まじき

まじき means should not; must not (〜). It is a JLPT N1 Japanese grammar pattern used to express strong condemnation—an action that is utterly beneath someone’s dignity, role, or position.

This grammar point often appears in formal statements, news reports, accusations, and JLPT N1 reading passages. If you want to denounce an act as unforgivable for a person in a certain capacity, まじき is a pattern that adds sharp, natural weight to your Japanese.

What does まじき mean?

Use まじき when you want to say that an action is unacceptable given someone’s status, profession, or moral standing. It conveys the idea that the person should have known better precisely because of who they are.

Natural translations include:

• should not; must not; ought not to

The form is archaic – derived from classical Japanese – but survives as a fixed, strong expression in modern formal and written Japanese.

How to form まじき

Attach まじき directly to the stem of a verb (the part before ます), then follow it with a noun. This pattern is almost always a pre-noun modifier.

• 許す(ゆるす) → 許す(ゆるす)まじき + 行為(こうい) / こと: an act that should not be forgiven
• ある → あるまじき + 言動(げんどう) / 態度(たいど): unacceptable behavior for (someone)

Note that まじき is not freely productive; it collocates with a limited set of verbs, most commonly 許す(ゆるす) and ある, and is used in formal or accusatory registers.

When is まじき used?

Use まじき in situations like:

• denouncing corruption, misconduct, or negligence tied to a profession
• news headlines, official statements, and editorial opinions
• expressing that an action is unforgivable for someone of that standing

Tone and register:

• formal, written, often accusatory
• never casual; you won’t use it among friends or in everyday suggestions

Common in test questions, newspaper articles, and JLPT N1 reading sections.

まじき example sentences

After reading each sentence, ask what job まじき is doing: it brands the action as a moral failure specifically tied to the person’s role. That makes the nuance easier to remember than a one-word translation.

Nuance of まじき

The key nuance is strong condemnation based on a person’s position or expected standards.

This pattern is not about personal preference or simple rules. It expresses outrage that someone who should uphold certain values instead violated them. An official who commits fraud, a teacher who bullies a student – these are “あるまじき” or “許す(ゆるす)まじき” precisely because their role makes the act doubly wrong.

Compared with softer patterns like べきではない or てはいけない, まじき carries a courtroom-like gravity. It’s almost declarative: “This is absolutely wrong for someone in that position.”

まじき vs べきではない

Both まじき and べきではない express that something should not be done, but they differ in intensity and scope.

If both translations seem possible, check whether the sentence focuses on the person’s identity/role (→ まじき) or just on the action (→ べきではない). The former sounds like an accusation; the latter, like advice or a general norm.

Common mistakes with まじき

Watch out for these mistakes:

Is まじき on the JLPT?

Yes. まじき is firmly JLPT N1 grammar.

Test-takers should be able to:

• recognize it in reading passages (especially formal or critical texts)
• understand its role as a pre-noun modifier meaning “should not”
• identify common collocations with 許す(ゆるす) and ある

It often appears in sentence-ordering or grammar-choice questions, where its fixed, formal nature can be a deciding factor.

Practice questions for まじき

Learning path for まじき

To internalise まじき, follow this path:

Related grammar to review next

• まくる — because you’ll often see a まくる action described as 許す(ゆるす)まじき when overdone.
• まみれ — both attach to stems and create vivid, literary images.
• も同然(どうぜん)だ — also makes a strong statement about something being equivalent; contrasts with moral condemnation.
• までだ／までのことだ — another N1 pattern that conveys “only/merely” or a last resort, opposite in tone to the gravity of まじき.

Learn まじき with Hane

If you want to review まじき together with these related patterns, Hane helps you practise Japanese in short, focused sessions.

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