but I can’t part ways with the number of customization and programs that are available for W7. :)
Sensei, I really appreciate those words. I will keep doing my best to extend my knowledge to different types of sentences and with Maggiesensei’s help I am sure I can do it! Thank you Maggiesensei. :)
@NecroMadMat
Yes, you can do it!! That is why I am here for!
Haha, that’s right. I keep adding lessons so you may miss the new lessons if you follow the index. I am sorry for all the inconvenience.
よく書いてあるじゃん～！ ;)
@curryisyummy
お〜〜久しぶりじゃん !onpu! 元気だった？
Thank you Maggie-sensei!
とても勉強になりました！☆
@Zarana
Thank you for visiting this lesson,too!!
勉強になったと聞いてうれしいです！！ !happyface!
また来てね！
LOVE YOU!
@PukiPuki
Glad you checked the lesson!
Love you,too!! boucingheart!