ならない

Japanese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Negative form of なる (naru).

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) ない [nàráꜜnàì] (Nakadaka – [2])
  • IPA(key): [na̠ɾa̠na̠i]

Adjective

ならない • (naranai-i (adverbial ならなく (naranaku))

  1. negative of なる (naru) [godan]
    しかしそれ()(わけ)にはならない
    Shikashi, sore wa iiwake ni wa naranai.
    However, that is no excuse.
    (literally, “However, that excuse is not acceptable.”)
  2. illegal, forbidden, prohibited, not allowed, not permitted
  3. (てはならない) it’s bad if..., must not
    (かれ)(ころ)してならない
    Kare o koroshite wa naranai.
    You must not kill him.

Usage notes

  • This sense is similar to いけない. してはならないこと is something you’re not allowed to do, and してはいけないこと is something that you shouldn’t do because it brings about an unwanted result.

Inflection

See also